Additional UFC Merchandising Deals Announced
The UFC announced several additional UFC merchandising deals this afternoon, including a deal MMAFrenzy.com (www.mmafrenzy.com) reported earlier today with JAKKS Pacific to produce UFC action figures.
Here’s a snip from UFC.com on the new deals:
It’s a day many hoped for, and after a flurry of activity that has taken the industry by storm, fans of the Ultimate Fighting Championship will soon be able to collect Jakks Pacific UFC figures, use UFC-branded Bic lighters and Silver Buffalo watches, shop with a UFC credit card, and pick up UFC apparel at JC Penney stores. This unprecedented series of announcements truly stamps the UFC as the premier brand in the sport of mixed martial arts as well as the home of the elite fighters in the game.
Already, UFC-branded Bic lighters are hitting retail shelves, and after April’s ‘soft’ launch of UFC t-shirts at 450 JC Penney stores, the retailer will create “UFC Hot Zones†in August that will sell shirts and headwear in the Young Men’s department. Silver Buffalo, which has developed licensed products for such brands as WWE, Elvis Presley, Led Zeppelin, Bob Marley, and Kiss, will come on board this summer with UFC-branded watches, barware, bar accessories, lighting, wall décor, and billiards and darts accessories, and on June 15th, US Bank launches its UFC VISA card with no annual fee and the option to receive points for UFC merchandise.
There are also going to be more than a few happy faces when official UFC action figures hit major retailers such as Wal-Mart, Target, K-Mart, and Toys R Us in Fall of 2009. Expected in this launch will be Chuck “The Iceman” Liddell, Forrest Griffin, Brock Lesnar, Antonio “Minotauro” Nogueira, Michael “The Count” Bisping and UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson “The Spider” Silva. Octagon playsets and role-play items based on the UFC brand and its classic and current roster of star fighters are also planned.
This all sucks! Wal Mart culture hits the UFC. A bunch of cheap crap to sell to people who can’t think for themselves. Now everyone and their white trash uncle will be sporting Lesnar Ts, and bisbing hats, and next thing you know it’s going to be Kimbo vs. Lesnar. UFC 95 “smackdown”…. Puke!!!!!!!!!
I dont see the market….Kids are going to be like “Who is Anderson “The Spider” Silva?”
I agree raffy…puke.
Complain about the products if you want, but creating revenue to pay fighters and grow the sport is a good thing. The NFL,NBA,MLB and NHL sell just about everything listed above and you don’t see anybody puking over that. Personally I would like to see MMA grow as big as the leagues listed above, get over it!!
THOSE SPORTS HAVE BEEN AROUND FOR SO MANY YEARS. MOST IF NOT ALL PARENTS LET THERE KIDS WATCH THOSE SPORTS. IM SURE THERE ARE ALOT OF KIDS WHO WATCH MMA BUT NOT AS MUCH AS MLB AND NBA. DON’T GET ME WRONG THERE STILL MAKE A BUNCH OF REVENUE OF THOSE TOYS BUT ME PERSONALLY I DON’T THINK ITS THAT BIG OF A DEAL AS THERE MAKING IT.
Yippee, Dana and his goons will bring in more money, but let’s see if he pays his people any of the revenue from these items. They should definitely do a limited first run, and let these stir some buzz, create a bit of demand for more, then market them as collector items. I think that creates more talk than just more mass produced toys to sell at Dept. stores.
I agree that fighters deserve better pay. I would rather see Dana giving fighters a greater % of the pay-per-view revenue. fightopinion.com reported “Sep 30, 2007 … Pay-per-view buys account for the lion’s share of live event revenue … It is believed that Zuffa grossed $190 million last year.”. Fighters are lucky to get 20k per fight. The revenue is already there to pay the fighters.
I agree thge fighters should get payed more of a %
All I know is I am almost 27 years old and still want some UFC toys. Not sure if I will play with them but I just want them. I am most excited for the Michael Bisping transexual fighter with detachable parts.
This is absolutely appalling! What a sell out! Concentrate on the sport, not the merchandise! I;m ok about the t-shirts and the training gear, etc… but frickin’ toys!
One of the things that I really loved about the UFC was that it was all about the sport and not about the cr@p that could surround it. Guess that’s over…
It’s all a business, I guess, but still…