UFC announces a partnership with Latin American crypto-only casino, Stake.com.

The world’s leading mixed martial arts, or MMA, Ultimate Fighting Championship, organization, has announced an exclusive partnership with the leading crypto-powered online casinos and sportsbook, Stake.com. The partnership was announced on March 7, and it will see Stake.com become UFC’s “First Official Betting Partner” in Asia and Latin America. However, the deal will exclude UFC’s key market in Brazil. The recent massive rally of bitcoin has attracted mainstream exposure to the crypto industry.

Stake.com is a licensed crypto-only sports betting platform.

The two firms began working together on March 3 — with Stake’s customers receiving access to unique digital content surrounding the promotional “fight week” for UFC’s March 6 pay-per-view. According to the announcement, the company will also develop exclusive promotions, VIP experiences, and social content for Stake users. UFC’s vice president of global partnerships, Nick Smith, said, “We’re thrilled to partner with an exciting and emerging platform like Stake.com to offer exclusive digital and social content to our fans, as well as an innovative gaming experience.” Stake.com is a crypto-only casino and sports betting platform licensed in the Caribbean island nation of Curacao.

The platform claims to have turned over $35 billion worth of bets.

Since launching in 2017, Stake.com claims to have turned over $35 billion worth of bets. The crypto-only supports nine crypto assets, including Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Litecoin, Ethereum, Litecoin, Ripple, Tron, and EOS, and Dogecoin. In January, Stake announced it had partnered with UFC Middleweight champion Israel Adesanya, who became the company’s first brand ambassador. The partnership with Stake is not UFC’s first venture into DLT; it was also reported that the MMA promotion had inked a deal with Dapper Labs, the company behind CryptoKitties and NBA Top Shot, in February 2020.