Francis Ngannou will be getting half of his pay this Saturday in Bitcoin.
On Tuesday, the UFC Heavyweight champion revealed that he has partnered with the very popular Cash App and will convert half of his UFC 270 purse into Bitcoin. In addition, Ngannou also revealed that he will be giving away $300,000 worth of Bitcoin to fans.
“I Believe Bitcoin Can Empower People“
Ngannou tweeted out the news as well as released a quick video saying he truly believes in Bitcoin.
“I believe bitcoin can empower people everywhere. So I’m excited to partner w/@CashApp to take half my #UFC270 purse in bitcoin. I want to make bitcoin more accessible to my fans, so I’m giving out $300K in bitcoin! Follow @CashApp+ drop your $cashtag w/ #PaidInBitcoin,” Ngannou wrote on Twitter.“After doing a lot of research on bitcoin, I really believe that it’s the future of money, man. Bitcoin is valuable, secure, no one can mess with it. That’s why I’m taking half of my next UFC purse in Bitcoin, thanks to Cash App. I want to make Bitcoin more accessible to you all.”
“Proud of my brother for continuing to be a leader in the space.” Martin wrote. “Thank you @CashApp for believing in Francis andhis goal to help people and support mass adoption of #Bitcoin.”
Proud of my brother for continuing to be a leader in the space. Thank you @CashApp for believing in Francis and his goal to help people and support mass adoption of #Bitcoin https://t.co/9FYC59ZkMh
— Marquel Martin (@Marquel_Martin) January 18, 2022
MMA and Crypto
Last week it was announced that ESPN’s other MMA organization, PFL, will pay their athletes in Bitcoin. The UFC penned a deal with Crypto.com last July in which the athletes are branded with Crypto.com on their fight gear. Ngannou becomes the first UFC athlete to convert his pay into Bitcoin…well, publicly.
UFC 270
Ngannou defends and unifies the UFC heavyweight championship this Saturday against former training partner and teammate Ciryl Gane. While this is one of the best heavyweight fights in while, much of the build-up has been about Ngannou’s contract and pay, which has diverted the hype of the fight.
Ngannou is coming off a second-round knockout of Stipe Miocic that won him the belt last March. Gane is coming off a TKO win over Derrick Lewis at UFC 265, in which he won the interim title.
