Sponsors being banned from UFC events is nothing new, but the new banning of weapon related sponsors is certainly different. It appears that the initial pressure to ban these sponsors actually came from the UFC’s new network home.
The MMA Corner with the report:
The MMA Corner has learned from sources close to the situation that the latest impact is that guns and ammunition sponsors, such as The Gun Store and Ammotogo.com, have been banned from events that take place on the Fox family of networks.
*UPDATE * – The MMA Corner has learned that the ban includes companies related to guns, knives, ammunition, and hunting. It will go into effect on Jan. 23. The ban has been extended to all UFC events, not just those broadcast on the Fox family of networks.
While The Gun Store has been a great sponsor for many fighters, it falls into that “immature company” sponsorship area. Where certain sponsors are great for a promotion just getting off the ground, a violent sport with gun related sponsors is a little unsettling and getting rid of them is not really a bad thing.