How betting brands are expanding through streamers and combat sports stars

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Betting and combat sports have been closely connected for years. Frequent events, clearly defined matchups, and audiences accustomed to following odds alongside the action have made MMA and boxing natural territory for sportsbooks. UFC offers perhaps the clearest example, with betting partners integrated across digital content and live events.

Investment is now spreading beyond traditional agreements with promotions and broadcasters to the personalities surrounding these sports, from professional fighters to online creators. The crossover also runs in both directions: creators are building fight promotions of their own, while established MMA stars are developing audiences on streaming platforms.

From promotion-level sponsorships to individual fighters

Large-scale partnerships remain an important part of the industry. In March 2026, bet365 became UFC’s official sports betting partner in the United States and Canada under a multiyear agreement. The deal covers every UFC event and incorporates sportsbook elements such as fighter odds and betting tickers directly into broadcasts, alongside digital and live-event activations.

Working directly with athletes provides a different kind of connection to the same audience, attaching brands to personalities whose relevance extends beyond a particular fight night. 

  Sean Strickland joined Rainbet as a brand ambassador in August 2026   

One recent example is Sean Strickland. The UFC middleweight champion joined Rainbet as a brand ambassador in August 2026, becoming another prominent combat sports figure associated with the sportsbook. The partnership follows Rainbet’s broader push into combat sports and places Strickland alongside names such as UFC fighter Justin Gaethje and boxer Ryan Garcia in the company’s ambassador roster.

Streamers are building combat sports ecosystems of their own

The crossover is also moving in the opposite direction, with some creators expanding from fight commentary and co-streaming into promoting events themselves.

Adin Ross’ Brand Risk Promotions is one of the clearest examples. The promotion has built its cards largely around internet personalities and crossover matchups, bringing together streamers, influencers, athletes, and entertainment figures. Its fifteenth event, held in Miami on August 22, featured Austin McBroom against FaZe Temperrr in the main event, alongside names such as Larry Wheels, Vitaly, Bob Menery and YK Osiris.

Livestreaming is fundamental to the product: Brand Risk 15 was available free across Kick, Twitch, YouTube, X and TikTok, giving the event broad distribution across major streaming and social platforms.

  Brand Risk shows the scale creator-led combat sports can reach on livestreaming platforms   

The numbers illustrate how significant that distribution can become. Ross’ own Kick broadcast of Brand Risk 15 reached more than 310K Peak Viewers and averaged over 210K concurrent viewers during more than four hours on air, according to Streams Charts. It generated almost 895K Hours Watched on his channel alone.

Betting brands have followed this emerging segment as well. Brand Risk Promotions currently lists Rainbet as a partner, connecting the sportsbook with a fight property built around the online creator ecosystem. 

Brand Risk sits within a broader crossover boxing market. Misfits Boxing, launched around KSI and other online personalities, has developed the concept into a long-term event series, with DAZN signing a five-year agreement for the MF & DAZN: X Series.

Together, these projects have opened another route to combat sports audiences, with creators increasingly becoming the center of the events themselves.

The crossover works both ways: fighters are becoming streamers

At the same time, professional fighters are increasingly building their own presence in livestreaming.

Former UFC champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson is among the most established fighter-streamers. His Kick channel has grown beyond 320K followers, and over the past week alone, Jackson streamed for more than 67 hours, mixing IRL broadcasts with gaming and other content.

Max Holloway has also built a sizeable Kick audience, with more than 97K followers and recent broadcasts including Apex Legends. 

Sean O’Malley, meanwhile, has more than 300K followers on Twitch and has continued to broadcast in 2026, including Just Chatting streams during the summer. 

The crossover extends further down the UFC roster. Brandon Moreno has spoken about streaming video games on Kick in his official UFC profile, while other current and former fighters have established channels across Twitch and Kick.

These channels vary enormously in size and activity, but they give fighters another way to maintain an audience between bouts. Livestreaming can provide hours of direct interaction with fans through gaming, conversations, watch parties, and IRL content. 

Why the overlap matters to betting brands

This convergence gives betting brands several routes to overlapping audiences. Promotion-level deals concentrate exposure around major events, fighter partnerships connect brands with recognizable personalities, and streamers provide regular access to communities built around personality-driven content. Fighter-streamers combine elements of both models, pairing professional sports visibility with the direct audience relationships typical of online creators. 

Creator-led fight promotions take the overlap one step further. Events such as Brand Risk combine personalities, combat sports, livestreaming distribution, and sponsorship inventory within the same product, allowing the sporting event itself to be created and consumed inside the creator ecosystem. 

For betting companies, the landscape now stretches from official partnerships with organizations such as UFC to individual fighters, livestreaming personalities, and entire creator-led promotions. As these roles continue to overlap, brands can follow audiences across an increasingly connected combat sports and livestreaming ecosystem.