Remember when Dana White went off on the UFC’s ranking system for Jon Jones not being at the top of the pound-for-pound list? The UFC CEO didn’t hold back—he vowed to overhaul the system using AI and even name-dropped Mark Zuckerberg as a key ally in the mission. And it looks like that wasn’t just talk. The UFC and Meta now seem to be marching shoulder-to-shoulder. “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 UFC fans away,” quipped Dana White as he announced a groundbreaking collaboration between the UFC and Meta. And, guess who has been caught in the wind? None other than Bruce Buffer.

Ahead of the UFC 314 battle headlined by Alexander Volkanovski and Diego Lopes, Dana White came forward to announce their unique collaboration with Meta. Accoridng to the UFC CEO, Meta will be the official technology partner of the UFC, and Meta’s Threads will be the official social media partner of the promotion.

And what if we told you that the MMA fan-favorite announcer Bruce Buffer would be reading your customized Threads posts if you’re lucky? Intrigued? Yup, Bruce Buffer will read all of the customized posts by the fans from a yacht traveling from South Beach to Biscayne Bay and will dock outside the Kaseya Center.

The announcer took to his Threads handle to personally announce his involvement to the cause, “That’s right, fight fans! On April 11, I’ll be reading your threads from a yacht in Miami ahead of UFC 314. Reply to this post with whatever you want me to say using #UFCThreads for a chance to join in on the action. Who’s ready for me to hit the high seas?! IT’S YACHT TIME!!!”

Threads has been the prime competitor to Elon Musk’s X, and as of April 2025, the social media app has more than 320 million monthly users, and the sports creators are seeing unprecedented growth in the app —nearly 1 million in just the past two months. As Threads became the official social media platform for the UFC, fans could accept exclusive content like fight highlights, behind-the-scenes access, live fan reactions, and much more from the app.

The partnership with Bruce Buffer is just the beginning of an exciting journey that Meta and the UFC are planning. According to Meta, at the UFC 314, Threads will take centre stage as the social media app is set to provide custom feeds of fighters and commentators, as well as live updates from fight correspondents. In addition to that, VIP seat upgrades will be offered to lucky fans. Both Threads and Meta have too much to offer, and all it takes for the fans join in to the trend. So, what is the deal all about? Let’s have a detailed look at it.

Dana White announces a strategic partnership to change the dynamics of the game

Threads will be the first official technology partner of the UFC. According to Meta, they will leverage their full suite of technologies, which includes Meta AI, Meta Glasses, Meta Quest, Facebook, Instagram, and Threads to deliver an immersive fan experience to the fans. In addition to that, Meta has become UFC’s official AI glasses partner in integrating more advanced technologies into their program.

According to UFC CEO Dana White, “Meta has the greatest minds in tech, and they are going to take fan engagement to the next level. We’ve already started to work on some innovations with Meta around a new fighter rankings system that I’ll be sharing soon. The next few years will be an absolute game changer for fans of this sport.”

The promotion is experimenting with their business strategy, and it remains to be seen whether this venture will prove to be a boon or a bane. What are your thoughts on the matter? Share your opinion in the comments below.