BOSTON & LAS VEGAS—March 4, 2021—DraftKings (Nasdaq: DKNG) and UFCÒ, the world’s premier mixed martial arts organization, today announced a groundbreaking agreement that marks one of the most significant partnerships in UFC history.  

DraftKings will become UFC’s first-ever “Official Sportsbook and Daily Fantasy Partner” in the United States and Canada.  The sports technology and entertainment company will now be able to offer in-game promotions, activations, in-broadcast odds integrations and UFC branding across its daily fantasy and betting products and will possess rights to use official UFC marks and logos. On a weekly basis, DraftKings will also provide fans with free-to-play UFC games as well as enhanced prop bets and other innovative sportsbook opportunities. Ahead of UFC 259 on March 6, DraftKings has launched a free-to-play UFC pool with $10K in prizing, available for fans to enter and compete nationwide. 

“This is a massive deal that will benefit UFC, DraftKings, and most of all the fans,” said UFC President Dana White. “DraftKings is the best at what they do in the betting and daily fantasy space, and unlike other sports, UFC has no off season. The action will be non-stop. This is the most important deal we’ve ever done to increase engagement with our fans and reach new ones, and I’m looking forward to all the exciting things we’re going to do with DraftKings over the next few years.”

“Combat sports, and UFC in particular, have scaled significantly across both our sportsbook and daily fantasy verticals, evolving from a niche offering to a high-demand category that we believe will only grow further as we innovate,” said Jason Robins, DraftKings co-founder, CEO and executive chairman. “While DraftKings and UFC have previously collaborated on specific events, we are proud to become official partners and explore even more impactful integrations that prioritize the fan experience.”

OFFICIAL SPORTSBOOK AND DAILY FANTASY PARTNER

In 2020, both UFC daily fantasy and sports betting saw substantial growth on DraftKings, setting new company records on multiple fronts. For the first time, DraftKings offered customers two MMA Millionaire contests to keep up with the critical mass of customer interest and has plans to offer several additional contests in 2021.

DraftKings will also become the presenting partner of the UFC Fight Clock, UFC’s new, proprietary, and innovative time-keeping system. The UFC Fight Clock utilizes state-of-the-art technology, including the most flexible high-definition screens in the world, to provide fighters and fans with the most accurate time-keeping system in combat sports. The UFC Fight Clock is integrated directly into UFC’s production technology, allowing athletes, fans, and officials in the arena to see the same countdown clock per round as viewers watching the broadcast. 

There will be up to four UFC Fight Clocks displayed on UFC’s world-famous Octagon®, giving fighters a view of at least one clock from any vantage point.  The UFC Fight Clock presented by DraftKings will debut this Saturday, March 6, in Las Vegas during UFC® 259: BLACHOWICZ vs. ADESANYA.  

ADDITIONAL BRANDED INTEGRATIONS
The agreement with UFC also provides DraftKings with a branded presence on the Octagon canvas at select UFC events and during Dana White's Contender Series.  In addition, DraftKings will have numerous sponsorship integrations within UFC content on both linear and digital platforms, including live broadcasts and pay-per-views, social media assets, and programming on UFC FIGHT PASS®, the world’s leading streaming service for combat sports.  

More information about DraftKings is available at www.draftkings.com and fans can download the DraftKings mobile apps via iOS and Android. To learn more about the UFC, including the upcoming UFC® 259: BLACHOWICZ vs. ADESANYA this Saturday, March 6, fans can visit www.ufc.com.

This article is a reprint from UFC.com. To view the original story and comment, click here.