On Thursday, TKO announced that it has entered into a multi-year partnership with Polymarket and become the Official and Exclusive Prediction Market Partner of UFC and Zuffa Boxing.
Per the TKO press release, “The agreement establishes UFC and Zuffa Boxing as the first sports organizations to integrate prediction market technology directly into the live fan experience. Polymarket will create a new storytelling metric, visualizing fan sentiment and perceived momentum that complements, not competes with, regulated sports betting.”
More from the announcement this morning:
As the Official and Exclusive Prediction Market Partner of UFC, Polymarket will strategically activate its brand across a wide array of UFC premium assets, including live events, broadcasts, and social media content.
Among the highlights, Polymarket will power the first-ever real-time Fan Prediction Scoreboard within UFC broadcasts. This innovative integration will offer a dynamic new layer of storytelling that visualizes how fans around the world are forecasting each fight as it unfolds. The Fan Prediction Scoreboard will transform fan sentiment into a visible, data-driven narrative that measures the unofficial “pulse” of the audience in real time for every UFC event.
Polymarket operates as a prediction market using smart contracts on the Polygon blockchain for settling wagers.
In addition, the press release indicates that a custom social media series will be developed and disseminated through the UFC’s various accounts.
Dana White and Shayne Coplan, the head of Polymarket appeared on CNBC to make the announcement. Coplan, 27, is an interesting individual who was raised in New York City and dropped out of NYU to start Polymarket. He’s the world’s youngest self-made billionaire.
Payout Perspective:
In my opinion, this is no different than gambling, but it is able to provide an end-around the gambling ban in states. But, its another device that will lure new fans to the UFC and Zuffa Boxing. The predictions market is just another way to facilitate betting. With the integration of a ‘Scoreboard’ during UFC broadcasts, it will add another reason to tune in for those that want to use it.
Its also curious that just a week after suspicious betting patterns during a UFC fight saw a fighter cut, the company continued with this announcement. The Predictions market is under legal scrutiny as there is a current fight over the jurisdiction. While some state gaming regulators believe that they have the jurisdiction, Kalshi, a similar company to Polymarket has argued that it is regulated by Commodity Futures Trading Commission.
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