2012 UFC Fighter Summit Kicks Off July 9

The UFC Fighter Summit kicks off in Las Vegas this week with almost every fighter under the Zuffa banner coming to town on Monday and Tuesday.

The UFC Fighter Summit has been an on going meeting with UFC executives and their employees over the last few years.

The goal of the summit is really education, whether that’s financial planning, social networking, media relations or any other number of subjects.

Last year’s fighter summit focused on a great number of topics, but most famously produced details about the first ever of its kind fighter insurance plan as well as the focus of Zuffa on the growth of social networking goals.

The fighter insurance was a revolutionary idea and the first ever in the industry where competitors would be covered for medical costs even in out of competition situations where things like major injuries occur.

The social networking agenda focused on fighters being able to build a brand via websites like Twitter, where the advertising and connection with fans comes at no price outside of the fighters taking time to reach out.

The promotion introduced ‘Twitter bonuses’ paid out quarterly for different initiatives like most grown in Twitter followers and most creative Twitter.

The two-day seminar also covered subjects like proper weight cutting while having doctors speak about things like cuts and lacerations and many other varied topics.

“They’re on top of everything. I equate them to Facebook,” UFC weltewreight Charlie Brenneman said following last year’s summit. “Mark Zuckerberg’s not your traditional businessman. He has initiative. He does things differently. He’s not the standard business guy. Dana and the UFC are the same way.”

The UFC Fighter Summit will draw nearly every fighter under contract to Zuffa, outside of those fighters with upcoming bouts like the UFC on Fuel TV 4 card and the Strikeforce show on July 14, as they conduct their meetings and announce new initiatives aimed at further growth of the competitors, their brand, and the UFC for the rest of 2012 and beyond.

UFC officials will cover any number of subjects while also educating the fighters, with topics this year likely speaking out on the dangers of performance enhancing drugs as well as conduct via social networking.

The two-day meeting will run in Las Vegas on July 9 and 10 prior to the next UFC show heading to San Jose on July 11 for UFC on Fuel TV 4.

Follow @DamonMartin on Twitter or e-mail Damon Martin.
For more UFC News and UFC Rumors, follow MMAWeekly.com on Twitter and Facebook.