Move over Bud Light.
On Monday, the UFC announced that they would be ending their nine-year relationship with beer company Anheuser-Busch Cos. Inc. that regularly saw the Bud Light logo prominently featured inside the Octagon at events, and moving on to a multiyear sponsorship deal with Mexican import brand Modelo Especial, per ABC News.
The new deal is expected to begin in 2018, with Modelo receiving similar exposure as far as branding in the UFC cage and advertisements featuring the company’s fighters and personalities.
Despite moving on to a new sponsor, UFC chief operating officer Ike Lawerence Epstein credited Bud Light with lending credibility to the budding fight promotion as its mainstream profile soared.