It has been just one year since we partnered up with mixed martial arts organization Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), but as is the case for fighters in the octagon, progress can be made very quickly with the right mentality.
And sure enough, since July 2018, both UFC and Parimatch have been on the offensive, the US-based MMA company making its first strides into Russia to hold the most attended fight night of the year; Mark Hunt vs. Alexei ‘Boa Constrictor’ Oleinik. The victory earned Oleinik ‘Performance of the Night’ and increased his profile as one of the sport’s toughest competitors. Having noticed the icon’s fighting spirit, we announced Oleinik as an ambassador last April, joining the ranks of Conor McGregor, who we signed on as brand ambassador in early February.
In a year where UFC smashed its previous pay-per-view record by 800,000 and October’s Khabib vs. McGregor fight night hit 2,400,000 views, we broke records of our own; with the same fight bringing in more new players for Parimatch than any other sporting event last year.
This is what is so exciting about the hype-driven sport of MMA; it differs from other sports as it doesn’t have the same consistency and regularity of events. It’s an event-driven business which pays off with big fights. For example, with the English Premier League, betting turnover is generated every week, but only the Champions League final delivered a higher turnover of bets last year than the Khabib vs. McGregor showdown.
But our relationship with UFC is about more than just the metrics. We have a close connection, so for us, the relationship is a coming together of brand ideologies. Our spirit is the same and it is the qualities of freedom and courage which unites sports bettors and octagon brawlers.
For Sergey Portnov, our CEO, Mixed Martial Arts have long been a passion and a way of life, and he spotted an opportunity to capitalize on the meteoric rise in popularity of the UFC in order to provide proof of positioning for Parimatch as the most daring betting brand in the market.
Sergey Portnov at contract signing
UFC Fight Night
After an epic year, we’re still just as excited to be in the ring with the UFC as when we joined forces. So here’s to another!
