CRYPTO PREDICTION PLATFORM ENTERS SPORTS WORLD IN FIRST-EVER PARTNERSHIP
LAS VEGAS — November 12, 2025. The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) has announced a new exclusive partnership with Polymarket, the fast-growing crypto-based prediction platform known for allowing users to bet on real-world events using blockchain contracts.
The deal marks the first time a major U.S. sports organization has formally partnered with a prediction market company, signaling a dramatic shift in the convergence of sports, cryptocurrency, and decentralized betting.
Under the agreement, Polymarket will gain branding visibility across UFC events, fighter walkouts, press conferences, and digital broadcasts. UFC will also integrate live “prediction sentiment” graphics during selected matchups, displaying real-time market odds generated by the Polymarket platform.
While UFC executives described the move as “innovation-driven,” the partnership is expected to spark scrutiny from regulators, given Polymarket’s past enforcement actions with the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) over unregistered prediction markets.
UFC President Dana White said the collaboration reflects UFC’s long-standing willingness to push boundaries:
“Fans crave engagement. Polymarket brings a new layer of real-time excitement that taps into the global crypto audience.”
Polymarket, which has surged in popularity due to high-volume political and sports-related markets, said UFC is the “perfect testbed” for mainstream adoption of decentralized forecasting tools.
Analysts say the partnership could accelerate the normalization of crypto prediction markets within U.S. sports — or ignite renewed debate about gambling policy and blockchain regulation.
The announcement comes as major sports leagues increasingly experiment with digital assets, fan tokens, and on-chain analytics, attempting to attract younger audiences gravitating toward crypto-native platforms.
More details on the rollout, including app integrations and promotional markets, are expected in the coming weeks.
