Opening Thoughts

Combat sports have played a massive role in global sporting culture over the last 100 years. While the dynamic of how they work has changed significantly over the last 10 years, one thing that hasn’t let up is people’s appetite for betting on their favorite combat sports.

Boxing, of course, is a sport steeped in history. Some of its greatest names have eclipsed the sport, transcended society, and immortalized themselves in the digital age of social media, with their clips and skills resurfacing across social media.

Boxing & MMA In The Modern Betting Market

Names like Mike Tyson and Muhammad Ali have captured an audience decades after they retired. These fighters have generated some of the biggest betting upsets during their careers.

Of course, Tyson lost to James “Buster” Douglas, who was 42/1. It remains one of the greatest boxing upsets of all time. Ali was 7/1 to beat George Foreman and performed the unthinkable during the Rumble In The Jungle.

Over the last 15 years, the UFC has emerged as a real contender compared to boxing. Names like Conor McGregor have transcended the sport, while boxing struggled to find a name that could be a crossover star in the same manner as Tyson or Ali. Mixed martial arts has benefitted from the digital age, with combat sports fans finding different alternatives in a sector of the sports world that was dominated by boxing for the best part of a century.

UFC, the leading organization in MMA, has embraced this new audience, transitioning into a digital media world and embracing the ideas of crypto and betting with much greater aplomb than boxing did. Thunderpick crypto betting shows how many markets there are for both UFC and elite-level boxing. The only difference between crypto betting and traditional markets is that you connect your cryptocurrency wallet and deposit and withdraw your funds via that method.

Growing Popularity Of Bitcoin

As discussed at the end of the last section, cryptocurrency betting providers require users to connect their wallets and sign a transaction. They do not need to go through the same sort of red tape and KYC procedures that traditional platforms do, which can sometimes take over a week, depending on the competency of the platform you use.

Cryptocurrency is a market on the up, too. While it might not be the dominant payment method, there is a growing demand for it. Bitcoin (BTC), the figurehead asset in crypto, has experienced several all-time high prices throughout 2024 and 2025.

All crypto transactions are verified and lodged on the blockchain. There is no need for a bank or third party to be involved in the transaction. Once you have signed it and deposited your funds, pending blockchain confirmation, your deposit or withdrawal will be cleared within minutes.

The Importance Of Education

You should do ample research about any service or product that requires you to deposit your funds. Cryptocurrency and blockchain are misunderstood, even in media.

Many reporters and people who comment on cryptocurrency can’t even distinguish between Bitcoin and cryptocurrency. They don’t know what altcoins are. They don’t know how to open a cryptocurrency wallet. All of this information is available online, and if you are intrigued by cryptocurrency and blockchain, you must understand it before you decide to use it.

Boxing & UFC On The Rise

Since the Riyadh Season, there has been a much larger interest in boxing, breaking down conventional barriers between promoters. This has led to some of the biggest names in the sport facing off against each other—fights we would never have seen happen, such as Bivol vs Beterbiev and Fury vs Usyk, both fights happening twice.

Anthony Joshua has been one of the biggest names in the sport throughout the 2010s, but timing was not kind to the 2-time heavyweight champion, who, despite trying to get one last big money showdown against Tyson Fury, found himself on the receiving end of a brutal knockout to Daniel Dubois.

That said, the sport is in a very healthy place—primarily thanks to Riyadh Season, which has onboarded every significant name in the sport and put on sold-out events in London, Los Angeles, and, of course, Riyadh. Finally, it feels that boxing is embracing some of the modern subsidiary markets, much like eSports tournaments, which have seen an enormous surge in betting markets and popularity.

Conclusion

As boxing and MMA continue to capture the attention of millions of sports fans worldwide, there’s no shortage of sports betting platforms offering fans a market to bet on their favorite fighters.

Given that the market is so saturated, its innovative and creative ideas, such as cryptocurrency, which will stick out. So long as you educate yourself on how cryptocurrency and blockchain work and get to grips with cryptocurrency sports betting platforms looking to offer fresh avenues and possibilities in a saturated market, you will be in the best position to make an informed decision.

Some sports bettors stick to payment options they are familiar with, which is usually a good idea. But for those who want to explore something fresh, then cryptocurrency payment methods could be the angle you have been looking for.