UFC Names Panini America Exclusive Collectible Global Trading Card Partner – Panini has acquired the trading card license for Ultimate Fighting Championship, the premier mixed martial arts league. The agreement was officially announced earlier today by Panini on the Knight’s Lance blog, with a note that the first set produced under the agreement being Prizm.

Full details of the announcement from The Knight’s Lance are below:

Las Vegas – UFC®, the world’s premier mixed martial arts organization, today announced a new, multi-year licensing agreement with Panini America, the world’s largest licensed sports and entertainment collectibles company. The partnership, negotiated by IMG, grants Panini America the rights to become UFC’s official and exclusive collectible trading card partner.

“We are thrilled to welcome Panini America as UFC’s new official collectible trading card partner,” said UFC Senior Vice President of Global Consumer Products Tracey Bleczinski. “Many of our fans use collectible trading cards to stay connected to our brand and to their favorite UFC athletes, and Panini America is the industry leader, creating innovative and unique products for our fans to enjoy.”

This collaboration will officially launch in April with the release of Panini’s UFC Prizm collectible series. Panini will also add UFC trading cards to other popular product lines such as Select (July), Chronicles (September) and Immaculate (December) throughout the remainder of the year.

“This truly is a dream matchup that brings together the unquestioned leaders of trading cards and combat sports for a partnership that will excite and captivate UFC fans and collectors across the globe for years,” said Panini America CEO Mark Warsop. “We’ve watched with great interest over the years as UFC has grown into a major force on the mainstream sports landscape with some of the most marketable athletes in the world.

“We’re passionate UFC fans here at Panini America, and we’re excited about what we can do with the UFC brand and the athletes on our trading cards. We’re looking forward to this relationship.”

As part of the partnership, Panini America will capitalize on UFC’s biggest moments in real-time with the company’s direct-to-consumer Panini Instant platform. Panini Instant makes trading cards of UFC’s biggest fights, moments and milestones available just hours after they happen. These special cards will be available for a limited time and are made to order.

To learn more about Panini America’s line of exclusive products, please visit www.paniniamerica.net.

About UFC®
UFC® is the world’s premier mixed martial arts organization (MMA), with more than 625 million fans and 142 million social media followers. The organization produces more than 40 live events annually in some of the most prestigious arenas around the world, while broadcasting to approximately 900M TV households across more than 175 territories. UFC’s athlete roster features the world’s best MMA athletes representing more than 70 countries. The organization’s digital offerings include UFC FIGHT PASS®, one of the world’s leading streaming services for combat sports. UFC was acquired in 2016 by global entertainment, sports and content company Endeavor, along with strategic investors Silver Lake Partners and KKR. UFC is headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada. For more information, visit UFC.com and follow UFC at Facebook.com/UFC, Twitter, Snapchat and Instagram: @UFC.

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