Love Hemp lands major deal with UFC, named official global CBD partner

18-Mar-2021 - Last updated on 18-Mar-2021 at 16:04 GMT

Image courtesy of Love Hemp

A UK-based CBD and hemp supplier has inked a deal with a prominent mixed martial arts organization, a move that underscores fighters and MMA organizations normalizing and embracing the use of CBD.

Love Hemp and UFC just announced a five-year agreement that names the CBD and hemp firm the official global CBD partner of UFC.

The multimillion dollar deal begins June 1, 2021 and will provide Love Hemp access to the UFC’s physical and digital assets, as well as usage of the promoter’s trademarks, logos and brand.

"This is a very exciting achievement for Love Hemp," said Tony Calamita, Love Hemp CEO. "The marketing opportunities that this relationship provides will put us in the top tier of major international CBD brands. We will use the UFC's global reach to position Love Hemp as a trusted, premium CBD brand which we will now begin to roll out in all key international markets."

Starting this summer, UFC’s 625 million fans and 142 million social media followers can expect to start seeing Love Hemp branding within UFC content on social media and programming on the streaming service UFC FIGHT PASS. Love Hemp branding will also be integrated into the UFC Performance Institute, sending a message to athletes that UFC wants to play a prominent role in helping to educate them on CBD use and the role it plays in athlete health and injury recovery.

"We're thrilled to collaborate with Love Hemp to promote a growing, respected CBD brand that could become a global leader in this category over the life of this partnership," said Paul Asencio, UFC senior vice president of global partnerships. "We know many UFC athletes, fans, and general fitness enthusiasts use CBD for training recovery purposes, and we want to work closely with Love Hemp to continue to educate ourselves, athletes, and consumers on the efficacy and best use of CBD products."

CBD and UFC

A growing number of professional and amaeteur fighters are using CBD to help recover and protect their bodies from the physical and psychological toll of MMA.

A survey of 170 fighters across several organizations shows that 46% of them use marijuana for both recreational and recovery purposes and 77% use CBD for recovery.

In 2019, Bellator MMA, one of the largest MMA promotion companies, announced it had partnered with cbdMD, a CBD products brand that also sponsors professional fighters Chael Sonnen, Jorge Masvidal, and Daniel Cormier.

Weeks later the UFC announced a long-term research partnership with Aurora Cannabis to assess the performance benefits of CBD in reducing pain and inflammation, improving wound healing and general recovery.