UFC NFT: Earlier this year cryptocurrency exchange Crypto.com signed a long term sponsorship deal with the UFC. As part of the sponsorship, the blockchain platform has announced it will launch an exclusive non-fungible token (NFT) collection with the fighting league.
While details were not officially disclosed, CNBC reported that the agreement is worth $175 million over ten years. Initially, Crypto.com branded UFC’s fight kit with its logo as its first-ever Official Fight Kit Partner, but the NFT expansion showcases other digital opportunities as part of the partnership.
It may still be early to describe NFTs drops as traditional, but this launch will be just that. Crypto.com will launch a collection of limited edition packs leading up to a fight. The NFTs feature champion belts, fighter posters, artwork, avatars, artist collaborations, mystery boxes, and fighter profiles. The assets are collectable and tradeable on Crypto.com’s marketplace, and if fans collect specific athletes before November 7, they will be entered into a draw where they can earn exclusive digital rewards.
Fighters Get Half
One specific feature of the launch is that UFC athletes will receive fifty per cent of the revenue from the sales. In other major sports leagues such as the NFL, NBA, and MLB, athletes bargaining agreements have enabled the athletes to receive around 50% of the league’s revenue in salaries. However, the UFC is a private company and has greater influence over how much it pays its athletes than some other leagues. It is estimated that UFC fighters make around 18% of the company’s revenue. Taking into account the danger of the sport and the limited number of professional fighters of top tier quality, some argue the proportion should be higher.
“UFC is the fastest growing sport in the world, and NFTs are simultaneously surging in popularity as fans look for new and unique ways to connect with the sport, the fighters and the broader UFC community,” said Steven Kalifowitz, Crypto.com’s CMO. “We’re excited to expand our relationship while ensuring that the fighters themselves are benefitting directly, an integral part of our commitment to ensuring that a crypto is a tool for financial empowerment for all.”
Meanwhile, UFC has also signed a deal with Dapper Labs at the beginning of 2020, but no launch announcements have been made since. With Crypto.com’s launch and long term agreement with UFC, it is likely that Dapper will limit its product launches to minting highlights of the fights as NFTs, similarly to NBA Top Shot. In addition, UFC NFT has a partnership for fan tokens with Socios.com and was one of the first American entities to join its roster.
Crypto.Com And UFC Unveil Second NFT Collection
Crypto.com The world’s fastest-growing cryptocurrency platform and the mixed martial arts organisation, the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), are to commemorate the UFC 269 event by unveiling a two-part non-fungible token (NFT).
In July, UFC and Crypto.com signed a multi-year agreement that meant Crypto.com would place its branding on fight kits worn by UFC athletes during competitions, as well as on clothing (shorts, sports bras and hoodies) worn by the training staff. It has also been integrated into UFC content on both linear and digital platforms, including live broadcasts, pay-per-views and UFC-owned social media channels.
Then in November, a further expansion of their partnership was announced with the launch of an exclusive series of UFC NFTs. Crypto.com offered a “wide variety” of UFC NFTs that included unique fighter collections, fight night artwork, posters, championship belts and artist collaborations.
The UFC NFTs became available on Crypto.com on 4 November and featured limited-edition collectables, such as championship belts and fighter posters based on the rematch between Kamaru Usman vs Colby Covington, which took place on the 6 November at Madison Square Garden in New York.
The UFC 269
The second NFT collection will feature contenders from UFC 269, which will see Charles Oliveira vs Dustin Poirier fight it out for the Lightweight Championship title and Amanda Nunes vs Julianna Peña for the Women’s Bantamweight Championship title.
Both fights will be shown on 11 December. The NFT drop for the event comes on 6 December at 13:00 UTC with 3,000 NFTs “of shards, posters, and belt plates that are randomly distributed among surprise packs and vary in rarity.”
They will be priced at $40 each and are tradeable on the Crypto.com NFT Marketplace. People can buy a maximum of two packs during the drop and those who collect certain UFC 269 NFTs by 12 December will automatically be entered into the UFC 269 Collection Sweepstakes where people can win exclusive UFC prizes.
UFC Is The Fastest Growing Sport In The World
UFC Is The Fastest Growing Sport In The WorldWhen Crypto.com and UFC originally announced the launch of the NFTs, Steven Kalifowitz, chief marketing officer at Crypto.com, said: “UFC is the fastest growing sport in the world, and NFTs are simultaneously surging in popularity as fans look for new and unique ways to connect with the sport, the fighters and the broader UFC community.
”UFC has been an amazing partner, and we’re excited to expand our relationship while ensuring that the fighters themselves are benefitting directly, an integral part of our commitment to ensuring that a crypto is a tool for financial empowerment for all.”
MMA Entertainment Firm UFC to Launch Exclusive NFT Series With Crypto.com
UFC to Drop Official NFTs for Usman vs. Covington 2 Fight
During the first week of July, Bitcoin.com News reported on Crypto.com partnering with UFC in a ten-year deal worth $175 million. At the time, sources disclosed that the deal was the UFC’s largest sponsorship deal to date.
On November 2, the two announced the launch of official UFC NFTs that will feature UFC artwork, event posters, athlete profiles, championship belts, avatars, artist collaborations, and mystery boxes.
The collection of NFTs called “UFC 268 Packs” will drop on November 4, and fight posters and belt designs will be based on the upcoming event “UFC 268: Usman vs. Covington 2,” slated to take place at Madison Square Garden (MSG) on Saturday. The announcement says that UFC fans can acquire the NFTs “while supplies last.”
