Francis Ngannou will be allowed to convert half of his UFC 270 purse into bitcoin after partnering with the popular mobile payment service Cash App.
MMA reporter Ariel Helwani announced the news on Tuesday, also revealing that Ngannou is giving away $300,000 worth of bitcoin to fans on social media.
Ngannou is the first MMA fighter to sign a deal with Cash App, with NFL stars such as Odell Beckham Jr and Aaron Rodgers partnering with the app last November.
'The Predator' earned a reported £400,000 for his title win against Stipe Miocic last year, meaning he could bank six figures worth of bitcoin if he decides to convert his UFC 270 purse.
And Ngannou released a statement regarding the news in which he labelled bitcoin "the future of money".
“After learning more and more about bitcoin, I truly believe it is the future of money,” Ngannou stated via his agent Marquel Martin.
“Bitcoin has the ability to empower people all over the world and that’s why I’m excited to partner with Cash App to give some of my fans the opportunity to own some bitcoin of their own.
”Bitcoin is the future, and I hope to help lead the way in Africa.”
Ngannou defends his UFC heavyweight title for the first time this weekend against interim titleholder Ciryl Gane in the promotion's first pay-per-view of the year.
The pair used to train with each other at the MMA Factory gym in Paris, but Ngannou left the gym in 2018 because of a bitter with coach Fernand Lopez.
The Cameroonian relocated to Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas and won four fights all by first-round KO before avenging his loss against Stipe Miocic to win the title at UFC 260.
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Ngannou has not fought since that event, being caught up with contractual issues with the UFC that have put him off signing a new deal with the promotion.
He said in an interview with ESPN : “No, I will not fight for $500,000 or $600,000 anymore. It’s over.
"I took this fight just for a personal reason, because I want to make sure that regardless of it being unfair, I can make my case that I have completed the fights."
If Ngannou is to re-sign with the promotion after UFC 270, he wants a clause in his contract that will allow him to box heavyweight stars such as Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder.
“One hundred per cent," he replied when asked about wanting to box. “We’ve been having discussions for years.
“Honestly, the only reason we are here is that at some point, there wasn’t good faith in this. I don’t understand why we can’t come to an agreement.”
