Getty Image / Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC
UFC CEO Dana White and Meta announced a multi-year partnership this morning that will bring Meta’s technology to UFC in ways that will revolutionize the MMA experience. Dana White, who sits on the board of Meta, announced the multi-year partnership on Instagram with an accompanying press release laying out the ways this will boost the sport.
Perhaps the most immediate change that will come out of this UFC x Meta partnership will be new UFC fighter rankings. The UFC CEO said “Meta has the greatest minds in tech and they are going to take fan engagement to the next level. We’ve already started to work on some innovations with Meta around a new fighter rankings system that I’ll be sharing soon. The next few years will be an absolute game changer for fans of this sport.”
In the announcement, UFC CEO Dana White said “I’ve had a lot of great partners over the years that have helped us grow this sport, but Mark and his team at Meta are going to do things that will blow away UFC fans.” Meta CEO and Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg, who trains MMA and has been a fixture at UFC fights in recent years, added “I love this sport and I’m looking forward to working with the UFC to let fans experience it in new ways.”
What Does The UFC x Meta Partnership Mean For The Sport?
Some immediate changes will come from this partnership including Meta brand placement inside the UFC Octagon®. Meta will also be integrated into “UFC assets with extensive activations in all Pay-Per-Views and Fight Nights, numerous broadcast features, and creative in-arena fan experiences.”
Meta’s Threads, it’s real-time micro-messaging platform that has been outpacing Elon Musk’s X (née Twitter) since it launched will also be designated the official social media partner of the UFC. As someone who is a UFC and and who has been spending an inordinate amount of time on Threads lately, this is great news.
Threads will feature prominently in this partnership, according to the press release, which states “Threads will serve as the primary destination for the UFC community, featuring exclusive original content that drives conversation around the biggest moments of each UFC event, and providing a dedicated space for fans to share perspectives and engage with one another.”
I, for one, welcome a world where my Meta Quest 3 headset can be used for a full AR experience at UFC’s PPV fights with integrations my brain cannot even begin to comprehend yet. The possibilities are endless with Meta’s technologies and physical hardware paired with Dana White’s UFC.