SANTA MONICA, Calif. & NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Apr 9, 2026--
TKO Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: TKO) today announced a comprehensive multiyear partnership with FRE® Nicotine Pouches (NYSE: TPB), a leading pouch brand designed by users for users.
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The first-of-its-kind collaboration will connect adult nicotine users to custom integrations and experiences across six TKO-affiliated properties, with FRE becoming the Official Nicotine Pouch Partner of UFC,Zuffa Boxing,PBR, and UFC BJJ, as well as IMG-owned World’s Strongest Man and Formula Drift. These properties deliver unparalleled reach into some of the most engaged and passionate adult fan bases in sports.
With an audience of over 90% adults (21+) as measured by Nielsen National TV Ratings (2025), UFC provides an ideal platform for the responsible marketing of adult consumer products to current nicotine users, boasting a broader penetration of adult nicotine users versus other sports media audiences, as measured by YouGov (2026).
“TKO was built to partner with brands that want to show up in a big way across the world’s most passionate fan communities,” said Grant Norris-Jones, Executive Vice President & Head of Global Partnerships for TKO. “FRE is bringing a modern, differentiated product to market for the moments that matter most. This partnership unlocks a powerful platform across our industry leading assets, including our latest offering, Zuffa Boxing, and will enable FRE to reach adult customers at unmatched scale.”
FRE will partner across premium formats to deliver exclusive fan activations, custom content, and on-site experiences for adult nicotine users. From the UFC Octagon and Zuffa Boxing ring, to the PBR bucking chute and Formula Drift racetrack, FRE will be at the center of the action.
“TKO and FRE share the same values: bold, performance-driven, and built for people who push themselves to compete at the highest level,” said Summer Frein, Chief Growth Officer of Turning Point Brands. “That alignment is what makes this partnership a natural fit. From Motor Sports to PBR to combat sports, including the UFC, FRE is establishing itself as the brand of choice for adult consumers who want to Own Their Edge.”
FRE pouches are becoming the brand of choice for adult consumers who compete at the highest level – in sports or in life. Featuring pre-primed moisture technology in each pouch, offering the widest range of nicotine strengths from 3-15mg and available in 20-count tins or 100-count Mega Packs, FRE’s offerings meet consumers where they are in the moments that matter most.
FRE will kick off its UFC partnership at UFC 327®: PROCHÁZKA vs ULBERG, which takes place this Saturday, April 11 in Miami, Florida at Kaseya Center, with a pair of all-action title fights.
About TKO®
TKO Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: TKO) is a premium sports and entertainment company. TKO’s businesses include UFC, the world’s premier mixed martial arts organization; WWE, the global leader in sports entertainment 1; PBR, the world’s premier bull riding organization; and Zuffa Boxing, a professional boxingpromotion company founded by CEO of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), Dana White, and Chairman of the Saudi Arabian General Entertainment Authority (GEA), Turki Al-Sheikh. Together, these properties reach more than 1 billion adults in 210 countries and territories and organize more than 500 live events year-round, which attract more than three million fans. TKO also services and partners with major sports rights holders through IMG, an industry-leading global sports marketing agency; and On Location, a global leader in premium experiential hospitality.
About FRE
FRE is owned and distributed by Turning Point Brands (NYSE: TPB), a manufacturer, marketer and distributor of branded consumer products. Designed by nicotine users for nicotine users, FRE was born out of a desire to be bold, thinking that breaks the mold, and provide adult nicotine users with a superior alternative to dry and bland pouches. For more information on FRE, visit frepouch.com.
The first-of-its-kind collaboration will connect adult nicotine users to custom integrations and experiences across six TKO-affiliated properties, with FRE becoming the Official Nicotine Pouch Partner of UFC, Zuffa Boxing, PBR, and UFC BJJ, as well as IMG-owned World’s Strongest Man and Formula Drift.
NEW YORK (AP) — Oil prices climbed back toward $100 per barrel on Thursday, while stock markets worldwide slowed following their big gains from the day before.
The S&P 500 flipped from a small loss to a gain of 0.3%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 77 points, or 0.2%, as of 11:45 a.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was 0.3% higher. Earlier in the day, stocks fell across much of Europe and Asia as the United States, Iran and Israel disagreed on the details of their two-week ceasefire, whose announcement had sent markets flying in optimism on Wednesday.
The oil market was jumpier, and the price for a barrel of benchmark U.S. crude oil climbed 5.6% to $99.70. It rose after semiofficial news agencies in Iran suggested forces have mined the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway that has been at the center of President Donald Trump’s demands of Iran. Blockages there have kept oil and natural gas stuck in the Persian Gulf, away from customers worldwide.
Brent crude, the international standard, rose 2.3% to $96.95 per barrel. It’s still below the $119 level that it briefly reached when worries about the war reached their height, but it remains above its roughly $70 level from before the war.
Given how far apart the United States and Iran seem to be in their demands, upward pressure on oil prices may be “here to stay for a while” according to strategists at Macquarie led by Thierry Wizman. Risks remain for renewed fighting, which could cause customers worldwide to hoard whatever oil supplies they do get. That could itself keep oil off the market, much like actual fighting targeting pipelines or oil tankers.
On Wall Street, Constellation Brands climbed 6.3% for one of the market's bigger gains after reporting stronger results for the latest quarter than analysts expected. The company, which sells Modelo beer and Robert Mondavi wines, said it saw encouraging trends heading into its new fiscal year. But it pulled its financial forecasts for the following fiscal year because of “limited near-term visibility” and other factors.
CoreWeave rallied 3.7% after announcing an expanded, $21 billion deal with Meta Platforms to provide AI cloud capacity through December 2032. Meta rose 3.1%.
On the losing end of Wall Street was Simply Good Foods, which dropped 18.2% after reporting a worse drop in revenue than analysts expected. CEO Joe Scalzo called the results unsatisfactory and said the company behind the Quest and Atkins brands is making immediate changes to turn around its performance.
A suite of mixed reports on the U.S. economy also helped to keep Wall Street in check. One said an underlying measure of inflation that the Federal Reserve considers important was slightly hotter in February than economists expected. It decelerated before the war with Iran began, but not by as much as economists expected.
A separate report said that more U.S. workers applied for unemployment benefits last week than economists expected. The number was not very high compared with history, but it could indicate an acceleration in layoffs.
Treasury yields swiveled up and down in the bond market following the reports.
The yield on the 10-year Treasury edged down to 4.27% from 4.29% late Wednesday.
It, though, remains well above its 3.97% level from before the war, which has sent rates up for mortgages and other kinds of loans going to U.S. households and businesses.
If oil prices stay high and keep upward pressure on inflation, the Federal Reserve would have difficulty resuming its cuts to interest rates to help the slowing economy, even if the job market weakens. A growing number of Fed officials seem to be considering the possibility of a hike in rates, according to minutes of their latest meeting released on Wednesday.
In stock markets abroad, South Korea’s Kospi fell 1.6%, and Germany’s DAX lost 1.1% for two of the world’s biggest moves.
AP Writers Chan Ho-him, Matt Ott and Aniruddha Ghosal contributed to this report.
Robert Greason works on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange in New York, Tuesday, April 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
Currency traders watch monitors near a screen showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI), top left, at the foreign exchange dealing room of the Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, April 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
Currency traders work near a screen showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI), top center, and the foreign exchange rate between U.S. dollar and South Korean won, top center left, at the foreign exchange dealing room of the Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, April 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
A currency trader works near a screen showing international oil prices at the foreign exchange dealing room of the Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, April 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
