MMA Universe

Round 5 collectibles announced today that it has signed an exclusive global licensing agreement with Bruce Lee Enterprises to produce Bruce Lee-themed collectibles, toys and games until 2015.

Via Round 5 press release:

“We are honored to be working with a brand with such a storied legacy as Bruce Lee,” Lau said. “We feel that we can use this opportunity to broaden the reach of both Bruce Lee and Round 5 into the niche collectible and mainstream arenas as there is already so much synergy between our brands.”

Shannon Lee, President & CEO of Bruce Lee Enterprises and daughter of Bruce Lee, believes Round 5 is the perfect partner to carry her father’s legacy into the 21st century.

“We are constantly approached by companies that want to create products under the Bruce Lee name, but we always knew we wanted to wait until we found a company that would adequately compliment my father’s legacy,” said Lee. “We are so very proud to have found Damon Lau and Round 5, we believe that Round 5 will honor my father’s name and create products that will respect his legacy.”

Development on Bruce Lee products has begun and Round 5 expects Lee products by the fall of 2011.

Payout Perspective:

As you may recall, in addition to Bruce Lee, Round 5 has a licensing deal with the UFC. This move helps Round 5 in the combat sports market as Bruce Lee is still a very popular figure amongst fight enthusiasts. For Bruce Lee Enterprises, its a good move considering the work and exposure Round 5 has received working with the UFC.

Jesse Holland of MMAMania.com does a good job of breaking down the latest series of UFC figurines to come out of JAKKS Pacific (courtesy of the UFC Toys Facebook page). Information is also available on the Jakks website.

Payout Perspective:

Here’s where the UFC license sharing deal between JAKKS and Round 5 MMA comes into play. Many of the new figurines that debut as part of this new series with JAKKS were fighters originally held by Round 5. The deal has opened up a greater array of options to both companies, including promotional tie-in with the much larger and more recognizable UFC brand.

It’s a good example of co-operation within the industry growing the entire pie of market demand.

Note: the use of social media by the UFC; these guys have  a Facebook page and Twitter account for nearly everything it seems. Traffic on social networking sites is out-pacing even the most highly visited of traditional sites — it’s a smart move.