The UFC CEO/president, Dana White, is bringing massive innovations to further develop the viewing experience with their new multimillion-dollar partnership with Meta. Both giants are promising to bring an anticipated “fan technology.” The aim of these innovations is to make the overall experience better, enabling fans to engage more in the fast-paced MMA world.

They are incorporating a broad range of next-generation technologies into UFC fight night events and pay-per-view. Through this partnership, fans will be able to discover new and innovative methods of interaction with their favorite MMA fighters. Let’s dive into what they are.

Dana White & UFC sign partnership deal with Meta

UFC President/CEO Dana White recently appeared on social media platforms to announce the exciting new partnership with Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta. The promotion hopes to further expand its technological capabilities through this alliance, bringing the fans and the sport they love even closer together. 

White has always had a great relationship with Mark Zuckerberg. The Facebook co-founder is a known martial arts enthusiast. He regularly attends UFC events and also practices Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Famously, Zuckerberg trained on a speedboat with Alexander Volkanovski and Israel Adesanya, and he was also rumored to fight Elon Musk. With such a background, the UFC head honcho knew how big this deal is and feels that it will be a huge way ahead for both companies.

According to UFC.com, Dana White said, “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. 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.”

Meta CEO and Founder Mark Zuckerberg also revealed, “I love this sport, and I’m looking forward to working with the UFC to let fans experience it in new ways.”

That’s quite an optimistic and confident statement coming from the head honcho himself, who joined Meta’s board in January. It’s exciting to hear about the new features being introduced, especially the innovative fan technology; it really sounds like something fresh and intriguing. So, let’s discover what it is about. 

What does the ‘Fan Technology’ partnership mean for UFC & Meta?

The UFC aims to enhance the fan experience through various Meta social media platforms and products. Through this collaboration, the promotion will leverage popular platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Threads and newer technologies such as Meta AI, Meta Glasses, and Meta Quest, which will allow more engaging involvement for the viewers.

It’s still too early to make predictions about how fan technology will develop for audiences. However, since the UFC is already very active with its social media and fan engagement sessions, it is safe to say that this will enhance the experience further through cutting-edge tech.

For Meta, this presents an opportunity to engage with the world of combat sports audiences, particularly MMA. While many details are still to be unveiled, Mark Zuckerberg, a fan of martial arts, is expected to introduce various special features to their existing platforms that will be exclusive to the UFC.

AI Glasses & other things you can expect from the UFC-Meta deal

The UFC will use Meta Ray-Ban AI glasses, launched in October 2017, which, according to Benzinga.com, have already sold over 2 million pieces globally. They are meant to view multimedia material in front of your eyes without needing to put your phone away. They utilize the Llama AI model and the Meta AI chatbot in order to allow more user engagement.

These smart wearables are specifically designed to capture photos and videos, listen to music, make calls, and even livestream, all hands-free and without you having to take your phone out of your pocket. It’s going to be really interesting to see how the UFC will use the device to amplify watching the fights. 

In addition, major fight announcements and updates will be exclusively featured on Threads.

Dana White also hinted at the potential involvement of AI in ranking fighters, particularly as the debate over the pound-for-pound number one contender intensified. He faced criticism for favoring Jon Jones over Islam Makhachev. As a result, we can expect an AI system to rank the fighters soon. How accurate will this system be? Its accuracy remains to be seen.

This partnership definitely marks a revolutionary step towards the improvement of combat sports. However, we need to await further details, as Grant-Norris Jones, the executive vice president of TKO, has revealed that both companies are working on a series of announcements expected to be unveiled in the next three to nine months.

What do you think about the UFC and Meta deal? Please let us know in the comment box.