UFC can get sued by Monster Energy for their partnership with Logan Paul's Prime, says ex-fighter

The UFC recently announced Logan Paul and KSI's Prime as the the official sports drink of the company. This raises certain questions about the UFC's current relationship with Monster Energy, who renewed their sponsorship deal in 2021.

Prime just became the Official Sports Drink of @UFC https://t.co/T6Mdoo7hLY

According to former UFC fighter Josh Thomson, the promotion could be inviting legal trouble over their new Prime deal. Thomson noted that the UFC could come up short against Monster Energy in a potential lawsuit.

The former UFC lightweight expressed concern over Dana White's seemingly arbitrary decisions that have become rampant in recent times. According to Thomson, the former owners of the company, Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta, would likely have steered clear of a deal with Logan Paul's Prime.

The 44-year-old said on the Weighing In podcast:

"I wouldn't be surprised if Monster sues them... As soon as that deal was signed, [I thought] 'Is Monster out?' It's a weird vibe that I'm getting when you start seeing that. Like Dana's just doing whatever the f**k he wants right now. I don't think this deal would have went through had Lorenzo or Frank been around."

Catch Josh Thomson's comments below:

UFC's deal with Monster Energy is reportedly bigger than Logan Paul's deal

Monster Energy renewed their UFC sponsorship deal for three years in 2021. The deal also gave them the “official water” designation which is held by a brand that doesn't sell bottled water.

Monster wanted fighters to hold bottles of Monster Water during matches even though the product was not available in retail. UFC Senior VP/Global Partnerships Paul Asencio said:

"They have grown their business side-by-side with us, as we’ve grown the sport and they continued to support us through the pandemic. They wanted their fighters drinking Monster water. They love the exposure and they will get into that business.”

As per Sports Business Journal, the deal touched low weight figures annually, almost a 50% increase from their previous deal. This is also bigger than the UFC's recent deal with Logan Paul's Prime, which reportedly touches seven figures annually.

.@PrimeHydrate, the sports drink brand from @LoganPaul and @KSI, is becoming the new official sports drink of @UFC, with a three-year deal worth high seven figures annually.

🔲 Assets include branding on Octagon corners and stools.

🔲 Prime replaces @DrinkBodyArmor. https://t.co/9edqNQMszF

Monster Energy also reserved their right to hold the prime center canvas position within the UFC Octagon while increasing their number of sponsored fighters.

While Monster Energy is the 'official energy drink' of the UFC, the company has deals with several other beverage labels like Modelo, Jose Cuervo Tequila, Nemiroff Vodka and Howler Head banana-flavored bourbon that are all represented in the octagon.

Meanwhile, Monster Energy recently signed a sponsorship deal with the leading Asian MMA promotion ONE Championship.