The UFC and Strikeforce will soon offer fighters bonuses for being active on the social networking site Twitter, UFC President Dana White announced during the promotions’ Fighter Summit this week in Las Vegas.
The move opposes the social media policies of most professional sports, as leagues like the NFL have bans on all social networking sites prior to and during competition for all team employees.
MMAFighting.com‘s Ariel Helwani shared details on the new policy:
Starting June 1, UFC and Strikeforce fighters will be divided into four categories, based on how many Twitter followers they currently have. At the end of each quarter, three fighters from each category will be awarded a $5,000 bonus. The three winners will be based on who has gained the most followers since the start of the quarter, who gained the highest percentage of new followers and who wrote the most creative tweets. White will be the judge of the last category.
The bonuses are aimed at encouraging further connection between fans and fighters. The UFC has already shown a commitment to connecting with its fanbase with UFC Expos and Dana White’s own involvment with Twitter.
