Key Takeaways
- Meta has signed a partnership with the Ultimate Fighting Championship, the companies said Wednesday.
- UFC will use Meta products like its AI glasses and Meta Quest headset for future promotions at the martial arts league’s events.
- UFC CEO Dana White was one of three new board members elected to Meta’s Board of Directors earlier this year.
Meta Platforms (META) has agreed to a deal to become a technology partner with TKO Group’s (TKO) Ultimate Fighting Championship, the companies said Wednesday.
The companies did not announce any specific promotions in the press release, but said UFC will be able to use Meta platforms and technology like Facebook, Instagram, and the Meta Quest virtual reality headset to “immerse fans deeper into UFC content than ever before.”
Meta’s artificial intelligence glasses that it makes in partnership with Ray-Ban will also be used at future UFC events. Threads, Meta’s text-based social media, will also “serve as the primary destination for the UFC community,” the companies said.
During the development of Threads in 2023, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Tesla (TSLA) CEO Elon Musk had an online public spat nearly escalate into a real life mixed martial arts match, as the sides reportedly contacted UFC CEO Dana White about organizing a fight at the time.
Earlier this year, White was one of three new members elected to Meta’s Board of Directors.
Meta shares were little changed Wednesday morning, while TKO Group’s stock rose more than 1%, with each stock down from record highs set in February.
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