As UFC Expands Its Audience, Sportsbooks Compete for a Bigger Share of Fight Night

The Ultimate Fighting Championship has evolved considerably over the past decade, from a combat sports promotion with a loyal but niche audience to one of the biggest sports entertainment brands in the world. 

That explosive growth culminated, some would argue, with the White House hosting the UFC Freedom 250 event, which attracted tens of millions of viewers. Meanwhile, sports betting has seen its own huge boom in the US - and the UFC has not been shy about bringing betting into the fold.

This is the story of how those two evolved, from Dana White's well-known interest in gambling and betting to UFC Fight Nights in Las Vegas and million-dollar UFC bets by global music megastars, as well as a look at the current state of affairs and where these commercial relationships might go in the future.

How Both Sports Betting and UFC Have Grown in the Past Decade

Since New Jersey successfully convinced the Supreme Court to strike down the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) in 2018, regulated sports betting in the US has exploded in popularity and drawn huge revenues.

In 2025, US sports betting operators took approximately $166 billion in wagers. From that, they kept $16.96 billion as revenue, up 22.8% year-on-year. While exact numbers are hard to come by, most analysts agree that as the UFC has been growing, so has betting interest in the sport. UFC 329 in July, held in Las Vegas, was the most bet-on MMA event in history for at least one major sportsbook.

UFC fights now attract tens of millions of viewers for headline events, and the promotion recently signed a hefty $7.7 billion deal for exclusive streaming rights with media company Paramount.

That huge rise in valuation and audiences demonstrates the massive increase in global appeal that the UFC has experienced over the past two decades, and sports betting has been part of that equation too.

That growth has extended across the two in many ways, but an obvious one is the 2026 deal that saw bet365 sign with the UFC as an official sports betting partner in North America. These partnerships aren't for the fun of it - they work at bringing over customers, and UFC fans are some of the most engaged of any sport.

The partnership also highlights how betting operators use major sporting events to reach new customers. For example, UFC fans considering bet365 can review the terms of a bet365 sign up offer, including qualifying wagers, eligibility requirements and promotional restrictions. These offers are one way sportsbooks compete for attention beyond their sponsorship deals.

How UFC Betting Has Changed for Fans

Sportsbook partnerships are increasingly visible during UFC broadcasts, rather than being limited to logos inside the Octagon. UFC's agreement with bet365 includes on-screen betting odds, fighter prices and same-game parlay features, bringing wagering information closer to the action.

Prediction markets add another element. Through its partnership with Polymarket, UFC has introduced plans for a Fan Prediction Scoreboard that displays how market expectations change during fights.

For viewers, this reflects a broader commercial shift. Betting companies are no longer competing solely through advertising before an event. They're also seeking visibility while audiences are actively following the fights, although access to betting products remains subject to applicable laws and eligibility requirements.

Why UFC and Sports Betting Audiences Overlap Considerably

MMA is a serious, high-octane sport and UFC fandom attracts a kind of person with at least some tolerance for risk. That naturally overlaps with gambling. However, it hasn't just been organic. The UFC has certainly embraced betting as part of its appeal. UFC co-founder and CEO Dana White has long been known as a high-limit gambler, and it is certainly possible his influence has helped UFC events become a mainstay in the gambling capital of the world, Las Vegas.

Although it can be argued the gambling connections go back even further. The previous co-owners of the UFC, until it sold to Endeavor in 2016 for $4 billion, were the Fertitta brothers Frank and Lorenzo.

The brothers own prominent Las Vegas casino operators Red Rock Resorts and Station Casinos. The two were introduced to the UFC deal by White, before buying the UFC for just $2 million in 2001. 15 years later, it was worth $4 billion, and today estimates put the company valuation at almost $12 billion.

The Evolving Integrations Between the UFC and Sportsbook Brands

Sportsbook sponsorship models are well established. However, few sports companies have integrated betting as much as the UFC.

As well as the official sponsorship from bet365 in North America, the UFC is partnered with BetBoom in Latin America, Parimatch in Asia and NetBet in Europe. It also has a global partnership deal with prediction market Polymarket - more on that later. Can you name another sports organization with more than five betting partners?

It's not just the promotion either - top UFC fighters are also often sponsored by betting companies, including casinos as well as sportsbooks. The following fighters are all sponsored by or have done promotional work for the crypto casino and sportsbook Stake.com:

1. Max Holloway
2. Alex Pereira
3. Merab Dvalishvili
4. Valentina Shevchenko

On top of all that, UFC fights are now also star-studded events with many rich and famous attendees - especially when held in Las Vegas. That often attracts high-limit sports bets, and few celebrities have been as public about their betting exploits as Drake.

The Canadian music megastar has made (and lost) several high-profile bets on the UFC over the years, which he has publicized as part of his partnership with casino and betting brand Stake. Most recently, he wagered $650,000 on Joshua Van to beat Alexandre Pantoja - which he actually won - for a $1.1 million return.

Challenges and Potential Futures for the Sector

The US sports betting market is changing radically. With 38 states plus D.C. now offering legal sports betting of some kind, the opportunities for massive expansion into new markets as growth has tapered off.

Increasingly, instead of chasing new markets and customers as a priority, sportsbook operators are also looking at increasing engagement of existing customers.

This has been compounded by the rise of prediction markets. These platforms allow people to put money down on sports and other events - including UFC fights - without being classified as gambling. So far.

The big sportsbooks lost ground to Kalshi and Polymarket in this emerging sector, but big sportsbooks like DraftKings and FanDuel have now launched their own.

The UFC hasn't been shy about getting on this new game, as evidenced by its 2026 partnership with Polymarket.

However, the sector could be challenged by another Supreme Court decision. Interestingly enough, it is New Jersey, which spearheaded the case for states to regulate sports betting in 2018, that is taking Kalshi to the highest court over its right to regulate prediction markets.

If the Supreme Court takes the case, its decision could have national consequences for what is already a multi-billion-dollar annual market. But for now, it seems like prediction markets are the new frontier for UFC bettors, with Polymarket probabilities now integrated into the broadcast, as sports betting odds have been in other sports.

Either way, whether prediction markets or sportsbooks, UFC fans will almost certainly continue to want to put money down on their favorite fighters - and operators will be there fighting for their attention and deposits.