UFC Inks $175 Million Crypto Deal, Its Largest Sponsorship Ever
UFC has inked a 10-year, $175 million partnership with cryptocurrency marketplace Crypto.com, thought to be the biggest sponsorship in the promotion’s history.
Crypto.com will be UFC’s first-ever global fight kit partner, meaning its branding will appear on the uniform of every UFC fighter who steps into the octagon.
Kris Marszalek is the CEO & Co-founder at Crypto.com based out of Hong Kong. The company has over 900 employees and claims to have more than 10 million users.
“If we had talked a couple of years ago, crypto might not have been on the radar, but it’s sort of a sign of the times,” said UFC COO Lawrence Epstein, who declined to comment on the terms of the deal. “It’s new, but it’s moving quickly, and it’s very dynamic.”
Epstein said that while there’s overlap between MMA fans and crypto enthusiasts, UFC was particularly drawn to the overall demo of Crypto.com users.
“In general, that consumer is younger, and based upon the data that we’ve seen, that consumer also has a fair amount of discretionary income,” he said. “It’s an attractive group to try to get interested in your product.”
- Aaron Goldstein, Gambling911.com