PokerStars and UFC Form a New Partnership

A new sponsorship agreement with UFC has positioned PokerStars as the “Official Poker Partner” of the world's top mixed martial arts organization.

A recent press release announced the alliance between the two, a pairing that calls for the PokerStars red spade to be prominently displayed at Ultimate Fighting Championship contests. The first fight card where MMA fans will see PokerStars branding will be inside the world-famous Octagon at UFC® 232: JONES vs. GUSTAFSSON 2 scheduled for Saturday, December 29 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. 

“We’re excited that PokerStars has joined our roster of global partners and has helped us create a new sponsorship category for our final event of 2018,” stated Paul Asencio, UFC Senior Vice President, Global Partnerships. “This agreement lays the foundation to work together with PokerStars in the future to grow our respective customer bases in key markets.”

UFC programming enjoys a considerably wide reach, extending into 160 countries and more than 1.1 billion households. Broadcasts can be heard in 40 different languages.

Celebrating its 25th year in existence, UFC is recognized as the largest Pay-Per-View event provider throughout the world, having produced over 450 events in 24 countries. More than 284 million people call themselves UFC fans. 

Plenty of those UFC fans play poker, and some who don't may be introduced to the game via PokerStars' ads and branding shown during UFC telecasts. In addition, PokerStars will also have a strong presence on UFC's digital and social media platforms, as well as other promotional opportunities.

“UFC and PokerStars have a lot in common,” said Christopher Coyne, chief marketing officer of Stars Interactive, a division of The Stars Group. “We want to thrill and entertain, both in our products and customer experience. UFC is the world’s leading MMA promoter with millions of fans and followers around the globe, while PokerStars is the heavyweight of online poker. It’s a classic combination.”