Ultimate Fighting Champion (UFC) athletes will be paid bonuses in bitcoin as a result of the partnership between the mixed martial arts organization and Crypto.com.

Bitcoin bonuses will be awarded to the three stand-out fighters at each UFC pay-per-view event as voted for by fans across the world, according to an announcement Thursday.The first, second, and third-placed fighters will be awarded $30,000, $20,000 and $10,000 of bitcoin respectively, which will be funded 100% by Crypto.com.The average annual earnings for a UFC fighter last year were $160,000, according to sports news website The Sports Daily. So occasional five-figure bonuses paid in bitcoin could prove to be valuable to many fighters.The UFC is launching its new "Fan Bonus of the Night" program alongside Singapore-based Crypto.com, an extension of the partnership between the two firms that began in July.The crypto exchange became the official "fight kit" partner of the UFC in a 10-year deal worth $175 million. It was one of the many such deals with sports teams and brands scored by Crypto.com across soccer, basketball, hockey and motor racing. It also secured the naming rights to previously named Staples Center in Los Angeles, home to both of LA's NBA teams and the NHL's LA Kings.More recently Crypto.com became an official sponsor of the 2022 FIFA World Cup taking place in Qatar in November and December.

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UPDATE (April 7, 2022, 14:30 UTC): Adds to second bullet that prize bitcoin is funded by Crypto.com.