3 min read
The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) has today partnered with Ethereum-based sports tokenization platform Chiliz.
According to the announcement, the new venture will help grow the UFC through promotional activity on the Socios platform-Chiliz's fan voting and rewards app–and allow MMA fans to purchase UFC tickets and other rewards using the native Chiliz token (CHZ).
Kicking off the partnership, Chiliz plans to give away VIP experience tickets for UFC's upcoming Fight Island event to CHZ token holders. Fight Island is a new fighting event that will take place on a private island-the location of which is a closely guarded secret. The infrastructure necessary to host full-fledged UFC bouts is currently being built according to UFC President Dana White with an expected completion date of mid-June.
"The first phase is to give VIP experience (UFC Fight Island) to $CHZ token holders, when they will launch it this summer," Alexandre Dreyfus , CEO of Socios and Chiliz told Decrypt.
Although the UFC remains tight-lipped on the actual location of the island, the reason UFC is seeking out an alternative venue for hosting fights, according to the UFC President is so that he can avoid strict lockdown rules. While nearly all sporting events have been postponed because of the virus, White is determined to find ways around it, according to ESPN.
When questioned by reporters on what safety precautions he would take to ensure fighter safety, he did not say whether competitors would be tested for coronavirus before fighting, according to the guardian. White is also planning to host a fight on tribal land in California so that he doesn't have to comply with lockdown rules, according to the New York Times. "I don't give a shit about coronavirus" he told UFC reporter Aaron Bronsteter in March.
The partnership, according to the announcement will allow Chiliz' Fan Token holders to participate in fan-led voting decisions, potentially giving UFC fans a say on upcoming matchups and events.
"All Fan Token holders, as well as those who own $CHZ, will be able to access UFC-related offers and rewards, including tickets to UFC events or pre-sale access to tickets through this partnership," states the UFC.
Chiliz is currently running a Twitter giveaway, offering up $50 worth of $CHZ to participants that comment with the name of their favorite UFC fighter. So far, the Chiliz Twitter community appears to be reacting favorably to the news, and UFC Hall of Famers Jon Jones, Khabib Nurmagomedov, and Anderson Silva are currently the most popular responses.
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