New partnership
William Hill has been named as the exclusive gambling partner of the mixed martial arts (MMA) organization known as Bellator MMA.
new partnership was announced ahead of this weekend’s Bellator Dublin event in Ireland
The new partnership was announced ahead of this weekend’s Bellator Dublin event in Ireland, which sees Northern Ireland’s Leah McCourt step into the cage against Germany’s Judith Ruis in a featherweight bout.
Bellator brand continues to grow
Speaking about this exciting new partnership was Bellator Europe chief David Green. He said: “We are delighted to be partnering with one of the biggest betting companies in the world as we continue to grow our brand and the sport of MMA in the UK and across Europe.”
He went on to talk about the historic event that takes place in Dublin this weekend. It will be the first time that female fighters have been the headline fight for a Bellator card in the European Series. Green also looked to the year ahead, anticipating the new nations and cities that the organization will be visiting with its cards.
Partnership that makes sense
Liam McKee, William Hill’s global head for media and sponsorship, explained the reason behind the company partnering with Bellator. He said: “MMA is one of the fastest growing sports in the world and so a partnership with a major promotion like Bellator made perfect sense to us.”
McKee touched upon the impressive viewing figures for Bellator events aired on Channel 5. He also referenced the strong audience share the MMA organization has established in recent years.
Competition with the UFC
The main MMA organization is the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Famous fighters like Conor McGregor and Jon Jones fight for the UFC.
The UFC has already made strides in the sports betting space. It has partnered with IMG Arena for a sports betting product called UFC Event Center, a live betting offering that integrates fight statistics and real-time betting.
Sportsbooks can license this software, which provides as many as 50 different markets to bet on during a UFC bout. IMG Arena is an ideal partner as it already boasts a portfolio of more than 300 different sports betting operators.