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 The ripple effect of the US government's crackdown on online poker is already being felt by the MMA. Full Tilt Poker has been a major sponsor for MMA fights outside of the UFC over the years and its logo was prominently displayed on the Strikeforce cage and canvas as well as on the shorts of several of the industry's top fighters. Now just when Full Tilt was on the verge of closing a major agreement with the Ultimate Fighting Championships (UFC) it has been forced to pull out of the agreement much to the dismay of everyone involved.
MMA Agents boss Ken Parvia explained the situation to MMAjunkie.com saying, "The online poker companies don't have a complete handle on it at this time, but they're doing their due diligence to find out what the full impact is...In the short-term, it will severely impact fighters' sponsor revenue, which traditionally matched their show pay for our televised clients. I would venture to say the poker industry is equal to apparel industry as the No. 1 sponsor of fighters outside the UFC."
It is unclear at this time how many players will be affected by the recent developments but one thing is certain. If poker sites completely pull out of MMA sponsorship deals it will have a major effect on the fighting industry.
As always, stay tuned to Casinofan for more news and updates.
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