Smith+Nephew teams up with UFC to be first-ever Preferred Sports Medicine Technology Partner

Smith+Nephew (LSE:SN, NYSE:SNN), the global medical technology company, today announces it has been named the Preferred Sports Medicine Technology Partner of UFC – the world’s premier mixed martial arts organization and one of the foremost global brands in all of sports. Under the terms of the multi-year partnership, Smith+Nephew will activate its brand through UFC’s immense global presence to promote the repair, regeneration and recovery of Sports Medicine injuries through advanced technologies.

“We’re thrilled to have Smith+Nephew join us for the first time as an Official UFC Partner,” said Robby Miller, Vice President, UFC Global Partnerships. “Through hard work, significant investment, and groundbreaking innovations like the UFC Performance Institute, UFC has become the industry leader in athlete health and safety in combat sports. We’re looking forward to advancing that mission by also promoting better health and recovery through technology solutions, such as those offered by Smith+Nephew, that will benefit UFC athletes and fans alike.”

Smith+Nephew offers world-class Sports Medicine solutions including advanced technologies, instruments and implants that enable surgeons to perform minimally invasive surgery including the repair of soft tissue injuries and degenerative conditions of the shoulder, knee, hip and small joints. Recent advancements in its biological healing portfolio include the REGENETEN^◊ Bioinductive Implant and the newly acquired CARTIHEAL^◊ AGILI-C^◊ Cartilage Repair Implant. Backed by impressive clinical evidence, both technologies are transforming the way healthcare professionals treat soft tissue repair and helping improve patient outcomes versus the current standard of care.^1,2

“Smith+Nephew’s purpose is Life Unlimited – helping restore people’s bodies and their self-belief by using technology to take the limits off living. We are proud to partner with UFC and share a common goal to get patients back in the game quickly, safely, and effectively,” said Scott Schaffner, President Sports Medicine, Smith+Nephew. “The global reach and influence of UFC is unmatched by any other sports organization, and we look forward to this partnership spotlighting Smith+Nephew’s leading-edge portfolio of Sports Medicine technology solutions with the UFC’s global audience.”

Beyond the Octagon, UFC and Smith+Nephew will collaborate on original content that will be distributed through UFC’s popular digital and social channels, which reach more than 259 million users worldwide. Smith+Nephew will also have a branded presence throughout the UFC Performance Institutes in Las Vegas, Shanghai and Mexico City – the world’s first mixed martial arts performance training, research, rehabilitation, and nutrition centers. The agreement also provides for an annual Brand Ambassador fund that will bring the partnership to life through appearances, content, and creative campaigns with UFC athletes.

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References

1. Altschuler N, Zaslav KR, Di Matteo B, et al. Aragonite-Based Scaffold Versus Microfracture and Debridement for the Treatment of Knee Chondral and Osteochondral Lesions: Results of a Multicenter Randomized Controlled Trial. Am J Sports Med. 2023;51(4):957-967. doi:10.1177/03635465231151252
2. Ruiz Ibán MA, Navlet MG, Marco SM, et al.  Augmentation of a transosseous equivalent repair in posterosuperior non-acute rotator cuff tears with a bioinductive collagen implant decreases the re-tear rate at one year. A randomised controlled trial. Arthroscopy. Published online 12/27/2023.

About Smith+Nephew
Smith+Nephew is a portfolio medical technology business focused on the repair, regeneration and replacement of soft and hard tissue. We exist to restore people’s bodies and their self-belief by using technology to take the limits off living. We call this purpose ‘Life Unlimited’. Our 18,000 employees deliver this mission every day, making a difference to patients’ lives through the excellence of our product portfolio, and the invention and application of new technologies across our three global business units of Orthopaedics, Sports Medicine & ENT and Advanced Wound Management.

Founded in Hull, UK, in 1856, we now operate in more than 100 countries, and generated annual sales of $5.5 billion in 2023. Smith+Nephew is a constituent of the FTSE100 (LSE:SN, NYSE:SNN). The terms ‘Group’ and ‘Smith+Nephew’ are used to refer to Smith & Nephew plc and its consolidated subsidiaries, unless the context requires otherwise.

For more information about Smith+Nephew, please visit www.smith-nephew.com and follow us on X, LinkedIn, Instagram or Facebook.

About UFC®
UFC® is the world’s premier mixed martial arts organization (MMA), with more than 700 million fans and 259 million social media followers. The organization produces more than 40 live events annually in some of the most prestigious arenas around the world while broadcasting to over 975 million TV households across more than 170 countries. UFC’s athlete roster features the world’s best MMA athletes representing more than 80 countries. The organization’s digital offerings include UFC FIGHT PASS®, one of the world’s leading streaming services for combat sports. UFC is part of TKO Group Holdings (NYSE: TKO) and is headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada. For more information, visit UFC.com and follow UFC at Facebook.com/UFC and @UFC on X, Snapchat, Instagram, and TikTok: @UFC.

Forward-looking Statements
This document may contain forward-looking statements that may or may not prove accurate. For example, statements regarding expected revenue growth and trading profit margins, market trends and our product pipeline are forward-looking statements. Phrases such as “aim”, “plan”, “intend”, “anticipate”, “well-placed”, “believe”, “estimate”, “expect”, “target”, “consider” and similar expressions are generally intended to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from what is expressed or implied by the statements. For Smith+Nephew, these factors include: conflicts in Europe and the Middle East, economic and financial conditions in the markets we serve, especially those affecting healthcare providers, payers and customers; price levels for established and innovative medical devices; developments in medical technology; regulatory approvals, reimbursement decisions or other government actions; product defects or recalls or other problems with quality management systems or failure to comply with related regulations; litigation relating to patent or other claims; legal and financial compliance risks and related investigative, remedial or enforcement actions; disruption to our supply chain or operations or those of our suppliers; competition for qualified personnel; strategic actions, including acquisitions and disposals, our success in performing due diligence, valuing and integrating acquired businesses; disruption that may result from transactions or other changes we make in our business plans or organisation to adapt to market developments; relationships with healthcare professionals; reliance on information technology and cybersecurity; disruptions due to natural disasters, weather and climate change related events; changes in customer and other stakeholder sustainability expectations; changes in taxation regulations; effects of foreign exchange volatility; and numerous other matters that affect us or our markets, including those of a political, economic, business, competitive or reputational nature. Please refer to the documents that Smith+Nephew has filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission under the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, including Smith+Nephew’s most recent annual report on Form 20-F, which is available on the SEC’s website at www. sec.gov, for a discussion of certain of these factors. Any forward-looking statement is based on information available to Smith+Nephew as of the date of the statement. All written or oral forward-looking statements attributable to Smith+Nephew are qualified by this caution. Smith+Nephew does not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement to reflect any change in circumstances or in Smith+Nephew’s expectations.

^◊ Trademark of Smith+Nephew. Certain marks registered in US Patent and Trademark Office.