Ultimate Bet‘s relationship with the increasingly popular sport of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) continues to grow stronger, as the online poker site has secured title sponsorship of Rogers Sportsnet’s weekly sports show “MMA Connected” for another season.
“MMA Connected” launched in April 2009 and is hosted by esteemed MMA analyst Joe Ferraro. The magazine-style program previews upcoming Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) fights and delivers all of the news from around the Octagon, including fighter profiles and interviews.
The “MMA Connected” title sponsorship will see UltimateBet.net receive exclusive exposure via in-program promotional spots during the telecast, on-air mentions by the program’s hosts, and high visibility for the brand with the company logo incorporated into the set design.
Ultimate Bet first dabbled in the sport earlier this year when it sponsored welterweight fighter Martin “The Hitman” Kampmann for a UFC match against Carlos “Natural Born Killer” Condit. The online poker site followed that up with a sponsorship agreement with the UFC, which saw the Ultimate Bet logo appear in the Octagon during UFC 97 in Montreal, Canada on April 18th.
Ultimate Bet’s latest online UFC promotion is giving one lucky poker player the chance to be in the audience and experience all of the action of UFC 106 in Las Vegas on November 21st. Players can qualify to win by registering and playing online poker at Ultimate Bet. Free qualifying tournaments will run daily on Ultimate Bet between October 19th and November 7th. The top 27 players from each daily qualifier will earn automatic entry into the November 8th UFC 106 Main Event, where the top prize is a pair of tickets to UFC 106 plus $2,000 for travel and accommodation. The promotion is only open to residents of Canada, excluding Quebec.
The competition’s Main Event winner and their guest will hop a flight to the Mandalay Bay Events Center to watch Brock Lesnar defend his UFC title against the undefeated challenger Shane Carwin. Sharing the UFC 106 Main Event spotlight is Tito Ortiz, set to make a much-anticipated comeback bid against Forrest Griffin, who has stepped up as replacement for the injured Mark Coleman.
Ortiz, the former UFC light heavyweight champion, was recently a guest host on “MMA Connected,” as the 34-year-old discussed the top moments from his career and his opinions on the biggest stories around the UFC. He also reacted to various UFC fighters’ predictions about his upcoming return to the UFC. Ortiz was a former contestant on NBC’s “Celebrity Apprentice.”
“MMA Connected Presented by UltimateBet.net” can be found on Monday nights on Rogers Sportsnet and online at Sportsnet.ca.