Rory MacDonald, Dash-sponsored MMA fighter, has won the Bellator welterweight world championship.

In a hard-fought five-round championship fight against reigning champion Douglas Lima, Rory “The Red King” MacDonald suffered a leg injury near the middle of the fight, which severely hampered his mobility his on his feet. However, over the course of the next couple rounds MacDonald put up a fierce fight, maintaining dominant position on the ground long enough to secure a decision victory to become the new Bellator Welterweight Champion. Both fighters displayed mutual respect following the competition.

MacDonald, a cryptocurrency fan since 2014, recently secured a Dash sponsorship through a treasury proposal escrowed by Green Candle. He has since been active in promoting Dash, and has mentioned his new sponsor in many appearances. He made a surprise appearance on Dash Force News’ 3 Amigos Podcast last month.

Dash prominently featured in front of millions

The Bellator Welterweight championship fight has put Dash in front of millions. During the pre- and post-fight events, Dash branding was clearly visible on MacDonald and his team, with images reaching millions. Former UFC Welterweight and Middleweight Champion and greatest-of-all-time contender Georges St-Pierre, a training partner of MacDonald, tweeted out congratulations to his 1.92 million followers, with Dash’s logo front and center:

MacDonald himself has gone out of his way to promote Dash on his Twitter feed, far out of proportion compared with other sponsors, frequently sharing Dash-related content to his 221,000 followers.

More athletes are interested in Dash sponsorships

This may be the beginning of a new group of athletes pursuing sponsorships with Dash. In a recent article for Brinkwire, MacDonald indicated that interest reached far past just himself:

“This will be hopefully the first of many sponsorships with Dash and me. It’s not just for me but it’s going to a big opportunity for many other fighters and even Bellator itself … there’s tons of fighters interested in it.”

Fellow MMA fighter Davis dos Santos was also sponsored by Dash, though through private donations from the Dash community in Brazil. Aerobatic racer Scott Farnsworth secured a Dash sponsorship last summer, and has since rebranded his business into Dash Aerosports, becoming a full-time Dash ambassador, including prominent appearances at both the North American Bitcoin Conference and the MacDonald fight.