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UFC, IBM team up to develop enhanced fight analysis engine using watsonx
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IBM and UFC announced an innovative partnership on Thursday that will change the way millions of fans around the world view fight night.
The UFC Insights Engine, which will be built with IBM watsonx, will combine the rich data feeds from the mixed martial arts organization with IBM’s data and AI technologies, which includes its Granite large language models.
This will allow the global audience that UFC fuels each fight night with timely, in-depth information that will give a new perspective on each bout, whether its fighter tendencies, possible match outcomes and much more.
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An IBM logo at the Lisbon Web Summit in Lisbon, Portugal, on Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024. (Zed Jameson/Bloomberg via Getty Images / Getty Images)
IBM Senior Vice President, Marketing and Communications Jonathan Adashek spoke to FOX Business about how this partnership just made sense for the organization that has changed the way the Masters Tournament and U.S. Open, among others, are viewed by fans around the world.
“IBM and the UFC, we’re partnering to really enhance the fan engagement and scale the UFC’s digital capabilities. We’re the first global AI partner, and it’s going to allow us to really bring together IBM technology, like watsonx and our Granite models, with that great, rich data library that the UFC has. Really, it’s going to change the viewing experience for fans, make it so much more engaging and just a richer experience.
IBM DEPLOYING ADOBE FIREFLY GENERATIVE AI TOOL FOR MARKETING, DESIGN TEAMS
“It’s also going to help them, the UFC, the commentators and everybody that’s working on the broadcast and fights with their digital workflow. Enabling them to provide content in a really unique way, and the access that people will get, it’s building on that expertise we have developed in this space.”
The mission is to drive fan engagement, which Head of Global Partnerships at TKO Grant Norris-Jones said is the primary goal of every collaboration.
“For our Global Partnerships business, which is accelerating rapidly under TKO, this deal with IBM is a transformative milestone that underscores how premium brands are increasingly embracing UFC,” Norris-Jones told FOX Business Digital.
A couple kiss in front of a UFC logo prior to UFC 300 at T-Mobile Arena. (Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports / IMAGN)
“UFC, and similarly its sister brand WWE, offer marketers a path to reach a young, diverse, engaged global audience 52 weeks a year with live original content that can’t be found anywhere else in today’s media environment. The demand to partner with UFC has never been stronger.”
While this is in a developmental phase, Adashek says that working with UFC’s Research and Development team has been nothing short of amazing, as they create the best experience for fans, commentators and whoever consumes its content.
| Ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TKO | TKO GROUP HOLDINGS | 119.35 | +1.59 | +1.35% |
Additionally, that content could be pre-event programming, pay-per-view broadcast, UFC social media channels and even in-venue video boards throughout the fight cards.
Close to 1 billion UFC fans across 170 countries receive UFC’s broadcasts and follow UFC on its social platforms, making this a fun initiative for both parties to get creative with how this timely data can be displayed for fans.
“The global nature was very interesting for sure, of course,” Adashek said. “But fundamentally, the way we look at these things, we don’t like to just go do a sponsorship. We like to be with an organization who we can really partner with, and that we can make a big difference the way fans engage with it, the way people perform in the sport, athletes perform in the sport, and the way the organization runs.
A man browses hats displaying the UFC logo at a merchandise kiosk during UFC Fight Night at Cotai Arena, inside the Venetian Macao resort and casino, operated by Sands China Ltd., a unit of Las Vegas Sands Corp., in Macau, China, on Saturday, Aug. 23 (Brent Lewin/Bloomberg via Getty Images / Getty Images)
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“That scope was very appealing. But what was even more appealing was genuinely the way we were able to collaborate and come to the table as we were trying to figure out a solution that was beneficial and really going to make a difference for the UFC, their fans and their athletes.”
The UFC Insights Engine is expected to debut in early 2025.
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A reitora da Ufac, Guida Aquino, participou da solenidade de inauguração da nova sede da Fundação de Apoio e Desenvolvimento ao Ensino, Pesquisa e Extensão Universitária no Acre (Fundape), da qual ela é presidente do Conselho Curador. O evento ocorreu nesta sexta-feira, 26, no campus-sede, local em que se localiza o espaço administrativo e operacional da fundação.
Guida destacou a importância da Fundape para a Ufac e para outras instituições da Região Norte. Para ela, a fundação passou por um processo de fortalecimento nos últimos anos. “A Fundape hoje nos faz realizar, na verdade, todas as parcerias de formação de docentes, de ensino, de pesquisa, de extensão, de inovação”, afirmou.
Segundo a reitora, a fundação ampliou sua atuação para além do Acre, atendendo também instituições de Rondônia, Amapá e Roraima. “Olha a grandeza disso. E nós, enquanto Universidade Federal do Acre, temos que nos orgulhar”, pontuou.
O diretor-presidente da Fundape, Ismar Bernardo de Araújo, disse que a inauguração da sede própria representa uma conquista construída com dedicação, trabalho em equipe e visão de futuro. “Hoje não celebramos apenas a abertura de um novo espaço físico; celebramos uma conquista construída com dedicação, trabalho em equipe, visão de futuro e confiança.”
Ismar lembrou que a Fundape foi instituída em 22 de junho de 1998 e completa 28 anos em 2026. Atualmente, a fundação conta com 38 colaboradores, representa quatro universidades federais, três institutos federais e um hospital universitário, estando presente em quatro Estados da região Norte.
Membro fundador da Fundape e pró-reitor de Planejamento da Ufac, Alexandre Hid, relembrou a criação da fundação e os desafios enfrentados ao longo da trajetória institucional. “Hoje a fundação está aí forte e firme para maiores e melhores desafios.”
Também participaram da solenidade a reitora da Unir, Marília Pimentel; o procurador-geral adjunto para Assuntos Administrativos e Institucionais do MP-AC, Carlos Roberto da Silva Maia, representando o procurador-geral Oswaldo Lima Neto; o diretor técnico da Fundape, Camilo Gouveia; o diretor administrativo-financeiro da Fundape, Dionel de Araújo; Gemil Júnior, suplente do senador Alan Rick (Republicanos-AC); a pró-reitora de Inovação, Pesquisa e Pós-Graduação do Ifac, Alana Chocorosqui, representando o reitor Fábio Storch; o ex-reitor da Ufac, Minoru Kinpara; além de dirigentes, coordenadores de projetos, colaboradores e representantes de instituições parceiras.
ACRE6 dias agoFundape tem nova sede inaugurada no campus da Ufac na capital — Universidade Federal do Acre
ACRE1 dia agoFórum de reitores debate desafios para ensino superior público — Universidade Federal do Acre
ACRE4 horas agoUfac obtém 3º lugar nacional em chamada pública do Procel — Universidade Federal do Acre
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