UFC makes Toutiao latest Chinese content partner

Mixed martial arts promotion the Ultimate Fighting Championship has signed its latest content partnership in China through a deal with content discovery platform Toutiao.

The agreement will grant Toutiao users access to bite-sized UFC content on-the-go, including sharable localised videos, photos, messages, and graphics. Toutiao was launched in 2012 by internet technology company ByteDance.

“Diversifying how our consumers consume and interact with UFC content is key to our continued growth in China,” said Kevin Chang, UFC senior vice-president for the Asia-Pacific.

The deal comes a week after the UFC signed a content partnership with short-form video platform Qutoutiao.

The agreements come amid increased interest in the UFC in China due to the presence of No. 7 ranked women’s strawweight Zhang Weili, bantamweight Yadong Song and veteran welterweight Li Jingliang.