UFC and Monster Energy: The Untold $30M Sponsorship Power Play
Celsius’s $30M bid forced Monster Energy into a record nine-figure UFC sponsorship renewal.
Monster Energy has been a fixture on the UFC canvas since 2015. The green claw mark sprawled across the Octagon became as much a part of the spectacle as the fighters themselves. But the latest renewal, announced in February 2025, was anything but routine. It was a high-stakes negotiation that nearly displaced the sport’s most recognizable sponsor.
Celsius Comes in Swinging
Industry sources confirm that Celsius entered the mix with a $30 million per-year offer to seize the UFC’s energy drink category. For context, Monster’s original UFC deal was reportedly worth around $10 million annually.
That move forced UFC leadership to face a new reality: the sponsorship floor had shifted. Bud Light’s return (over $100 million) and Crypto.com’s fight kit deal ($175 million across ten years) had already set modern benchmarks. Celsius only made the point sharper.
Monster’s Response
Monster didn’t walk away. According to sources close to the talks, the UFC partnerships team, working alongside Dana White, secured a renegotiated package that included an increase of roughly $20 million in rights fees.
The result was a nine-figure renewal, described by both UFC and Monster as the largest sponsorship in their histories. Monster retained category exclusivity and kept its coveted center-canvas branding, along with full integration across UFC pay-per-views/premium live events, Fight Nights, Dana White’s Contender Series, The Ultimate Fighter, and Road to UFC.
The deal now extends Monster’s reach to nearly 975 million households in 170 countries, giving the brand a global presence unmatched by any competitor in combat sports.
Why It Matters
The renewal wasn’t really about continuity, more like it was about recalibration. UFC proved it could demand today’s sponsorship prices, and Monster accepted that reality to protect its placement.
Celsius may not have secured the UFC, but it changed the economics of the category. A sponsorship that once cost $10 million annually now commands nearly thrice that amount. Monster’s name remains on the canvas, but the deal revealed how costly that position has become.
Ultima Sententia
Monster’s renewal was less a victory than an acknowledgment of the price of survival. The canvas stays green, for now… but the standard has been reset for every brand circling the Octagon.
As Winston Churchill warned:
“However beautiful the strategy, you should occasionally look at the results.”
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Blake Avignon is the pseudonym of a strategist and media executive who has worked across the UFC, F1, MLB, NBA, and NFL: building brands, brokering partnerships, and reshaping the future of sports and entertainment from the inside.