Polymarket Enters the Octagon. It’s Partnering With the UFC.

Britain’s Tom Aspinall, right, fights France’s Ciryl Gane in Abu Dhabi last month. (GIUSEPPE CACACE/AFP/ Getty Images)

Key Points

• UFC’s parent company, TKO Holdings, partnered with Polymarket to integrate prediction market odds into UFC broadcasts.
• The partnership includes a “Fan Prediction Scoreboard” displaying live Polymarket odds on who will win a fight, updated in real time.
• TKO Holdings shares increased by 2% in early trading following the announcement of the exclusive partnership.

Polymarket has entered the mixed-martial-arts octagon.

The Ultimate Fighting Championship’s parent company and Polymarket announced an exclusive partnership Thursday morning that will integrate the prediction market firm’s odds into every UFC broadcast.

Shares of TKO Holdings, UFC’s parent, were up 2% in early trading.

“By bringing prediction markets to the broadcast and arena, we’re giving fans a new way to be part of the action—not just watching outcomes but watching the world’s expectations evolve with every round,” Polymarket CEO Shayne Coplan said in a joint news release with TKO.

Central to the partnership is a “Fan Prediction Scoreboard” that will be included in UFC broadcasts. Live odds from Polymarket on who will win a fight will be displayed on-screen, changing in real time as the fight progresses, “transforming passive viewership into active participation,” TKO CEO Ariel Emanuel said in the press release.

Exclusive partnerships with sports leagues have been an advantage for traditional sports betting as it has competed with upstart prediction markets this year.

Ads from the online betting companies FanDuel and DraftKings fill sports stadiums and broadcasts, and the sportsbooks are able to use league and team logos in their promotions and betting apps. Leagues also share data with the sportsbooks that make possible in-game bets on things such as pitch speed in an MLB game or running yards in an NFL matchup.

But their exclusivity is waning. Polymarket and its competitor Kalshi partnered with the NHL late last month. With every new partnership between a league and a prediction market, the sportsbooks’ advantage erodes.

Write to Nick Devor at nicholas.devor@barrons.com