UFC Zeroes In On Latino Fans, Launches UFCLatino.com

Last month we told you it was coming and now it’s here: the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) organization has officially launched its Latino marketing outreach arm, UFCLatino.com. The site features bilingual content — which we know for me is a huge plus — so is inclusive of both U.S. and immigrant Latinos. A press release notes:

The site will cater to the culture of the blossoming audience of Hispanic fans who are drawn to the UFC’s fast-paced, exciting action. What’s more, the site will include news, video and special content featuring charismatic Hispanic stars such as UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez, bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz, top welterweight Diego Sanchez, and Octagon® girl Arianny Celeste.

The company also maintains UFCEspanol.com for Latin America, but UFCLatino.com is different — which I like. This is a recognition that U.S. Latino customers are different than Spanish speaking latinoamericanos, and instead of simply lumping us all together, it tries to carve out a niche by going directly after the people the company knows are fans (Latinos in the U.S.).

Last month we quoted a story from MediaPost about the fact that Latinos make up 20% of the 18-34 demographic UFC caters to. What’s more, 37% of Latino males 18-34 are “very interested” in the offerings of the UFC, compared to 23% non-Latino males in that age range. These young Latino males are also more engaged as fans, as 25% say they are likely to see UFC fights on pay-per-view than non-Latinos.

Which underscores the whole point of UFCLatino.com in the first place: money. Remember now, the NFL is reaching out to Latinos, so is the NBA, and it’s all because “Latino market” is worth more than $1 trillion. Money!

Follow Sara Inés Calderón on Twitter @SaraChicaD