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http://www.MMAPayout.com has learned through sources that Full Tilt Poker has been put on the list of sponsors not allowed. The UFC sent word of the ban out on Monday via e-mail :

UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE, FULL TILT POKER WILL NOT BE ALLOWED FOR ANY UPCOMING EVENTS.

While MMAPayout has reported of a ban on Spike, this directive will apply to all cards and will apply to both the fighters as well as the company itself.

MMAPayout.com has written extensively on the curious path of Full Tilt Poker as it has made itself a premier sponsor for both fighters and the organization itself in the UFC. The UFC had for some time kept sportsbooks and online gambling/gaming businesses at arms length. Their being competition for the major Vegas casinos who hosted the UFC as well as their illegality in some situations made the UFC reticent to work with them. With a collapsing ad market, the UFC recently changed their informal policy and brought in Full Tilt as a top shelf sponsor for the fight company. Full Tilt has also become a major sponsor of fighters, with their logo being omnipresent on fighter hats, shorts, and T-shirts. The road seemed to have taken another turn, as MMAPayout.com learned that UFC television partner Spike TV has stepped in and nixed Full Tilt from being a sponsor on its’ airwaves.

Sources indicated the Spike embargo on Full Tilt would go into effect at UFC 95 card on Spike. The ban affected the UFC in it’s ability to have signage on the Octagon mat as well as naming rights on the replays during the broadcast. The ban didn’t look to affect the fighters, who were able to wear signage for the poker company on the card. This was thought to be phased out by the next Spike card in Nashville, though. Now the ban has been put in effect for all cards. While there was no explicit connection between the two in the e-mail quoted, the leap from one to the other seems related. There are unconfirmed reports that the cause may be a push from poker rival Ultimate Bet, to be the UFC sponsor, but the validity of these reports is in question at this point.

Full Tilt Poker has been able to skirt a federal ban on online gaming by the duality of their usage of the .net/.com brands. The .net brand is used for educational/entertainment purposes and is the brand that is advertised through all of the company’s media. The .com is the money site that would raise the ire of regulators, with the .com accessible through using the software from the .net.

whose next?

UltimateBet earns the sponsorship rights to the upcoming Ultimate Fighting Championship®97 event in Montreal, where UFC® legend Chuck Liddell will bear the UB logo.

Miami, FL (PRWEB) April 7, 2009 — UltimateBet (”UB”) announced today that it has inked a deal with Ultimate Fighting Championship®(”UFC®”) that will deliver a kickass presence for the leading online poker site’s logo and brand at the upcoming UFC®97 event in Montreal, Canada on April 18, 2009.

A highlight of the UFC®97 deal for UltimatBet is the signing of mixed martial arts (”MMA”) legend Chuck “The Iceman” Liddell. The former UFC® light heavyweight champion will don the UB logo when he squares off against Brazilian Mauricio “Shogun” Rua in what promises to be one of the most explosive match-ups of 2009, and one of the most watched Pay-Per-View UFC® events in the history of the world’s leading combat sport.

“The Iceman”, one of the most popular and charismatic fighters in the organization and one of its major box office draw cards, is widely credited for bringing MMA into the mainstream of American sports and entertainment. Liddell’s star status and broad public appeal have won him fans even in Hollywood, with guest turns on cult TV dramedy Entourage, and cameo appearances in films including 300 and Drillbit Taylor amongst his credits.

The 39 year-old, all-American UFC® icon faces his most challenging role ahead of him, when he enters the Octagon™ looking to reclaim the magic that saw him notch up a spectacular 15-14 win-loss record from 1999 to 2006. On a mission to kick start another winning streak during the hotly-anticipated showdown against Rua, Liddell guarantees priceless brand exposure for UltimateBet and inestimable marketing value for the online poker room in over 100 countries and territories where UFC®97 will be telecast.

Along with opening billboards, in-venue commercials, and the stellar sponsorship of Liddell, fans will also see an additional four contenders on the fight card sport the UB logo in the UFC’s return to Canada. The 27 year-old Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt Thales Leites, who takes on Anderson “The Spider” Silva in the headlining event, Krzysztof “The Polish Experiment” Soszynski , Dutch kickboxer Antoni Hardonk and Franklinville, New Jersey native Eliot Marshall will also be waving the UltimateBet flag on fight night, adding even more clout to the sponsorship’s appeal.

UltimateBet has netted the marquee sponsorship contract with UFC® ending several weeks of intense industry speculation, sealing a partnership between two camps that genuinely share a passion for champion competitors and a respect for the sporting ideal.

Securing the UFC® agreement is a triumph for UltimateBet, who will have their second outing in the Octagon™ at the “Redemption” event that is set to rock the capacity Bell Center crowd in Montreal.


---so it wasn't just about gambling

At first it sounded like Spike TV was the one to ban Full Tilt and the UFC just folllowed suit because that is their TV deal. I mean, if you can put one of your major sponsors on TV then there is no point in keeping them around. (PPV is different, but that is just a percentage of their income)

The new article brings it all together! The found someone that would pay them more $MONEY$

I see no harm in this at all..just business!