Georges St-Pierre Signs Endorsement Deal with NOS Energy, Part of the Coca-Cola Family
The discussion of MMA going ‘mainstream’ can cover a varied list of ideas in any given arena.
Sometimes it’s just getting more outlets like ESPN to cover MMA on television, while in other avenues it has to do with more major brands getting involved with the fight business.
Thus far companies like Nike, Under Armour and Gatorade have been some of the biggest to dip their feet into the MMA waters, and now you can add the Coca-Cola family to that list as well.
UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre has signed a multi-year agreement to become the face of NOS Energy Drinks, a subsidiary of Coca-Cola, as they enter the fray of mixed martial arts for the first time.
In the past, NOS has primarily been seen in the driving world working endorsement deals with athletes such as Ricky Stenhouse Jr., as well as the gaming industry. Now they begin a journey into MMA with St-Pierre serving as the face of the brand, while also becoming the major sponsor for this season of the Ultimate Fighter on FX.
“I feel very privileged,” St-Pierre told MMAWeekly.com about his deal with NOS. “It’s great we can work together to create a product to best fit the athlete, and with NOS that’s what it’s all about. I’m very happy to be in the family of Coca-Cola right now and to be associated with the product.”
St-Pierre was just a natural fit for the brand that NOS represents according to Arjun Chowdri, the director of sports and entertainment marketing for Coca-Cola, and he was just the right person for the company to get involved with when stepping into MMA.
“As we looked to expand we looked at different areas and MMA was a really ripe opportunity. It’s got that grit, that no nonsense, that high-performance energy that NOS is about,” Chowdri told MMAWeekly.com.
“As we looked at the sport we looked at athlete partners, Georges St-Pierre obviously jumped to the top of the list. He’s an incredible person, actually came down to our offices and we talked about our brand, he talked about his brand, and we felt like there was a very organic fit around our brand really being focused on mental focus and high performance energy and that’s really everything he does.”
St-Pierre’s deal will be a multi-year endorsement and partnership with NOS, and will expand throughout North America. Chowdri says that their major launch will be focused on the United States, but obviously with St-Pierre’s appeal in Canada, that market will be a major selling point as well.
Check out the video below to hear St-Pierre’s comments on signing with NOS as well as a behind the scenes look at the UFC champion’s photoshoot with the company in Montreal: