At the UFC 273 pay-per-view event this Saturday, April 9th, the UFC will unveil the first-ever ‘Fan Bonus of the Night. Each UFC pay-per-view event will reward three fighters with a bitcoin bonus based on their ranking in an online fan vote, the promotion announced Thursday. The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) will use the cryptocurrency Bitcoin to pay bonuses to its athletes as part of a partnership with cryptocurrency company Crypto.com.
Aaron Bronsteter, MMA writer, recently tweeted that the fighter with the most fan votes would earn $30,000. Winners of the second and third places will receive $20,000 and $10,000 in bitcoins, respectively.
Currently, the promotion pays its fighters three performance-related bonuses for all of its fights so far. These bonuses included ‘Knockout of the Night’, ‘Submission of the Night’, and ‘Fight of the Night.’ Each incentive is worth $50,000. In addition to the above bonuses that the promotion pays its fighters, the ‘Fan Bonus of the Night’ reward will also be unlocked to fans.
Crypto.com has been an official UFC partner for less than a year, and I’m telling you they are already one of the best partners we’ve ever had. They’re constantly coming up with new ideas about how we can work together to connect with the fans. This new Fan Bonus of the Night is an awesome way to get fans more engaged in our events while rewarding the fighters for bad-ass performances.
Dana White, President – UFC
The voting will commence at the beginning of the pay-per-view preliminary match and last for an hour after the match is completed. Each pay-per-view will allow fans to vote three times for any fighter on the card.
The UFC will continue to award its Fight of the Night bonus, valued at $50,000, and the Performance of the Night bonus, valued at $50,000, at the end of every pay-per-view and non-pay-per-view card.
UFC has announced a 10-year deal with a cryptocurrency exchange as the official “fight kit” partner. Crypto.com has done similar deals with several sports teams and brands, including soccer, basketball, hockey, and motor racing. The company also acquired naming rights to the previously named Staples Center in Los Angeles, home to the NBA’s Los Angeles Lakers and the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings.
