MMA promoter UFC plans to throw more hands on TikTok.
The Endeavor-owned mixed martial arts organization inked a multiyear partnership with TIkTok, under which UFC will produce live content on the social-video platform.
The deal encompasses new weekly UFC shows on TikTok that will feature live footage from weigh-ins and press conferences, athlete interviews, arena tours, fighter training segments and more. Each show will be programed around an upcoming UFC live event to drive awareness.
UFC is aiming to boost its existing TikTok follower base of over 7 million users on its official channels. According to the company, videos with the #UFC hashtag have been viewed more than 8 billion times since 2019.
Under the new pact, UFC and TikTok will collaborate to distribute “hundreds of pieces of content” each year on channels including @UFC, @UFCRussia, @UFCBrasil and @UFCEurope. UFC will devote a dedicated staffer focused solely on producing original live and VOD content for TikTok; according to the companies, it’s the first position of its kind created jointly by TikTok and a sports property.
UFC and TikTok will officially kick off the partnership this week with content to promote “UFC Fight Night: Blaydes vs. Lewis” on Saturday, Feb. 20.
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“We are thrilled to deepen our partnership with UFC and launch a robust slate of exclusive live content for the TikTok community,” said Harish Sarma, TikTok’s director of global strategic partnerships for the Americas and Oceania. “Now more than ever, sports fans are craving the up-close-and-personal moments they are missing by not attending live events.”
UFC’s David Shaw, SVP of international and content, said TikTok continues to “break new ground in reaching a diverse, global audience. This collaboration is a great way to drive awareness to our tentpole live events while delivering compelling content to our fans, 24/7.”
TikTok says it has more than 100 million users in the U.S. alone. The company, owned by China’s ByteDance, was under threat of being shut down in the U.S. by President Trump — claiming national security concerns — if TikTok wasn’t sold to a U.S. ownership group. The Biden administration has paused that order to conduct a broader cybersecurity review.
Pictured above: Conor McGregor (right) and Dustin Poirier at UFC 257 in January