Tracey Bleszinski, the UFC’s senior vice president of Global Consumer Products, believes NFTs are a great way for fans to connect with the UFC brand. “NFTs are an exciting expansion of UFC’s strong collectable marketplace and an innovative and authentic way for our passionate fans to stay connected to the UFC NFT brand,” Bleszinski said in a statement sent to Bitcoin.com News.
Crypto Exchange Taps Into UFC’s Large Audience
Crypto Exchange Taps Into UFC’s Large AudienceCrypto.com is attracted to UFC’s global fan base of more than 625 million. The company recently partnered with the actor Matt Damon. Additionally, Crypto.com has forged partnerships with the NHL’s Montreal Canadiens, Formula One (F1), the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers, the Italian Football league, Paris Saint-Germain, and legendary rapper Snoop Dogg.
“UFC is the fastest growing sport in the world, and NFTs are simultaneously surging in popularity as fans look for new and unique ways to connect with the sport, the fighters and the broader UFC community,” Steven Kalifowitz, Crypto.com’s CMO added.
UFC Athletes Get Revenue Share As Part Of Ufc NFT Launch
Back in July, several sources reported that UFC and Crypto.com had signed a ten-year partnership deal. The sponsorship was believed to be worth $175 million, making it UFC’s largest deal of such a kind, ever. Fast forward to November and the two parties have announced the launch of official UFC NFTs, including a revenue share with the company’s athletes.
UFC 268 Packs Drop Ahead Of Usman Vs Covington 2 Fight
As promised earlier, UFC and Crypto.com just released the UFC 268 Pack NFTs, which includes posters and belt designs based on November 6’s fight at the Madison Square Garden, UFC 268: Usman vs Covington 2. According to the announcement, UFC fans will only have limited chances to get their hands on one of the 2,999 qualifying packs that vary in rarity and content.
At $40 each, the qualifying packs are a bargain, especially if you can buy within the allotted time frame. Those who can do so will get a chance to join the special UFC 268 collection sweepstakes and get a chance to win an exclusive UFC belt, a one-year subscription to UFC Fight Pass, as well as a $50 gift card.
UFC’s senior vice president of Global Consumer Products, Tracey Bleczinki, explains that she believes that the UFC brand can use NFTs to connect with audiences.
Speaking of the UFC NFT, the upcoming UFC 268 blockbuster pay-per-view on Saturday will be a must-watch championship doubleheader.
Headlining the event is the matchup between current Welterweight champion Kamaru Usman who will look to defend his title for the second time against his fierce rival and No. 1-ranked contender, Colby Covington. Meanwhile, the other main event will see UFC women’s Strawweight champion, Rose Najamunas, attempt to take out Zhang Weili for the second straight time as the former champion and No. 1-seeded contender looks to avenge her earlier loss.Both posters and belt graphics will be themed on the forthcoming “UFC 268: Usman vs. Burns 2” event, which will take place at Metlife Memorial Garden (MSG) on Thursday and be released as part of the “UFC 268 Packs” NFT anthology on November 4. The NFTs are available to UFC fans “while supplies last,” according to the statement.
As the UFC’s VP of Global Consumer Devices, Tracey Bleszinski, sees it, NFTs are a terrific opportunity for fans could connect with the brand. For UFC’s devoted fans, NFTs offer a new and legitimate way for them to stay in touch with the UFC brand, according to Bleszinski, who spoke with Bitcoin.com News.
The UFC’s Massive Audience Is Reached Through Crypto Exchanges.
Upwards of 625 million people throughout the world are interested in the UFC’s global fan base. In recent months, Matt Damon has worked with the company. Crypto.com has also partnered with the Montreal Cana, Speedway One (F1), the Philadelphia 76ers, Paris Saint-Germain, and iconic artist Snoop Dogg, to name a few sports teams and organisations.
According to Crypto.com’s CMO Steven Kalifowitz, “UFC is the quickest developing sporting event in the world, which means that NFTs will expand in importance as fans seek new and better ways to engage with the sports, the fights and the greater UFC audience”.
With the launch of the UFC NFT athletes get a cut of the profits.
UFC and Crypto.com reportedly signed a 10-year collaboration agreement back in July, according to many reports at the time. An estimated $175 million will be invested, making this UFC’s most significant sponsorship to date. In November, the two parties announced the debut of legal UFC NFTs, such as a share of profits for the industry’s athletes.
Usman vs. Covington 2 tickets are now on sale for UFC 268.
The UFC and Crypto.com have officially published the UFC 268 Packet NFTs, which contains posters and belt styles based on September 6’s fight at Mitchel Square Park, UFC 268: Usman versus Covington 2. A total of 2,999 qualifying packs, varying in rarity and quality, will be available to UFC fans, but only a limited number of them will be made available.
The qualifier packs are a great deal at $40 each if you can get them before they sell out. To participate in the exclusive UFC 268 collection sweepstakes, those who can be allowed to win exclusive and UFC belt, a one-year access to UFC Fight Pass, and a $50 gift card.
Tracey Bleczinki, the UFC NFT senior head of global Products, feels that NFTs can help the UFC brand connect with its fans.
When it comes to the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), Saturday night’s UFC 268 pay-per-view is an absolute must-see championship doubleheader.
There will be a rematch featuring current Super middleweight Champion Kamaru Usman and his bitter opponent and No. 1 challenger Colby Covington at the event’s main event. Other than that, the former strawweight champion and No. 1 seeded challenger Rose Najamunas, who will aim to revenge her past defeat, will face off against Zhang Weili in the co-main event.
