Top professional grappling promotion Polaris have just announced a brand new collaboration with Venum for their future events. While Polaris are currently the biggest promotion in Europe and one of the biggest in the world, the new deal with Venum is a big step forward for them. Venum are currently the official gear sponsor for the UFC, making every pair of shorts and rashguard top that gets worn in the octagon since 2020. Although that agreement has only been in place for a few years, it’s clearly been working well because they’ve agreed an extension until at least 2029.
Although Venum have been known as an MMA brand over the last few years, they’ve always had one foot in the BJJ world as well. They have sold various gis and rashguards over the years but have never gone so far as to work alongside a professional grappling promotion until now. This has brought the brand much further into the sport and given their extensive reach, it’s also likely to bring Polaris to a wider audience as well. It’s not hard to see how the two businesses have crossed paths though, as Polaris currently stream on UFC Fight Pass and Venum’s aforementioned relationship with the UFC bring them in close proximity.
It’s not clear yet exactly what the collaboration between Venum and Polaris will entail, but some type of branded gear seems the most likely avenue. Given the nature of professional grappling, it seems highly unlikely that Polaris would ever follow the UFC’s business model and demand that competitors wear Venum equipment. The majority of grapplers who compete for Polaris will only ever sign for single matches and they most likely already have sponsors of their own to wear on the mats. Polaris have been signing an increasing number of exclusive contracts with competitors in recent months though, so it’s possible that Venum can get involved there somehow.
Venum announced the fact their new collaboration with Polaris in a recent post to their official Instagram account: