UFC executive says promotion's HIV awareness campaign a perfect fit

(This story appears in today’s edition of USA TODAY.)

The way Lawrence Epstein remembers it, the UFC’s newest partnership started with an unexpected answer to a simple question.

A couple years into its involvement with the Gay and Lesbian Community Center of Southern Nevada – often known simply as “The Center” – the UFC asked if there was any cause or initiative it could put its weight behind, something to help out the LGBT community.

“The answer really surprised us,” says Epstein, the UFC’s chief operating officer. “We were told that one of the biggest issues they’re dealing with is HIV awareness in young people. I couldn’t believe it because I thought that message was out there.”

It was if you grew up in the ’80s or ’90s when there was no shortage of AIDS education. You heard it in school, on TV and from celebrities from Madonna to Magic Johnson.

As public awareness of the disease increased, infection rates fell.

“As a result, we don’t talk about it nearly as much, and the emphasis on public awareness has really fallen off,” says Bob Elkins, CEO of the Gay and Lesbian Community Center of Southern Nevada, who has been HIV-positive for 27 years. “People are taking the fact that it’s become a … chronically manageable illness, and they’re letting their guard down.”

That’s especially true of young people, Elkins said, which might be why roughly half of new HIV infections in the U.S. occur in people under 30, according to statistics provided by The Center. That’s where the UFC comes in.

“The under-35 demographic is the UFC’s demographic,” Epstein says. “No other sport in America reaches these people like we do.”

That’s why the UFC and The Center have partnered together on a new AIDS awareness campaign entitled “Protect Yourself At All Times.” The initiative is designed to encourage people to get tested, practice safe sex, and prevent the spread of a disease that has fallen off the public radar for many young Americans.

It’s a cause that may not be quite as TV-friendly as breast cancer, Elkins said, which is why he’s especially pleased with the UFC’s willingness to get involved.

“It’s probably not without risks for them, but they understand that there is a real urgency to this in all communities, and they’ve quite willingly stepped up to the plate,” Elkins says. “It’s a far less safe cause to get behind than something like breast cancer.”

As part of this joint effort, Elkins said, The Center will identify local service providers in the cities scheduled to play host to UFC events in 2014 and help them incorporate the kind of incentive programs that have been successful in convincing people to get tested in Nevada.

The UFC also will craft public service announcements featuring fighters and other UFC personalities, such as UFC Hall of Famer Forrest Griffin and female bantamweight contender Liz Carmouche. Both fighters will highlight the regular HIV tests they’ve undergone before each bout.

“We’re asking young people to show themselves and their partners the same respect our fighters show their opponents,” Epstein says.

(Pictured: Lawrence Epstein)