Ultimate Fighting Championship

The UFC is still a young company, a young sports promoter and in many ways, it grew alongside social media itself.

Facebook launched in 2004, when the UFC was only eleven years old. YouTube arrived in 2005; Twitter (now X) in 2006; Instagram in 2010; TikTok in 2018. Understanding early on that these platforms would become essential to the UFC’s growth proved crucial to our success. More importantly, social media allowed and still allows us to listen directly to the fans and engage with them in real time.

We embraced that reality completely. It is not always easy, nor always positive, but it is always instructive. Social media constantly forces you to adapt: to reinforce a strategy, to rethink it, or to abandon it altogether.

At the UFC, my approach has always tried to mirror the nature of mixed martial arts itself—bold, reactive, creative, and built on rapid self-learning. Every fighter needs a strong foundation before entering a fight. That base provides control and composure, allowing instinct, creativity, and spontaneity to emerge once the chaos begins.

The same applies to content and digital strategy.

If your foundations are strong, creativity can take over. You can experiment without fear, react quickly, and trust your instincts. That is especially true when working with young creators. Their energy thrives under pressure, on fast decisions, and on last-minute changes. In those moments, when collective knowledge and team chemistry align around a common goal, the work often reaches its highest level.

Every creator and social media manager is, ultimately, a marketer. The moment we publish a piece of content; we are trying to capture attention and communicate something meaningful. We are “selling” an idea, an emotion, or a story.

“Trust your instincts enough to test your creativity every time you publish.”

At the UFC, our advantage has always been our deep understanding of the sport and, more importantly, of the athletes themselves. We work closely with them, building trust and long-term professional relationships. They understand the value our department brings, and we understand the value of their openness and authenticity. By combining those two elements, we create content that reflects who these athletes truly are, inside and outside the Octagon.

That understanding also allows us to adapt without fear.

One of the biggest shifts in sports media today is the growing role of influencers and digital creators. Traditional fame is no longer required to build a massive audience or cultural influence. In many cases, creators are now shaping how sports are consumed, discussed, and promoted.

We are witnessing events headlined, produced, analyzed, and promoted by influencers themselves. This has fundamentally changed professional sports media, and the integration continues to grow. Questions naturally follow: where is this trend heading? What will differentiate one platform or brand from another in the future?

These are the kinds of questions we must constantly ask ourselves, especially as Artificial Intelligence begins reshaping the industry as well.

At the UFC, however, creator integration is not new. We embraced creators long before terms like “influencer” or “YouTuber” even existed.

At the same time, it is important to balance data with instinct. Metrics matter, of course, but brands cannot be guided exclusively by numbers. Research, experience, intuition, and identity still matter. Sometimes external factors will force a strategic shift; when that happens, we adapt. But we also understand the importance of remaining true to the core identity of the brand.

After more than fifteen years working in digital media and marketing, including fifteen years with the UFC—I still hold a belief that has often generated disagreement: there are no true “social media specialists.” There are no permanent experts.

Why?

Because our expertise lasts only until the next algorithm update, platform shift, or trend change. Then everyone back to zero.

My advice to anyone entering this industry is simple: master your fundamentals. Just like a fighter sharpens basic combinations every single day, creators must focus on developing strong instincts, adaptability, and consistency.

Do not obsess over becoming an “expert,” and do not chase virality.

Execute. Learn. Adapt.

Trust your instincts enough to test your creativity every time you publish.

And always remember, the moment a post goes live, its success already belongs to the past. It is time to move on to the next one.