By Will Arthur | USA

One would think that cryptocurrency and MMA would be as far from each other as two groups could be. One’s audience spends their time going to BJJ class and putting in sparring rounds while the other day trades and speculates the future’s possible currencies. Some very stark differences. Recent endorsement deals with current Bellator fighters suggest otherwise though.

Former lightweight champ in the Bellator promotion Michael Chandler just struck a deal with online crypto exchange CoinLion. Chandler says that “[Crypto]’s such a new space that we want to have more control. CoinLion gives you that”. Chandler goes onto to say that “If you’re a crypto amateur and you’re a white belt in crypto, this is where you can go for everything. You can educate yourself here”. CoinLion is a visually appealing crypto exchange that prides itself on being easy to use and the ability for users to share portfolios, strategies, research. They also built their own coin called LION that can only be bought during their current coin sale and earned by “(i) creating and sharing portfolios, research, and strategies with other users, (ii) submitting research CoinLion publishes within the platform, (iii) becoming a top performer within the CoinLion Platform, and (iv) allowing advertisers to access your public profile and more”.

Chandler is not the first MMA fighter to strike a deal with a cryptocurrency oriented company. Rory MacDonald, a fighter in the UFC 2015 Fight of the Year (possibly fight of all time) and crypto world enthusiast, was recently paid 330 DASH coins to sport their logo on his fight gear.

Michael Chandler argues that the crypto and MMA world are quite similar by saying “It’s cool to see companies like CoinLion investing in mixed martial arts. MMA is very similar to cryptocurrency, it’s in its infancy, there’s a huge amount of upside, there is risk and reward and there’s a ton of buzz behind it. It’s really a cool parallel between mixed martial arts and the cryptocurrency industry”. Chandler definitely being correct with politicians like John McCain coming out strongly against the early UFC events and all the public skepticism towards cryptocurrency.

Chandler and Macdonald can next be seen promoting the crypto world at their next fights in Bellator 192 (January 20, 2018). Macdonald will be headlining the event by fighting Douglas Lima for the welterweight title, and Chandler will be fighting Goiti Yamauchi in a lightweight bout.