UFC's Marines Sponsorship Plays Role in TUF 11 Season

Viewers of last night's PPV as well as earlier UFC programming may have noticed the prevalence of commercial time for the Marines Corps. This new partnership will look to increase in the future, according to the Marine Corps Times, as the Corps will have a major role in the forthcoming season of The Ultimate Figher 11 featuring Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz:

Similar commercials, paid for out of the Corps’ advertising budget, will air during all 12 episodes of “The Ultimate Fighter,” a reality television series in which up-and-coming mixed martial arts fighters try to make names for themselves by battling one another in an elimination-style series of competitions. After the season finale, the lone fighter left standing wins a six-figure UFC contract that guarantees him multiple fights.

The show will air this spring on Spike TV and include one episode in which Marines, most likely MCMAP instructor-trainers from Quantico’s Martial Arts Center of Excellence, instruct the contestants and then go back to the fighters’ group house outside of Las Vegas to share “the longer Marine Corps story,” said Capt. Salvatore Nigro, the UFC partnership action officer at Recruiting Command.

Details are being worked out with the show’s producer, so it is not clear yet when the episode will air, Nigro said. Taping is expected to begin in Vegas in February, he said.

Seems like a hand in glove type situation for the two organizations, as the demographic sweet sport for the UFC also serves as the recruitment base for the Marines. The recent partnership was made possible throught the new found accpetance of the sport due to its' cleaned up image. In addition to sponsorship of TUF on Spike, there will also be ancillary content featured on the UFC.com website highlighting the Marines Corps.