💎Dapper Labs Set to Launch NFT Platform for UFC

Dapper Labs announced today that it will launch an NFT platform for the popular mixed martial arts organization Ultimate Fighting Championship later this week.

UFC Strike will debut on Sunday, January 23, just after Saturday’s UFC 270 pay-per-view live event. Like Top Shot, UFC Strike’s digital collectibles will be minted on Dapper’s own Flow blockchain and will revolve around video footage from previous events. However, unlike Top Shot, the UFC collectible moments will feature the original audio to match the video clip.

Additionally, all of the packs—which feature a random selection of moments—will be sold at the same price, rather than at varying tier levels (as with NBA Top Shot). The first pack will feature NFT moments from fighters such as Francis Ngannou, Amanda Nunes, Kamaru Usman, Rose Namajunas, Derrick Lewis, and Justin Gaethje.

Interestingly, Dapper’s deal with the UFC predates the launch of NBA Top Shot. The tie-up was announced back in February 2020, when the NFT market was still small and niche—well before it expanded to some $23 billion worth of trading volume in 2021, per data from DappRadar.

UFC Strike platform will get a big push as part of this weekend’s pay-per-view event, with participation from UFC President Dana White and fighters at the event.

Given that the UFC’s own schedule largely relies around pay-per-view fights that take place every few weeks or so, UFC Strike will time its drops around those headline events. The platform will initially focus on fights from the last year, but will eventually highlight top moments from older UFC fights as well. The promotion’s first fight dates back to 1993.

UFC Strike will launch directly to the public and will not have a closed beta period, unlike Top Shot and the upcoming NFL All Day platform. Tedman said that Dapper is considering live activations at future UFC events, as it has done with the NBA, and that it is also looking into additional utility for UFC NFTs—such as potential community or gaming aspects.

NFL All Day, which Dapper said would launch by the end of the current NFL season, is still on track to do so—Super Bowl LVI takes place on February 13, for reference. The NFT platform is currently in closed beta testing, and given the relative recency of Dapper’s deal with the NFL, Tedman said that they’re focusing on polish before the public launch.