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St-Pierre Has Potential To Emerge As
International Face Of UFC |
UFC fighter Georges St-Pierre, who Saturday will fight Josh Koscheck in the main event of UFC 124, is the "complete package from a marketing and promotion standpoint: an incomparable talent who appeals to fight fans, females and advertisers on Madison Avenue all at once," according to E. Spencer Kyte of the Vancouver PROVINCE. St-Pierre is a "good-looking man who is the epitome of professionalism inside and outside the cage; well-mannered and well-spoken, even though English is his second language." At pre- and post-fight press conferences, St-Pierre "comes with a clean shave and a crisp suit every time." St-Pierre is "one of the faces of Under Armour, as well as having endorsement deals with Affliction clothing and Mission Skin Care." Additionally, he is a "spokesperson for Gatorade, appearing in print and TV alongside an impressive lineup of athletes for the 'What's G?' advertising campaign." As UFC "continues to grow in reach and popularity, the premier organization in mixed martial arts will need a fighter to play the Michael Jordan role; someone capable of breaking down barriers and transcending borders to become the international face of the franchise." St-Pierre is the one man that "has the potential to emerge." UFC President Dana White recently said that St-Pierre "even exceeds the global reach" of Hockey HOFer Wayne Gretzky (Vancouver PROVINCE, 12/10).
TURN OF PHRASE: In Las Vegas, Steve Green reports UFC parent company Zuffa LLC "sued video game giant Ubisoft Inc. on Thursday, charging that packaging for a new street-fighter game infringes on and harms the trademarks of the UFC." Zuffa attorneys in a trademark lawsuit charged that the back cover of the new Ubisoft game "Fighters Uncaged" says, "Become the ULTIMATE FIGHTING weapon!" Zuffa said that the phrase is "identical or confusingly similar to the UFC's trademarked Ultimate Fighting name on packaging for Zuffa-licensed video games such as 'Undisputed 2009,' 'Undisputed 2010' and 'Sudden Impact'" (LAS VEGAS SUN, 12/10).
