The global mixed martial arts (MMA) giant, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) has announced a multi-year partnership with a British multinational medical equipment manufacturing company, Smith+Nephew.
The new agreement will see Smith+Nephew leverage its brand around some of the UFC’s most popular Fight Nights and other UFC-owned assets.
As the UFC’s inaugural preferred sports medicine technology partner, this partnership will grant Smith+Nephew prominent branding inside the iconic Octagon on specific Fight Nights, giving the company significant exposure in front of over 700 million fans across 170 nations and the projected 975 million TV households that watch UFC broadcasts.
Robby Miller, Vice President, UFC Global Partnerships, said, “We’re thrilled to have Smith+Nephew join us for the first time as an Official UFC Partner. Through hard work, significant investment, and groundbreaking innovations like the UFC Performance Institute, UFC has become the industry leader in athlete health and safety in combat sports. We’re looking forward to advancing that mission by also promoting better health and recovery through technology solutions, such as those offered by Smith+Nephew, that will benefit UFC athletes and fans alike.”
Scott Schaffner, President Sports Medicine, Smith+Nephew, commented, “Smith+Nephew’s purpose is Life Unlimited – helping restore people’s bodies and their self-belief by using technology to take the limits off living. The global reach and influence of UFC is unmatched by any other sports organization, and we look forward to this partnership spotlighting Smith+Nephew’s leading-edge portfolio of sports medicine technology solutions with their athletes, orthopedic consultants, and fans.”
Moreover, UFC and Smith+Nephew will work together to produce unique content for the organization’s well-liked digital and social media platforms, which have a global user base of over 259 million.
Additionally, Smith+Nephew will be marketed in the world’s first mixed martial arts performance training, research, rehabilitation, and nutrition centres—the UFC Performance Institutes in Shanghai, Mexico City, and Las Vegas.
Along with bringing the partnership to life through appearances, content, and innovative initiatives involving UFC athletes, the agreement will also establish an annual Brand Ambassador fund.
Smith+Nephew provides excellent Sports Medicine solutions, comprising new technology, equipment, and implants that allow surgeons to undertake minimally invasive surgery for soft tissue injuries and degenerative disorders of the shoulder, knee, hip, and minor joints. The company has expanded its biological healing portfolio with the REGENETEN Bioinductive Implant for rotator-cuff repair and the newly obtained CARTIHEAL AGILI-C Cartilage Repair Implant.