AB InBev closes record-breaking sponsorship deal with UFC

Beer giant AB InBev has signed a record-breaking sponsorship deal with mixed martial arts (MMA) promoter UFC, news agency Bloomberg writes, citing anonymous sources. It is the latest attempt by the company to get back in the good graces of its US customers after the Bud Light fallout in April.

The Belgian brewer has not had an easy time in the United States recently. Its beer sales in the country plummeted due to a conservative boycott over a Bud Light commercial featuring a transgender celebrity released in April. In the second quarter, US volume sales fell by more than 14 per cent.

Nine figure deal

To get the brand back on the map, AB InBev has now signed a multi-year deal to be the beer sponsor of the UFC, the biggest organisation in MMA. The size of the deal is not known, but it would be the biggest sponsorship deal ever for the UFC, writes Bloomberg. The previous record is a $175 million deal with cryptocurrency platform Crypto.com.

As a result of the deal, the Bud Light brand will be seen during UFC events in the US, both on broadcasts and in the arenas themselves. The logo will also be featured during press conferences, on the fight tournament's social media and at fighter weigh-ins. International brands from AB InBev's extensive portfolio will also be promoted.

Following the Bud Light controversy, the brewer has launched new campaigns for the brand in the NFL and with several country musicians, a genre that is particularly popular in conservative circles.

^{© BELGA PHOTO JASPER JACOBS}