Published 02/01/2023, 1:13 AM EST
Recently, ‘Prime’ has been making the headlines in the MMA world as Dana White and Logan Paul made a big announcement. It became the UFC’s new Official Global Sports Drink Partner. However, MMA fans are not sharing the excitement about the partnership between the UFC and PRIME. Moreover, YouTubers Logan Paul and KSI are the founders of the famous sports drink and have millions of followers themselves. The fans took to social media to express their disappointment towards Dana White and the UFC. In addition, many of the fans are addressing their reasons for not being happy with the deal.
Many MMA fans believe that the sport of mixed martial arts is a serious and competitive discipline, and they feel that the association with PRIME and its creators undermines the integrity of the sport. They believe that the sport should be about the fighters and their athletic abilities, and not about marketing deals with sports drinks.
Despite the criticism from MMA fans, the UFC and PRIME are forging ahead with their partnership. PRIME will be highly visible during all UFC events, including Pay-Per-Views and Fight Nights. Moreover, it will be shown in Dana White’s Contender Series and The Ultimate Fighter. The company will have branding rights in the Octagon, including ownership of the Red and Blue corners. In addition, the corner will be renamed as PRIME Hydration Recovery Zones.
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Fans voice their disapproval of White and Paul UFC-Prime deal
Additionally, PRIME will be the exclusive Presenting Sponsor for all UFC Pay-Per-View weigh-ins, providing the brand with key exposure during fight week. The company will also be an Official Partner of the UFC’s Performance Institutes in Las Vegas and Shanghai. The partnership is going to be a multi-year marketing venture. It remains unclear how MMA fans will react in the long term. However, currently, they are not at all happy with the deal.
Here’s what the fans had to say:
One fan said: “FIGHTINGGGG OUT OF THE RED PRIME HYDRATION RECOVERY ZONE Sounds great UFC you fu*kin goofballs.”
A fan said: “So the cage can have sponsors, the corner can have sponsors, the replays can have sponsors, the clock can have sponsors, cards can have sponsors, main events can have sponsors but fighters can’t because it makes it look unprofessional”
“Lmao. Stripping every bit of soul of of the sport that they can.”
Another fan said: “That is some absolutely bush league stuff lmao”
“Holy fu*k this sounds dumb as sh*t”
One fan said: “I actually hate the UFC. What the fu*k.”
“My disdain for the UFC grows with each passing week.”
“Fighters are getting a cut of it, right?”
“Jon Anik gotta is gonna have an aneurysm with the amount of sponsorships he has to announce on air.”
Dana White announces the partnership on social media
Dana White, the President of UFC, quickly announced the partnership with PRIME. He posted a photo of himself with Logan Paul and wrote, “Prime just became the Official Sports Drink of @UFC.”
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White is eager to see what the future holds and is confident the partnership will bring new chances.
ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES SEPTEMBER 8, 2019: Dana White, president of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, at a news conference following a title unification bout between UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov and interim UFC lightweight champion Dustin Poirier at the UFC 242 mixed martial arts tournament. Valery Sharifulin/TASS PUBLICATIONxINxGERxAUTxONLY TS0B9FED
The partnership between UFC and PRIME is a long-term marketing deal. While social media users weren’t necessarily happy, it would be interesting to see if their views change in the future.
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