How FRE Nicotine Pouches landed a historic sponsorship deal with the UFC and more

Amidst the excitement of fights on fight night, you might notice a new partner on the UFC octagon canvas: FRE Nicotine Bags.

In a first-of-its-kind partnership, FRE became the “official nicotine fund partner” of the UFC and all other properties affiliated with TKO Group Holdings, Inc. (TKO), including Zuffa Boxing, PBR (Professional Bull Riding), and UFC BJJ, and World Formula Strongest Man Drift Man hosted by IMG.

FRE has been quietly building a sports portfolio that reaches out to the most active viewers across the country, but the announcement of a partnership with TKO last month was a landmark sponsorship for the title.

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UFC became the first major US sport to have a “legal nicotine fund” partner, making this a game-changing deal for a category that will have an estimated $50 billion market by 2033.

Summer Frein, chief revenue officer at Turning Point Brands, a branded consumer products company that markets and distributes products, including other smoking accessories, spoke to Fox Business about how FRE wanted to get into sports. And TKO structures, especially for the UFC, make a lot of sense.

“Obviously, first and foremost, we wanted to pick something that resonated with our brand, and our tag line is 'Own Your Edge.' When you think of people who own them, sports immediately come to mind. “And if you think about TKO – I said this to someone last week – that's where hell holds your edge more than beating someone in the octagon,” Frein said in a recent interview.

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“Consumers at events overlap with our consumer base directly, both from the point of view of older nicotine consumers, but just their characteristics. What they believe in, what they associate (also) overlaps a lot with us in terms of competition, performance and that kind of thing.”

The UFC has an audience of over 90% adults, 21 years of age or older, making it an ideal platform for responsible marketing of products for older consumers such as nicotine pouches. But, from an athlete's perspective, research on how nicotine can improve athletic performance has been abundant.

Smokeless cigarettes have been widely used by athletes to improve performance, and nicotine acts as a stimulant to the nervous system among other anatomical effects. And although nicotine had a bad reputation because of its association with tobacco-based products like cigarettes, the stimulant was not the cause of toxic health effects. Of course, it remains an addictive chemical.

The growth of the global nicotine pouch market has reached approximately $4.3 billion by 2025, and will grow from there. FRE moved quickly to stabilize before it was fully matured, and a deal like this with TKO proves it.

FRE Nicotine bags became the “official nicotine bag” for various properties of TKO Group Holdings, Inc., including UFC and Zuffa Boxing. (FREE Nicotine Bags / Fox News)

“We started with the PBR last year. We got into some NASCAR and ARCA Series races, and all those basic elements gave us confidence that we were going in the right direction. The sport made a lot of sense for us,” added Frein.

“I think [TKO was] and I'm looking for partners and buyers who have overlaps, so we build on each other there. Consumers expect that. He saw UFC buyers and fans at events. They rode that type. So, if they collaborate with products that don't make sense, I don't think those fans will be quiet about that. I think our brand made a lot of sense for that reason, too. “

Frein pointed out how FRE differentiates itself from its consumers with its variety of flavors, and, most importantly, nicotine strength. FRE bags range from three to 15 milligrams, strengths that most competitors have in their product. No matter where the consumer is on the nicotine journey, FRE prides itself on helping to provide consumers with the product they desire.

“Consumers have told us that they use nicotine and they use these bags, in particular, in their lives for a variety of reasons. One is to move away from products that they no longer want to use, different nicotine products that they no longer want to use. They feel like this is a better option for them – more wisdom, less judgment, that kind of thing. Then, we hear them use what their day means to them,” explained Frein.

FRE also listened to its customers when it came to the fund itself. The bags feature a pre-designed moisture-wicking technology bag that Frein says consumers are “choosing.” Their variety also goes to the bag count, offering tons of 20 count or “Mega Packs” with a count of 100.

And as Frein said, FRE's push for sports goes beyond its work with TKO. It recently partnered with 23XI Racing, Michael Jordan's stock car company, and driver Riley Herbst in select NASCAR Cup Series races. It has also signed on as the “official nicotine sponsor” of Taylor Reimer Racing for all four ARCA Menards Series events in 2026.

FRE Nicotine Pouches brand the 23XI Racing NASCAR car for the NASCAR Cup Series. (FREE Nicotine Bags / Fox News)

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As tobacco-free nicotine products have been reinvented from a legacy practice to a deliberate, performance-based choice, FRE has made a calculated bet in sports, and partnering with TKO makes the future exciting from a business perspective.

“I think what TKO's partnership with NASCAR and Taylor Reimer in the ARCA Series has done for us has opened people's minds,” Frein said.

“Open doors, it has given us credibility as a product and as an industry that we can make work. We will have a seat at the table. We will market effectively and responsibly, frankly. So, I think that, if I am given the front part of the conversations that affect the athletes and they think differently and if this is part of their life, it will open the doors of other doors.”

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