It’s round 2 for online poker and mixed martial arts, but this time the American consumer isn’t the prize.
The UFC and PokerStars’ parent company on Friday announced a new partnership aimed at global markets. The UFC is headquartered in Las Vegas, where PokerStars can’t operate.
Under the deal, PokerStars is said to become the UFC’s first-ever “official poker partner.” It’s a little misleading, as previous UFC owners were behind America’s first legal online poker site, Ultimate Poker, branded to create synergy with the UFC during MMA’s boom years. That platform, which launched in 2013, ended up folding. Before that operation, the UFC had a partnership with Full Tilt Poker.