Author: Jeff Gluck
Date: Jan. 21, 2016
CHARLOTTE – As luck would have it, Kevin Harvick’s worlds are set to collide in a city where good fortune often comes in handy.
Management company Kevin Harvick Inc. has fighter Miesha Tate on the March 5 card for UFC 197 in Las Vegas, where she’ll battle Holly Holm for the bantamweight title. The fight is part of an epic card that also features Conor McGregorand Rafael dos Anjos; either matchup could have stood on its own as a main event.
The next day, about 25 minutes from the MGM Grand Garden Arena, Harvick will take care of his day job: Racing in the Sprint Cup Series at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
It’s a dream crossover for Harvick, one of the few people on the planet with one foot in both NASCAR and UFC.
“(Opportunities like that) are really why we do the management company,” Harvick said Thursday. “When you have these types of events and you can cross-promote like that, we’ll have people who aren’t NASCAR fans or aren’t UFC fans and you can get them to the other events.”
Sponsors of both Harvick and his fighters (Tate, Cowboy Cerrone and Rose Namajunas) include Anheuser-Busch, Bad Boy Buggies, Hunt Brothers Pizza and Morton Buildings, among others. That provides an ideal opportunity for KHI to entertain clients at both events.
Josh Jones, KHI’s director of business development, told USA TODAY Sports the company already has nearly 40 sponsor representatives ticketed for the fight and the race – and it’s still more than one month away.
“I don’t think anybody is going to come for one or the other and not go to both events, so that’s a good thing,” Harvick said.
Harvick, of course, will be at the fight as well. And he's pumped.
“The buzz that Conor creates and the buzz that Miesha and her weight class create…to be able to go see that is exciting,” he said. “It’s going to be fun to take in that atmosphere. You don’t get that atmosphere very often.”
To view this article on USAToday.com, click here.