Crypto.com to pay $1M in CRO at White House UFC card

Crypto.com will pay $1 million in CRO tokens as fighter bonuses at UFC Freedom 250, a combat card set for June 14 on the White House grounds to mark America’s 250th birthday. The exchange is co-presenting the event with the UFC.

The bonus pool will be paid in CRO. At recent prices above $0.068 per token, $1 million equals about 14.6 million CRO. The UFC has not released details on how the bonuses will be allocated among fighters.

The card’s main event features lightweight champion Ilia Topuria against interim champion Justin Gaethje. Former two-division champion Alex Pereira will face Ciryl Gane for a chance at a third UFC title on the same card.

The event will stream on Paramount+ in the United States. UFC and Crypto.com confirmed the White House venue in a joint announcement; typical ticketing and security arrangements for an event on the executive mansion’s grounds involve multiple federal agencies, but the promotion has not provided details.

UFC President and CEO Dana White described the occasion as “the most historic sporting event in history” and added that “Crypto.com is giving fighters the biggest bonus in UFC history, with $1 million on the line.” Kris Marszalek, Crypto.com CEO and co-founder, described the company as “humbled” to be co-presenting Freedom 250 and framed the event as a way to mark Crypto.com’s 10th anniversary.

The partnership dates to 2021, when Crypto.com became the UFC’s first Official Fight Kit Partner. The companies have worked on official digital collectibles distributed through Crypto.com’s platform. UFC also lists VeChain as a blockchain technology partner and maintains a licensed FIGHT token on Solana and BNB Chain.

UFC has a partnership with prediction market Polymarket. Over the weekend, one trader turned a $500 wager into about $252,000 after betting on an announced scoring error on a broadcast, a result that highlighted the use of prediction markets in fan engagement.

Crypto.com’s business ties extend beyond sports. The exchange has worked with Trump Media & Technology Group on crypto ETF offerings, integrated CRO into Truth Social and Truth+ platforms, and participated in a CRO treasury vehicle that acquired large quantities of the token.

Freedom 250 coincides with both the U.S. 250th anniversary and Crypto.com’s 10th year in business. UFC and Crypto.com indicated more information about the fight card and bonus distribution will be released ahead of the June 14 event.