Issue 128
May 2015
Fantasy sports operator DraftKings has joined with the UFC for an exclusive partnership, which will offer members who participate in its MMA games a chance to win unique prizes.
After adding MMA as an option for fans and inking a deal with UFC 205lb champion Jon Jones last December, DraftKings’ landmark deal means it not has “prominent PPV and stadium placement” during major UFC events, plus a presence on online platforms like Fight Pass and social media.
Fans who take part in fantasy MMA games on DraftKings.com will be in with a chance of winning incredible prizes, including VIP tickets to live events and even ‘The Dana White Experience’, where lucky fans will be invited to a fight card as a guest of the UFC president.
“Like all major sports and leagues, we continue to strive for ways to offer the most thrilling and innovative experiences for our fans. Working alongside the leaders of the daily fantasy sports industry offers a cutting-edge platform for daily action and entertainment,” said UFC senior vice president of global marketing partnerships, Michael Mosshoder.
According to reports, the deal was brokered by The Raine Group, a venture capital firm that’s a major investor in the fantasy sports website.
4:2
The New York Senate Committee on Cultural Affairs, Tourism, Parks and Recreation voted 4:2 to approve the bill to the State Athletic Commission to regulate mixed martial arts.
Octagon in The Garden in 2015
Witnessing a UFC live event at New York’s Madison Square Garden is starting to look like less of a dream and more of a reality after the new Speaker of the New York Assembly was confirmed as MMA advocate Carl Heastie.
Heastie, who replaced disgraced former speaker Sheldon Silver on February 3rd, has sponsored bills to legalize MMA in the past, which suggests he could be the key to the Big Apple staging live mixed martial arts events later this year.
“We’re hopeful that we’ll get an opportunity now that there’s a new speaker in place,” UFC CEO Lorenzo Fertitta said. “We don’t know what he’s going to do or not do. But we do know that in the past he’s been a co-sponsor of the bill, which implies that he obviously supports MMA being legal in New York.”
Fertitta also said the UFC will hold four events every year for three years once the bill is past, which could generate an incredible $135 million
for the state.
400 million
Bellator MMA recently announced its events will soon be available in 400 million homes around the world, including new territories like Israel, France and Spain.
Rallying/Crashed: The MMA business can be cruel and kind
Rallying: Monster Energy
Monster Energy made its Octagon debut at UFC 184 after signing an exclusive deal to become the official energy drink of the UFC. Monster has been a long-time supporter of mixed martial arts, having previously sponsored Bellator events and a number of fighters, including former UFC champion Dominick Cruz.
Crashed: Engage Fight Wear
Once a sponsor for the likes of Paul Daley and Tyler Toner, Engage Fight Wear was at one time an emerging MMA brand. Now it no longer has a website and it hasn’t updated its social media page since way back in December 2010.
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