UFC heavyweight title holder Francis Ngannou has become the second champion from the international MMA promotion organisation to partner with cryptocurrency betting firm Stake.

Nicknamed ‘The Predator,’ Ngannou is one of the UFC’s most well-known names, having become the first African-born man to secure the heavyweight title following his knockout win against Stipe Miocic in March, and holding a finish rate of 100% out of his 16 wins.

Under the terms of the partnership, Ngannou will receive a part of the sponsorship payment in cryptocurrency. Stake was prompted to pursue a partnership with the heavyweight fighter due to his active presence in the cryptocurrency space, having become the first UFC athlete to launch his own Non Fungible Token prior to his title fight against Stipe Miocic, generating over $500,000.

Commenting on the new partnership, Ngannou said that he was ‘very excited about the partnership with Stake.com,’ adding: Since my NFT drop in March, I have been completely obsessed with the crypto space and I’m extremely excited to be partnering up with the largest (and best) crypto betting platform in the world.”

Stake has maintained a strong marketing presence in the UFC for some time, having partnered with middleweight champion Israel Adesanya in January 2021, who signed a long-term agreement to become a global brand ambassador. Additional ambassadors include Alexa Grasso and Marlon Vera, who joined in May.

The operator has stated that it is ‘confident that the new collaboration’ will strengthen its ‘already robust position in the global UFC betting market’ in addition to holding the live streaming rights to all of the promotion’s fights via its platform.

In addition to striking deals with individual UFC fighters, Stake also serves as an official betting partner of the international MMA promotion organisation.

Describing its team as ‘massive UFC enthusiasts,’ Stake partnered with the UFC in March of this year, securing its position as an official sponsor of the tournament in both Asia and Latin America, with the exception of Brazil.

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