The UFC has backed bitcoin, with one of its leading athletes Israel Adesanya being announced as an ambassador of Stake.com, the crypto world’s biggest sports betting site.
The move marks a key expansion for the betting site as it deepens its footprint in the sponsorship market, signing the current UFC Middleweight Champion as its new global brand ambassador in a long-term deal.
Since launching in 2017, Stake has enjoyed a steep rise in the crypto betting market, using engaging product design and promotional markets to become a trusted crypto sportsbook with over 30 billion bets processed.
In collaborating with UFC star known as ‘The Last Stylebender’, Stake.com seeks to grow its offering to a new audience globally. Adesanya boasts significant appeal not only in the UFC’s homeland of the US but also across the world.
On the partnership, Adesanya said: “Stake is the world’s leading crypto betting platform and I’m very pleased to be sponsored by them. They’ve risen to the top of their field very quickly and the partnership presents the perfect opportunity to align with a brand whose ethos and ambitions so closely reflect mine. The collaboration will see us create many unique opportunities for Stake.com users and I can’t wait to meet and interact with their community throughout the partnership.”
Adesanya has enjoyed a meteoric ascent in UFC’s middleweight division since his debut in 2018, overcoming all challengers to become the UFC’s reigning undisputed middleweight champion with a record of 20-0.
He escalated his status significantly in a fight of the year candidate against Kelvin Gastelum, which saw him capture the interim world title in 2019, he then unified the belt against Robert Whittaker in one of the biggest UFC events of all time.
Since then, he has won consecutive bouts against highly-rated contenders Yoel Romero and Paulo Costa as his stock continues to rise.
