_Hanna_Kuprevich_Alamy.jpg?#)
UFC, Meta join forces for new fan technology partnership
The UFC announced a new technology partnership with Meta on Wednesday in a move it says will benefit fight fans.
The UFC announced a new partnership with Meta on Wednesday in a move it says will benefit fans.
A press release said the “collaboration includes integration across Meta’s portfolio including Meta AI, Meta Glasses, Meta Quest, Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Threads.” UFC president Dana White summed it up by calling it the UFC’s first official “fan technology partner.”
The two companies will collaborate and incorporate Meta’s various technologies into UFC broadcasts, social media platforms and in other ways.
“I love this sport and I’m looking forward to working with the UFC to let fans experience it in new ways,” Meta’s founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg stated in the release.
White and Zuckerberg got to know each other after Zuckerberg became a fan of mixed martial arts in recent years. He has attended multiple UFC events.
White often chooses to make official announcements during Instagram livestreams like he did Tuesday, when he announced the UFC 316 main and co-main events plus a new UFC Fight Night headliner.
“I’ve had a lot of great partners over the years that have helped us grow this sport, but Mark and his team at Meta are going to do things that will blow away UFC fans,” White added.
White also explained the UFC and Meta have already begun working to create a new fighter ranking system that will debut later this year.
In January, White was elected to Meta’s board of directors.
The UFC is owned by TKO Group Holdings, Inc.
