The UFC has seen a lot of companies enter an agreement of advertising and promoting products, not only for fighter but for display in the Octagon. Companies such as Bud Light, Burger King, and Xyience to name a few, seen many positives of dealing with the fastest growing sport in the world. The technology company Monster recently introduced UFC Headphones for consumers and the success has exceeded expectations.
Director of Business Development Vern Smith talks with MMA Sucka regarding the relationship with the UFC, how the UFC headphones came to be and new products that will be released in the future.
TG: How did the relationship between Monster and UFC come together to bring consumers UFC Headphones?
VS: Well the whole thing came around music. The fighters work out to music, relax to music and everything is based around that one common theme. The UFC saw that our company was making sports headphones and decided that this would be great for their fighters to come out walking with.
After that it was a great chemistry match. Lorenzo and Head Monster Noel Lee, really matched up well and had great ideas on what these headphones should be all about. We didn’t want to make this product geared to just professional athletes, but covering all athletics.
The UFC has the “UFC Fit” program to get in shape and MMA fighters are the fittest people in the world. Monster has a great relationship with these individuals but also caters to the fans of the sport.
The sound is a big factor of the mood for fighters and with Monster being the biggest audio company in the world, it was a natural fit.
TG: Once the headphone idea was decided on, how long did the development process take from design to final product?
VS: There are two pairs of headphones. One is an over the ear headphone, the other is the inner ear. The athletes had a great input on design and really gave us feedback that was crucial to the final product.
The product took about a year going back and forth with concept designs and trading samples with the fighters and the UFC and seeing what fit both their style and our company as well.
TG: Anthony Pettis has been a strong promoter of your product. How did the sponsorship develop between himself and Monster?
VS: Anthony is a big music person and has been very vocal that he loves any type of audio. As both of our offices are in Las Vegas both the UFC and we collaborated on who could represent Monster in the best way possible. He is a well spoken young athlete and is a great ambassador.
TG: What has the feedback been from consumers on the quality of the headphones?
VS: The reviews so far have been amazing. The product is still new in the product world but it’s getting a lot of exposure through the UFC, but the individuals who have bought them have nothing but great things to say.
TG: What is the future for the Monster products and the relationship with the UFC?
VS: The in-ear sports model is coming out this summer that is also a UFC brand. We continue to map out things with the athletes, that we hope to have some news in the not too distant future.
http://monsterproducts.com/headphones/octagon/
Editors Note: Monster was kind enough to send me a pair of headphones for my personal review. The headphones sound quality is top of the line, which is expected of the Monster brand.
The comfort level is top notch for watching movies and/or listening to music, as well as working out. The rugged design is a great addition to the supreme audio quality that you would expect.
