@UFC Twitter accounts
The Ultimate Fighting Championship, the world’s largest mixed martial arts (MMA) organization, is going to award fighters with monetary bonuses for using Twitter, the head of UFC announced at the UFC Fighter Summit in Las Vegas.
UFC and Strikeforce (another MMA promotion company) have a unique plan on how to do that. Starting June 1, they will divide their fighters into four categories based on their Twitter follower count. Then, after every three months, three fighters from each category will get a $5,000 bonus based on how many followers they’ve gained, the biggest percentage of new followers gained and the most creative tweets, judged by UFC head Dana White.
This is an interesting and innovative approach to social media, uncommon in mainstream sports, where players are often reprimanded for tweeting. The UFC’s approach allows the big stars who already have a large Twitter following have the same chance of getting a bonus as the up-and-comers.
UFC fighters and the MMA community are very lively on Twitter. Feuds between fighters — common in the sport — are fueled by comments on Twitter, and tweets from fighters and trainers are often a source for news about upcoming fights.
On the other hand, young, new fighters often earn a couple of thousand dollars per fight (and in MMA, every fight has the potential to cause injuries that could keep a fighter out of the octagon for weeks or months). Now fighters will also be able to use their wit and creativity to make a living.
Article According to mashable.com
