Over the last five years UFC President Dana White has listened intently as fans spoke about the kind of web site they want. About how the site should look, and what it should do. Some of these conversations took place in restaurants and on sidewalks, others on the arena floor and at Q&As. Others through text, Twitter and email. But no matter where, or how, the message was communicated, he heard it and shared the concepts with the team at the UFC.
Today, after a year of work involving a project team of designers, programmers and technicians across three companies led by digital agency Odopod, White officially introduced to fans the brand new UFC.com.
“Today, we launched a new UFC site that is faster and easier with new features and more video content and programming, and this is just the start – we are gonna continue to build this thing into the best web site in sports,” said White.
Upon first click, fans will appreciate a sleeker look and smoother navigation that exemplifies the UFC brand. Next, fans will experience a powerful new search engine, one that delivers lightning fast results with more video packages, deeper fighter statistics such as Skill Breakdowns, Striking, Takedowns, Successful Attempts, as well as more personal details, revamped fight cards, and enhanced multimedia options.
Fans will now hear their own voice in UFC.com, as the site is fully integrated in the language of Social Media, which means the site will automatically cycle-in and cycle-out fan conversations about the UFC with other online portals such as Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. In short, fans will be connected to the UFC in real-time across multiple platforms and devices, in their native language.
UFC.com now offers weekly programming, starting with “UFC® Ultimate Insider™,” a web show hosted by Octagon Girl™ Arianny Celeste. UFC Ultimate Insider runs Thursdays and announces UFC news as it happens, while also featuring exclusive interviews, behind-the-scenes footage, videos and other content exclusive to UFC cameras.
“UFC.com serves as the platform for a live global network that can reach fans no matter where they live, or what language they speak, so as we continue to bring the UFC all over the world with live events and programming, fans from all of these countries can use UFC.com,” said White.
Over the next year, UFC and Odopod will add pages and content in new languages to UFC.com and continue to reveal more and more features and programs, so UFC fans stay tuned!
For more information, or current UFC event news, please visit UFC.com.
Ultimate Fighting Championship® – www.ufc.com Owned and operated by Zuffa, LLC, and headquartered in Las Vegas, Nev., UFC® produces over twelve UFC live Pay-Per-View events annually and 30 live arena events around the world. UFC programming is distributed in the United States on Viacom, Inc.’s Spike TV and on Comcast, Inc.’s Versus network. UFC content is distributed commercially through Joe Hand Promotions in the U.S. and Canadastar in Canada. Globally, UFC programming is broadcast in over 147 countries and territories, reaching 430 million homes worldwide, in 19 different languages. Ancillary businesses now include UFC.com with over 5 million unique visitors per month, the best-selling UFC “Undisputed” videogame franchise distributed by THQ, UFC Gym™, UFC Fight Club affinity program, UFC Fan Expo™ festivals, branded apparel, trading cards, articulated action figures and other media including best-selling DVDs and a U.S. bimonthly magazine.
Ultimate Fighting Championship®, Ultimate Fighting®, UFC®, The Ultimate Fighter®, Submission®, As Real As It Gets®, Zuffa®, The Octagon™ and the eight-sided competition mat and cage design are registered trademarks, registered service marks, trademarks, trade dress and/or service marks owned exclusively by Zuffa, LLC and licensed to its affiliated entities and other licensees in the United States and other jurisdictions. All other marks referenced herein may be the property of Zuffa, LLC, its affiliates or other respective owners.
Odopod (www.odopod.com) is a full service digital agency known for its strategic, creative and technical ability to help its clients build meaningful connections with their audiences. With strong expertise in marketing and product development, Odopod has expertly crafted digital experiences that bridge both emotion and utility for clients like the UFC, Tesla Motors, Sony Electronics, DonQ, The Museum of Science & Industry, Nike, PlayStation, Microsoft Zune and Sling Media. Headquartered in San Francisco, California, Odopod has been a leading name in digital since 2000.