UFC has made online event piracy one of its biggest enemies, and such opposition evidently applies even when a major celebrity is involved.
Undoubtedly caught up in the widespread post-UFC 162 buzz, pop star Justin Bieber Tweeted a request to his more than 41 million Twitter followers: send him a video of the event, which saw Chris Weidman bring a shocking end to Anderson Silva’s Middleweight Championship reign.
“Who has a video of the ufc fight tonight? Send it to me,” wrote Bieber.
In addition to more than ten thousand re-Tweets and favorites, the heartthrob’s Tweet attracted all sorts of replies, including demands that he go find the video himself, links allegedly containing the video, links to YouTube searches, offers to send the video in exchange for a Follow or his phone number and recommendations that he pay for the event.
Among those falling into the latter camp was UFC President Dana White, who Tweeted, “PPV Justin” in response to Bieber’s request.
All previous indications suggest that White and Bieber have a favorable relationship, but with millions watching, White had no choice but to maintain his stance on intellectual property.
