Endeavor-owned UFC has agreed to terms with cryptocurrency exchange Crypto.com for a deal worth $175 million over 10 years according to people familiar with the deal, the biggest sponsorship in UFC 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. The sponsorship deal begins Saturday at UFC 264 in Las Vegas, which is headlined by Dustin Poirier vs. Conor McGregor 3.
“This is a partnership between two companies that are the best at what they do,” UFC president Dana White said in a news release. “No company has done more to grow the popularity of combat sports than UFC, and now we’re one of the biggest sports brands on the planet. We can help Crypto.com reach more people around the world through the strength of our brand.”
“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.”
Fighters will not get a direct cut of the UFC’s deal with Crypto.com, a source said. However, they will be able to broker individual deals with the cryptocurrency company and be used as paid brand ambassadors. UFC fighters are not unionized and have no collective bargaining agreement, so they are not entitled to a share of the revenue on these types of deals.