Polymarket Becomes Official Prediction Market of UFC
With the announcement of an agreement with the UFC and Zuffa Boxing on Thursday, it is almost impossible for Polymarket to go a day without announcing a new collaboration or contract with a sports league or well-known brand.
Although the agreement's financial details were not disclosed, Polymarket would be the two combat sports associations' "official and exclusive" prediction market partner. Polymarket contracts will be used throughout UFC content, such as social media and live broadcasts, as part of the partnership.
"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,” according to a statement.
The partnership with the UFC is at least the second with a prominent North American sports league for Shayne Coplan's Polymarket, which may soon be operational again in the US. Recently, Polymarket and rival Kalshi signed NHL contracts.
Polymarket Is Still Creating News
Polymarket has been a steady source of interesting news flow in recent weeks, even though the government shutdown that just ended delayed its reentry into the US. Many of those headlines confirmed the growing intersections between sports wagering, financial markets, and prediction markets.
Goliath, a prediction market, created a stir on Tuesday when it announced a partnership with PrizePicks, a daily fantasy sports (DFS) operator that will incorporate event contracts into its next mobile app. Yahoo Finance and Polymarket announced on Wednesday that the former will supply data from its prediction market suite for one of the busiest finance websites in the world. The announcement came roughly a week after Kalshi and Polymarket made such agreements with Google Finance.
Polymarket has increased the number of social media integrations in recent months. It joined Elon Musk's X as an official prediction market partner in June. With the UFC, Polymarket gains a partner with a product that has obvious event contract synergies and a fan base that is already excited about prediction markets.
Goliath, a prediction market, created a stir on Tuesday when it announced a partnership with PrizePicks, a daily fantasy sports (DFS) operator that will incorporate event contracts into its next mobile app. Yahoo Finance and Polymarket announced on Wednesday that the former will supply data from its prediction market suite for one of the busiest finance websites in the world. The announcement came roughly a week after Kalshi and Polymarket made such agreements with Google Finance.
Polymarket has increased the number of social media integrations in recent months. It joined Elon Musk's X as an official prediction market partner in June. With the UFC, Polymarket gains a partner with a product that has obvious event contract synergies and a fan base that is already excited about prediction markets.
Appropriate Time for the UFC and Polymarket Deal
Three months after it was announced that Paramount would pay $7.7 billion over seven years for the broadcast rights to the fighting series, news of the Polymarket/UFC deal was released.
"Starting in 2026, all UFC and Zuffa Boxing events will be available exclusively in the US on Paramount’s direct-to-consumer streaming platform Paramount+, which will unlock greater accessibility and discoverability for sports fans and Polymarket users,” according to the press release.
Zuffa Boxing will make its debut in January, and Polymarket will be its first official brand partner.
