Polymarket signs multi-year deal as UFC’s exclusive prediction market partner

Polymarket has signed a multi-year agreement to become the official and exclusive prediction market partner of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), expanding the event-contract platform’s footprint in U.S. sports as it prepares to re-enter the domestic market.

The deal, announced on Thursday, will bring Polymarket’s trading data and real-time market activity into UFC broadcasts, live events, and social media. The company will also be integrated into Zuffa Boxing, a new TKO Holdings league set to launch in January 2026. It marks Polymarket’s second major U.S. league partnership after securing a similar agreement with the NHL last month.

As part of the collaboration, Polymarket will roll out a “Fan Prediction Scoreboard” designed to display live global forecasts from traders and provide what the company described as a data-driven “pulse” of each fight. The tool will serve as a “storytelling metric” that visualises fan sentiment and perceived momentum without "competing" with regulated sports betting, Polymarket said.

“Few sports generate emotion and debate like the UFC. 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 founder and CEO Shayne Coplan said.

“What’s exciting about our approach is that you can actually buy and sell, you can trade, just like a stock throughout the fight,” Coplan told CNBC in a separate interview. “That’ll create new user behaviour as the momentum swings.”

Ari Emanuel, executive chair and CEO of TKO Holdings, said the partnership would deepen viewer involvement. “By partnering with Shayne and his team at Polymarket, we’re unlocking a new dimension of fan engagement,” he said. Integrating Polymarket into UFC and Zuffa Boxing would “transform passive viewership into active participation,” he added.

Polymarket, valued at over $8 billion, is currently unavailable in the U.S. after halting domestic activity in 2022 amid regulatory pressure. The company has since acquired QCEX, a federally regulated derivatives exchange and clearinghouse, for $112 million in a bid to regain U.S. access. It previously indicated plans for a U.S. launch during the football season, but has not given a date.

Prediction markets such as Polymarket and rival Kalshi allow users to trade yes-or-no contracts on event outcomes and can operate in all 50 states, including those where sports betting remains illegal. The fast-growing sector faces legal uncertainty, however, with Kalshi entangled in lawsuits from state regulators challenging its ability to offer certain contracts.

Major sportsbooks FanDuel and DraftKings have also unveiled plans to introduce prediction market products, signalling intensifying competition in the space.