The UFC’s debut on Paramount / CBS is fast approaching on January 24th, and we’re starting to see the network television channel flex its promotional muscles to give its new sporting partner extra visibility.
The 83rd Golden Globe Awards went down on CBS last night, and MMA movie The Smashing Machine received zero awards. Benny Safdie’s retelling of the legendary 2002 documentary starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Emily Blunt saw its two stars nominated for Best Actor and Best Actress respectively. Johnson lost to The Secret Agent’s Wagner Moura while Blunt was defeated by One Battle After Another’s Teyana Taylor.
On the corporate synergy front, the UFC sent their two most beautiful fighters to the awards show to represent the brand: women’s strawweight champion Mackenzie Dern and Brian “T-City” Ortega. Not only did they get the full red carpet treatment, they were also involved in an awkward skit halfway through the show that left a lot of people scratching their heads.
“Our next presenters are so hot right now they get mobbed everywhere they go,” a voice over the PA announced. “So we had to bring in some extra security from the UFC!”
At that point, Stemm’s Face The Pain starts blasting out over the speakers and the stage is lit up by flashing strobe lights. Dern and Ortega walk onto the stage in their Venum walkout gear and gloves to give the assembled Hollywood folk very serious and dangerous looks. That lasts for all of five seconds before they walk completely off the stage.
Then, in the most jarring DJ transition you will ever hear, the music cuts from Face The Pain to Chappel Roan’s Pink Pony Club. Connor Storrie and Hudson Williams from the hit show Heated Rivalry walk out, with Storrie visibly mouthing “WTF” like he’s expecting Dern to jump out and put him in a triangle.
The whole thing couldn’t have been less cohesive and looked like a half baked skit that was forcefully separated at the last minute by Storrie and Williams’ agents. But hey, the UFC still got 23 seconds of visibility on the Golden Globes. We look forward to seeing what other awkward marketing ideas CBS has cooked up for the sport!
