New UFC CMO Bryan Johnston poses in front of the Damien Hirst “UFC Spin” at Zuffa, LLC headquarters. (PRNewsFoto/The Ultimate Fighting Championship)

LAS VEGAS, NV UNITED STATES

LAS VEGAS, June 3 /PRNewswire/ — Zuffa, LLC today named sports industry veteran Bryan Johnston as Chief Marketing Officer for the Ultimate Fighting Championship(R) organization. In this executive position, Johnston will establish and oversee the global marketing strategies and merchandise initiatives for UFC and World Extreme Cagefighting brands.

With more than 20 years of experience in sports, Johnston joins UFC after working as Vice President of Marketing for Burton Snowboards, the world’s leading manufacturer of snowboarding equipment and apparel. In his six years at Burton, he cultivated the company brand image and coordinated its message and vision through group initiatives including marketing, new media, corporate alliances and media relations.

“With his experience and leadership in brand marketing, Bryan is a great addition to the company just as we are getting ready to go global,” said Dana White, UFC President. “I’m excited to have Bryan on board, and look forward to working with him on all of our company plans and goals.”

“I am honored to be a part of UFC, and to have this opportunity to work with Dana White, Lorenzo Fertitta and their team,” said Johnston. “What they’ve accomplished with this sport is amazing; I’m excited to be a part of taking UFC to the next level as a global and lifestyle sport.”

Prior to working at Burton, Johnston was Vice President of North American brand management for the Adidas-Salomon organization, where he developed marketing strategies and managed athlete contract negotiations.

About The Ultimate Fighting Championship(R)

The Ultimate Fighting Championship(R) is the world’s leading professional mixed martial arts organization and offers the premier series of MMA sports events. Owned and operated by Zuffa(TM), LLC, and headquartered in Las Vegas, Nev., UFC(R) produces over twelve live pay-per-view events annually that are distributed residentially through North American cable and satellite providers including iNDEMAND Networks, DIRECTV, DISH Network, TVN Entertainment, BellTV, SaskTel Max(TM), Shaw Pay-Per-View, Viewers Choice, and WOWOW in Japan, and Premiere Combate and SporTV in Brazil, and via the Internet worldwide on Yahoo! Sports, and commercially through Joe Hand Promotions in the U.S. and Canadastar in Canada. In addition to its North American distribution, UFC programming is distributed in over 100 countries and territories throughout the world. For more information, or current UFC fight news, visit ufc.com or uk.ufc.com or ufcespanol.com.

Ultimate Fighting Championship(R), Ultimate Fighting(R), UFC(R), The Ultimate Fighter(R), Submission(R), As Real As It Gets(R), Zuffa(TM), The Octagon(TM) and the eight-sided competition mat and cage design are registered trademarks, trademarks, trade dress or service marks owned exclusively by Zuffa, LLC and affiliated entities in the United States and other jurisdictions. All other marks referenced herein may be the property of Zuffa, LLC or other respective owners.

SOURCE The Ultimate Fighting Championship