The UFC has announced a new multi-year global partnership with The Memento Group (TMG), with the sports memorabilia and licensed product organisation to become the competition’s official global memorabilia partner.

As part of the deal, TMG will globally distribute officially licensed UFC memorabilia, including exclusive, limited edition and rare UFC-event related memorabilia for fans such as fight-worn gloves and kits and signed photographs.

The move comes after the UFC recently announced the launch of its range of NFTs with cryptocurrency platform partner, Crypto.com.

UFC senior vice president for global consumer products, Tracey Bleczinski, said the deal, which was brokered by UFC’s licensing agency, IMG, will see the launch of an online store for UFC fans, including auction and trading options for fans.

“We are thrilled to welcome The Memento Group as our new global memorabilia partner,” Bleczinski said.

“The memorabilia business is a priority because these products are such authentic touch points for fans to stay connected to UFC and truly own the moment.

“With TMG’s expertise in this space, we are confident fans will appreciate the quality, authenticity and value of each piece of UFC memorabilia that TMG offers,” she said.

TMG commercial director, Philip Danglidis, said: “UFC is a truly global sporting phenomenon and we are delighted to be embarking with them on this new exciting journey – one that will bring fans even closer to the sport they love via the opportunity to own certified and authenticated memorabilia.”

“Our proven track record not only assures customers that they are getting the genuine article, but with our guaranteed methods of authentication, we also help to protect their investment.

“UFC has a worldwide fanbase estimated at more than 625 million people, and it’s now clearly one of the Big Four in terms of popularity in the U.S.

“The appeal of UFC is growing year on year.

“As such, the potential for this partnership is colossal.

“This announcement is only the beginning of what’s to come, and we look forward to revealing more in 2022 and beyond,” Danglidis said.