Polymarket is bringing real-time prediction market insights to viewers of UFC fights in a new feature that sounds similar to the type of live betting odds integrations that have become more popular with sportsbooks.
Through a new multi-year partnership with TKO Holdings, UFC fans will be able to interact with real-time market changes on Polymarket via a new Fan Prediction Scoreboard.
“What’s exciting about our approach is you can buy and sell and you can trade just like a stock throughout the fight,” said Polymarket CEO Shayne Coplan on CNBC’s ‘Squawk Box’ on Nov. 13. “You can buy and sell as momentum swings.”
New engagement, new markets
TKO said the UFC and the soon-to-launch Zuffa Boxing will be the first sports organizations to directly integrate prediction marker technology into streaming and the live fan experience. Once Polymarket officially relaunches in the U.S., its branding and data will be a core part of UFC and Zuffa Boxing events, which will be available exclusively across the country on Paramount+ as of January.
As well as the Fan Prediction Scoreboard that will display data on real-time trading activity on the fights, UFC and Polymarket will collaborate on a custom social series. ‘Matchup Predictions – Who’s Next?’ will be broadcast after fights across various social media channels to highlight potential future matchups for top UFC stars with the aim of sparking engagement and ultimately creating a new market for Polymarket to offer on its trading platform.
“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,” added Coplan in a statement. TKO CEO Ari Emanuel said the integration will help to transform passive viewership into active participation.
Polymarket’s deal with TKO follows other recent high-profile partnerships, including with social media site X, the NHL and daily fantasy sports and prediction market operator PrizePicks. Meanwhile, it also comes on the heels of an FBI and UFC investigation into allegations that a fight between Isaac Dulgarian and Yadier del Valle was rigged for the purposes of betting.
In-play betting, meet in-play trading
The new partners said the feature will complement regulated sports betting, rather than compete with it. It helps that the integration, like Polymarket’s own platform, will be available in all 50 states including where online sports wagering is not legal.
What it also serves to do is place Polymarket on a similar keel with sportsbooks, whose odds and insights are increasingly embedded within sports viewerhip.
In late September, FanDuel unveiled a deal with Amazon that made its in-game odds and insights an opt-in addition to NBA and WNBA games live on Prime Video this basketball season. Other examples include ESPN’s new direct-to-consumer streaming service offering an ESPN Bet integration as part of its now-abandoned joint venture with PENN Entertainment, a Sportradar-powered betting functionality within NBA League Pass, and Genius Sports’ live streaming and betting product BetVision, which is used by several sportsbooks.
In many of those cases, either the functionality is embedded with the sportsbook’s app or a link to the partner sportsbook is available via the streaming channel. Polymarket and TKO did not specify the exact mechanics of their new feature, but however it will appear on screen, the partnership means that the direct convergence of sports viewing and sports betting is no longer limited to state-regulated sportsbooks.
