It’s time!
NFT giants Dapper Labs and creators of NBA Top Shot and NFL ALL DAY announce the launch of a new non-fungible token (NFT) collection – “UFC Strike”.
This collection gives fight fans a chance to own epic fight moments in the history of the UFC, featuring incredible finishes, electrifying knockouts, and superhuman feats of striking and grappling by the company’s top talent. The first drop features a wide range of stars in Francis Ngannou, Justin Gaethje, Amanda Nunes, Kamaru Usman, Derrick Lewis, and many others. This will be the UFC’s second major partnership with a blockchain enterprise, following their 10-year, $175 million deal with Crypto.com to become a major sponsor of the promotion.
These moments feature the best action shots taken from different camera angles. Dapper Labs have also added real fight commentary and audience response from the actual fight, which is a first for the company.
According to a recent press conference, the plan is to launch the collection as an open drop of 200,000 total packs which will start with a first round of 100,000 “Fully Loaded” packs consisting of three NFT moments each.
The initial release sold out all 100,000 packs in just under four hours.
The first drop was set for the day immediately after UFC 270, headlined by the heavyweight championship fight between Francis Ngannou and Ciryl Gane. It is no surprise that hype among the fanbase is at a fever pitch and is delighted about the promotion finally making a splash in the world of NFTs. Combat sports are taking notice of blockchain technology, such as DAZN’s launch of the NFT collection for the Canelo vs Saunders fight and now the UFC.
It was also announced that UFC fighters will get 50% of NFT profits.
For instance, if an NFT is sold featuring a knockout or submission from a specific fight, the two fighters involved in the bout will split 50% of the profit for that NFT. After the first drop, each fighter reportedly netted an average share of $18,000, with some fighters earning at least $36,000 for having multiple moments featured in the collection such as Ngannou and Gane.
Francis “The Predator” Ngannou will be the brand ambassador for UFC Strike.
Ngannou is a known advocate of cryptocurrency and recently made headlines after requesting to be paid half of his fight purse in BTC (Bitcoin) for UFC 270. He has also collaborated with BossLogic, a digital artist, in the release of an NFT collection following his knockout victory over Stipe Miocic in UFC 260. In Ngannou’s words, he wanted to create artwork that reflected his African descent and his presence in the world of mixed martial arts. The sale went for $581,000 which included 11 limited editions and a 1 of 1 version of “The Crowned King”, a set of signed gloves, and sand from the mine where Ngannou worked in Cameroon. As an aside, this sale far exceeds Ngannou’s guaranteed fight purse of $500,000 for UFC 260.
How to buy UFC Strike NFTs?
For the initial drop, fans were able to queue through the website, ufcstrike.com for a chance to get in on the drop at $50 per pack. The UFC was proud to announce that drops will align with the UFC calendar and that the next one falls on the 31st of January. The site also features a secondary marketplace for fans to interact and buy/sell their Moments on.
