Fox Deal Forces UFC to Gun Down Weapons-Related Sponsors
This past August, the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) promotion company penned a seven-year deal with Fox Broadcasting reportedly worth as much as $90 million per year.
Many argue that the lucrative deal solidified the UFC’s position as the preeminent mixed martial arts brand.
However, the UFC and its affiliates have learned that signing such a deal comes with certain strings attached, that there are tradeoffs when an organization becomes bedfellows with a major television network.
One of those tradeoffs includes an advertising and sponsorship ban for all companies who sell, make, and/or distribute guns, knives, ammunition, and hunting-related products.
The ban, which took effect on Monday, extends to all UFC events, not just the ones that are scheduled to broadcast on Fox’s network of channels (Fox, FX or Fuel TV).
More blog post title sarcasm, ICYMI.
I’ve never seen an ad anywhere except in a hunting magazine for any kind of weapon or ammmunition — wait, except for a “collectible” knife that you would never use except as a display piece.