COLUMBUS, OHIO — The Ultimate Fighting Championship has inked a three year deal with Anheuser Busch that will go into effect at May’s UFC 84 in Las Vegas. The deal, which puts the biggest sports advertiser in the world directly into the center of the octagon, will focus on the Bud Light brand and will benefit both the UFC and its sister organization, World Extreme Cagefighting.
Bud Light signage will feature prominently on the Octagon, including the mat and the vertical ring posts surrounding the cage.
The addition of Bud Light as a sponsor is a huge step forward for UFC; as I noted above, Anheuser-Busch is one of the biggest sports advertisers in the world, and having them sponsoring the show instead of, say, Mickey’s Malt Liquor gives them an extra bit of credibility in the eyes of the mainstream sports world.
“The UFC has developed a huge following in recent years and is wildly popular with the 21-34 year old fans we want to reach,” stated Tony Ponturo, vice president of global media and sports marketing for Anheuser-Busch, Inc. “The number of people attending live events, buying the pay-per-views and talking about UFC around the water cooler continues to grow. It’s just a great place for us to be.”
Bud Light will be the presenting sponsor of two UFC PPV events per year, and will also be the official beer of all UFC Fight Night events going forward.
