Several well-known UFC stars, including Hall of Famer Urijah Faber, have signed on with the sports agency owned by entrepreneur Gary "Vee" Vaynerchuk.
VaynerSports will represent former interim lightweight champion Tony Ferguson, former interim welterweight champion Colby Covington and Faber, among others, it was announced Tuesday morning.
The agency is adding a combat and action sports division to go along with its football division, per a release. The baseball and esports branches of VaynerSports also just launched earlier this month.
MMA agent Lloyd Pierson is bringing the crop of fighters -- which also includes former UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman, former UFC lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez, UFC heavyweight contender Curtis Blaydes and MMA legend Vitor Belfort -- with him to VaynerSports from Ballengee Group, his previous firm. Sarah Zemonek will join VaynerSports from Ballengee, as well, to run the day-to-day management of the fighters, the release stated.
"The goal of the new division is to ensure these athletes receive similar fights and benefits enjoyed by other professional athletes," VaynerSports co-CEO Greg Genske said in a statement. "Not only do these men and women take on great risks in the Octagon, they also serve as the lifeblood of an industry that has blossomed into a multi-billion-dollar, revenue-generating machine. The skill and charisma of these young men and women are sure to propel the MMA industry to even greater revenue growth in the future, and our job at VaynerSports is to ensure the athletes share in that growth."
VaynerSports began in 2016 as a football agency. It is run by Genske and fellow co-CEO AJ Vaynerchuk, the brother of Gary Vaynerchuk. "Gary Vee," the co-owner of VaynerSports, is a prominent businessman, motivational speaker and internet personality.
