UFC® and DraftKings Reach Groundbreaking Deal
DraftKings has entered a historic partnership with UFC, becoming their first official exclusive sportsbook and daily fantasy partner in the U.S. and Canada. This agreement allows DraftKings to leverage UFC branding, offer free-to-play games, and create innovative betting opportunities. The UFC Fight Clock, a new time-keeping system, will also feature DraftKings as its presenting partner. This partnership is expected to enhance fan engagement and capitalize on the growing popularity of combat sports.
- DraftKings named UFC's first official sportsbook and daily fantasy partner, enhancing brand visibility.
- Introduction of free-to-play UFC games and innovative betting options to attract more users.
- UFC Fight Clock partnership expected to improve fan engagement during events.
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DraftKings Becomes UFC’s First Official Exclusive Sportsbook and Daily Fantasy Partner in the U.S. and Canada
DraftKings Named Presenting Partner of the UFC Fight Clock, UFC’s Innovative New Time-Keeping System
BOSTON and LAS VEGAS, March 04, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- DraftKings (Nasdaq: DKNG) and UFC®, 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 6th, DraftKings has launched a free-to-play UFC pool with
“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 for fans of UFC and DraftKings. 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.
UFC FIGHT CLOCK
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. (See photos of the UFC Fight Clock here.)
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.
About DraftKings
DraftKings Inc. is a digital sports entertainment and gaming company created to fuel the competitive spirits of sports fans with products that range across daily fantasy, regulated gaming and digital media. Headquartered in Boston, and launched in 2012 by Jason Robins, Matt Kalish and Paul Liberman, DraftKings is the only U.S.-based vertically integrated sports betting operator. DraftKings is a multi-channel provider of sports betting and gaming technologies, powering sports and gaming entertainment for 50+ operators across more than 15 regulated U.S. and global markets, including Arkansas and Oregon in the U.S. DraftKings’ Sportsbook offers mobile and retail betting for major U.S. and international sports and operates in the United States pursuant to regulations in Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Mississippi, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia. DraftKings’ daily fantasy sports product is available in 8 countries internationally with 15 distinct sports categories. DraftKings is the official daily fantasy partner of the NFL, MLB and the PGA TOUR as well as an authorized gaming operator of the NBA and MLB and an official betting operator of the PGA TOUR.
About UFC®
UFC® is the world’s premier mixed martial arts organization (MMA), with more than 625 million fans and 142 million social media followers. The organization produces more than 40 live events annually in some of the most prestigious arenas around the world, while broadcasting to approximately 900M TV households across more than 175 territories. UFC’s athlete roster features the world’s best MMA athletes representing more than 70 countries. The organization’s digital offerings include UFC FIGHT PASS®, one of the world’s leading streaming services for combat sports. UFC was acquired in 2016 by global entertainment, sports and content company Endeavor, along with strategic investors Silver Lake Partners and KKR. UFC is headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada. For more information, visit UFC.com and follow UFC at Facebook.com/UFC, Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram and TikTok: @UFC.
Media Contact
media@draftkings.com
@DraftKingsNews
UFC
Chris Bellitti at cbellitti@ufc.com or Brian Smith at bsmith@ufc.com
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
Certain statements made in this release are “forward looking statements” within the meaning of the “safe harbor” provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. When used in this press release, the words “estimates,” “projected,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “forecasts,” “plans,” “intends,” “believes,” “seeks,” “may,” “will,” “should,” “future,” “propose” and variations of these words or similar expressions (or the negative versions of such words or expressions) are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, conditions or results, and involve a number of known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other important factors, many of which are outside DraftKings’ control, that could cause actual results or outcomes to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements. For a discussion of additional risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements, see DraftKings’ Securities and Exchange Commission filings. DraftKings does not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.
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