UFC Heavyweight Champion Ngannou to Collect Half Of His UFC 270 Purse in Bitcoin

“After doing a lot of research on bitcoin, I really believe that is the future of money,” UFC heavyweight champion Ngannou said Tuesday

by Sebastian Sinclair /

January 19, 2022 08:00 am

UFC Octagon ring. Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil. Credit: Shutterstock

MMA defending heavyweight champion Francis Ngannouhe said he would be taking half his earnings for an upcoming fight in bitcoin
The champion said he is partnering with Cash App and would also be giving away $300,000 worth of bitcoin to fans

French Cameroonian mixed martial artist and defending heavyweight world champion Francis Ngannou said Tuesday he would be taking half of his earnings for an upcoming fight in bitcoin.

Ngannou, who made the announcement via Twitter, said he was partnering with the peer-to-peer payments platform Cash App to manage the payments. The champion also said he would be giving out $300,000 worth of bitcoin to fans.

The UFC 270 fight, which is expected to be broadcast live on pay-per-view on Jan. 22, will feature the heavyweight title fight against Ngannou and interim champion Ciryl Gane. It is expected to be the last fight on Ngannou’s contract.

Newsletter

Subscribe to The Breakdown

“After doing a lot of research on bitcoin, I really believe that is the future of money,” said Ngannou in a short video. “Bitcoin is valuable, secure and no one can mess with it. I want to make bitcoin more accessible to you all.”

The UFC, with a fan base estimated to be 625 million people, has itself partnered with Crypto.com which will place its brand on apparel worn by mixed martial arts athletes and become integrated into UFC content on platforms including live broadcasts, pay-per-views and UFC-owned social media channels.

In September, Cash App announced it had reached 70 million annual transacting active users and had posted $1.8 billion in bitcoin revenue for the third quarter, according to a recent earnings letter.

Ngannou’s announcement follows NBA athlete Klay Thompson declaring last week that he would take part of his salary in bitcoin also through the use of Cash App’s platform.

“I’m with bitcoin because I believe it’s the future of money,” said Thompson via his Twitter account.

Other sports stars who have signed crypto-related endorsement deals in recent months include, MLB Star Shohei Ohtani and Stephen Curry, three-time NBA champion with the Golden State Warriors.

Get the news in your inbox. Explore Blockworks newsletters:

The Breakdown: Decoding crypto and the markets. Daily.
0xResearch: Alpha in your inbox. Think like an analyst.

Tags

Newsletter

The Breakdown

Decoding crypto and the markets. Daily, with Byron Gilliam.

Upcoming Events

Digital Asset Summit 2026

Javits Center North | 445 11th Ave

Tues - Thurs, March 24 - 26, 2026

Blockworks’ Digital Asset Summit (DAS) will feature conversations between the builders, allocators, and legislators who will shape the trajectory of the digital asset ecosystem in the US and abroad.

buy tickets learn more

recent research

Research

Kinetiq Protocol: From LST Infrastructure to HIP-3 Deployer

Kinetiq has established itself as Hyperliquid's dominant liquid staking protocol, holding 82.5% of LST market share with $610M in TVL. The protocol is now expanding beyond its kHYPE staking core into higher take-rate verticals: iHYPE for institutional custody rails, Launch for HIP-3 capital formation, and Markets for builder-deployed perpetuals. We view Markets, launching Jan. 12, as the highest-potential product line given its mechanically scalable, activity-linked unit economics. Near-term revenue remains anchored by kHYPE's KIP-2 fee schedule (~$1.6M annualized), while Markets provides embedded optionality if HIP-3 economics normalize post-Growth Mode. KNTQ's setup is relatively clean: zero insider unlocks until November 2026, 6.2% buyback yield from staking revenue, and cleared airdrop overhang. Risks center on unproven Markets execution, declining kHYPE TVL despite ongoing incentives, and competition from Hyperliquid's native initiatives.

by Shaunda Devens