The UFC mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion has announced financial technology company Exodus Movement as its first official payments partner as it prepares to stage its Freedom 250 event at the US Government’s White House.
Under the long-term partnership, Exodus will gain a presence across UFC assets, including live events, broadcasts, and social media content.
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Specifically, Exodus will receive prominent branding inside the Octagon ring at every UFC event in the US and will be integrated into broadcast features within selected UFC Numbered Events.
Beyond live events, Exodus and UFC will collaborate on content “focused on fight night storytelling and athlete-driven moments,” which will be distributed across the UFC Instagram, Facebook, and X channels.
Nicholas Smith, senior vice president, global partnerships & head of international at UFC parent company TKO, said: “Exodus has built a powerful global business by challenging convention and creating a brand that genuinely connects with modern consumers and the way they interact with finance and payments.
“That mindset makes them an ideal partner for UFC. As we continue to grow the reach and influence of UFC worldwide, partnerships with innovative companies like Exodus are exactly where we see the future heading.”
As part of the agreement, Exodus will also serve as an official partner of UFC Freedom 250, an event being staged at the White House, the US President’s residence in Washington, D.C., on June 14 to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the country’s founding.
As an official partner of the event, Exodus will also be featured in the Octagon and throughout the main card broadcast, which UFC estimates will reach a global audience of 1 billion households in 210 countries and territories.
As part of its UFC Freedom 250 activation, Exodus will support UFC’s fan festival in the run-up to the event by co-branding UFC Striking Challenge, where fans hit punching bags to test their power. Winners will receive prize money powered by digital payments app Exodus Pay, as well as co-branded event merchandise.
For UFC’s part, the beginning of 2026 has been a busy period, most notably marked by the launch of the promotion’s lucrative new seven-year, $7.7 billion media rights agreement with US media giant Paramount.
Exodus also joins UFC’s growing commercial partnership portfolio, with the promotion most recently adding sports betting operator Bet365 for the US and Canadian markets.
Bet365, meanwhile, joined UFC’s betting partnership stable, which includes regional partnerships in Asia with Parimatch, NetBet in several European markets, among a number of deals.
In late 2025, the promotion (as part of a wider TKO deal including the Zuffa Boxing promotion) also entered the predictions market space through an agreement with Polymarket.
Last month, parent company TKO announced a 25% increase in revenue in the first quarter of 2026, reaching almost $1.6 billion spread across the UFC ($401.2 million), World Wrestling Entertainment ($475.7 million), and IMG ($655.4 million), with all three seeing a revenue rise during the three months.
UFC's revenue increase was driven predominantly by a rise of over $50 million in media rights, production, and content, which brought in $275.3 million over the three months. This was mainly due to a new distribution deal with Paramount that got underway in January.
