DraftKings announces Acquisition of Mixed Martial Arts Fantasy Sports Site Kountermove
DraftKings, one of the leading websites for fantasy sports, already has a partnership with the UFC, allowing fans to legally compete in online games of chance with the possibility of winning or losing money. Today, DraftKings announced a partnership with Kountermove, a site that is comparable to DraftKings but with fewer users.
DraftKings issued a press release on the announcement earlier today.
BOSTON, MA FEBRUARY 11, 2016 – DraftKings, the world’s leading daily fantasy sports platform, today announced its acquisition of Kountermove – a leading provider of daily fantasy MMA, boxing, kickboxing, and pro jiu jitsu competitions.
The transaction builds on DraftKings existing platform, further advancing the company’s leadership position in combat daily fantasy sports and accelerating the company’s overall growth in the combat sports space. With the transaction, DraftKings expects to further advance the level of competition currently provided by the company while accelerating its strategic objectives in growing the engagement with combat sports.
“At DraftKings our mission is to bring sports fans closer to the sports that they love, and we are excited to expand our combat sports offerings,” said Matt Kalish, Co-Founder and Chief Revenue Officer of DraftKings. “The Kountermove team has built a tremendous product with an enthusiastic fan base and we’re excited to grow with them. “ Fantasy sports give contestants the opportunity to play the role of a general manager, creating a fantasy lineup of real-world athletes in an attempt to earn more “fantasy points” than competitors.
In daily fantasy MMA, points are awarded for significant strikes, advances (e.g., mount, back control), takedowns, reversals or sweeps, knockdowns, knockout or submission finishes or a decision win, and in daily fantasy boxing, for significant strikes, knockdowns, knockout or TKO finishes or a decision win. Brian Knapp, Co-Founder and CEO of Kountermove said, “We founded Kountermove out of a passion for martial arts – as two Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu sparring partners with black belts and more than 30 years of martial arts training combined – hoping to contribute to the sport in some meaningful way. Our team now joining [] the leader in daily fantasy MMA is the perfect culmination of our earliest vision.”
DraftKings launched its MMA platform in 2014 and has since seen tremendous growth and player interest in combat sports, which are popular in the U.S.,Canada and the UK. As the world’s largest fantasy sports company that offers combat sports, DraftKings has a partnership with Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) – the only true year-round daily fantasy sports offering.
