PokerStars became the UFC’s first-ever ‘Official Poker Partner’ at last weekend’s UFC 232 event, which took place at the The Forum in Inglewood, California.
The partnership saw the creation of a new sponsorship category, underlining the UFC’s continued quest for marketing expansion.
At the hugely successful event, PokerStars enjoyed a branded presence inside the world-famous Octagon at UFC’s final Pay-Per-View event of 2018, ‘UFC 232: Jones vs. Gustafsson 2’.
Commenting on the partnership, Paul Asencio, UFC Senior Vice President, Global Partnerships outlined: “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.
“This agreement lays the foundation to work together with PokerStars in the future to grow our respective customer bases in key markets.”
Christopher Coyne, Chief Marketing Officer of Stars Interactive, a division of The Stars Group added: “UFC and PokerStars have a lot in common. 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.”
The event will go down as a historic one, as it marked all time great Jon Jones’ return to the Octagon, as he defeated Alexander Gustafsson in round three of their Light-heavyweight title contest.
Additionally, Amanda Nunes secured her place in the history books, when she dethroned women’s Featherweight Champion Cris Cyborg, to become the first ever two weight female UFC champion.