UFC And TikTok Announce Groundbreaking Sports Content Partnership
UFC®, the world’s premier mixed martial arts organization, and TikTok today announced a groundbreaking multi-year partnership that calls for UFC to produce live content on the world’s fastest-growing social media platform.
Among the highlights, UFC and TikTok will collaborate to program new weekly shows on TikTok, featuring live looks at 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, providing fans with an exciting, unique way to experience UFC on TikTok while they prepare for UFC’s biggest events.
UFC and TikTok will collaborate to distribute hundreds of pieces of content annually via UFC’s global TikTok channels, including @UFC, @UFCRussia, @UFCBrasil, and @UFCEurope. Collectively, these channels have more than seven million followers.
To fully support the partnership, UFC will engage a dedicated, full-time resource who will be focused on producing original live and VOD content for @UFC on TikTok and who will liaise directly with the TikTok team to help grow UFC’s global community on TikTok. This is the first position of its kind created jointly by TikTok and a sports property.
“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, Director, Global Strategic Partnerships, Americas and Oceania, TikTok. “Now more than ever, sports fans are craving the up-close-and-personal moments they are missing by not attending live events. Through this partnership, we are excited to bring to TikTok, the action and excitement of UFC both inside and outside the Octagon.”
“This partnership with TikTok is a tremendous addition to UFC’s content distribution ecosystem,” said David Shaw, UFC Senior Vice President of International and Content. “We want to be everywhere our fans are consuming content and TikTok continues to break new ground in reaching a diverse, global audience. This collaboration is a great way to drive awareness to our tent pole live events while delivering compelling content to our fans, 24/7.”
UFC and TikTok will officially kick off the partnership this week with content around UFC FIGHT NIGHTÒ: BLAYDES vs. LEWIS on Saturday, February 20, live from UFC APEX in Las Vegas. Tune into @UFC on TikTok LIVE this weekend to catch compelling moments from the event.
TikTok is the fastest-growing social media platform in the word and has more than 100 million users in the U.S. With more than seven million followers across its official channels, UFC has become one of the fastest growing sports properties on TikTok. Videos using #UFC have been viewed over eight billion times since 2019.