Stand-up comedian Hannibal Buress has cultivated quite the career. Buress hosted his own television show on Comedy Central titled Why? with Hannibal Buress. Beyond that, Buress has been featured on countless highly popular programs through the years.
With all of that in mind, Buress recently decided to get his name out there with some unexpected marketing. The comedian decided to sponsor Invicta FC.
First, Buress received an idea to sponsor a fighter after watching Invicta FC 21. Speaking to SNL veteran Seth Meyers on Late Night with Seth Meyers, Buress revealed his thought process.
“A Kansas City Toyota dealership is sponsoring a fighter? I could definitely sponsor a fighter,” Buress said.
So, the comedian went on to sponsor Brazilian atomweight Janaisa Morandin. Morandin was then set to face off at Invicta FC 22 while donning a fight kit featuring Buress’ likeness.
Brazilian @janaisamma will enter the Invicta cage tomorrow night sporting an eye-catching outfit from a unique sponsor… (@hannibalburess) pic.twitter.com/7xhJnENz4d
— Invicta FC (@InvictaFights) March 24, 2017
However, Morandin weighed in over five pounds above the limit. Consequently, Buress’ fight kit never made it to the cage.
“I said, ‘I don’t want that to happen again.’ I learned from my mistake,” Buress mentioned. “So I said, ‘I’m going to escalate.’ So I hit up the promotion – Invicta Fighting Championships is the name – and I asked if I could just sponsor the whole thing and put my face on the mat. That way, no matter what happens, I’ll be on there.”
Then, Invicta FC 28 came around featuring none other than Buress’ face prominently displayed on the cage canvas. Check it out below:
