Whether we like it or not, digital currency is making the slow creep into popular culture and perception. While it may not be easily redeemable, and the value may fluctuate wildly, but it's place in the digital world certainly doesn't seem to be shrinking. And a strong place in the digital world, tends to mean a slow trickle into the real world. Helping this trickle along is digital currency entrepreneur Brian Kelly, with his brand of e-currency, Nautiluscoin. Kelly started Nautiluscoin as an experiment to see if he could create a stable digital currency while becoming more familiar with how e-currencies work. Since then, it's apparently become quite a success, as Kelly himself reports via CNBC.
Creating my own digital currency started out as an experiment but now it's taken on a life of its own. The coin has emerged as the 50th most valuable digital currency in the world out of over 300 currencies. We have an incredibly active BitcoinTalk forum, a Reddit page that has been tricked out by a supporter, and several real-world applications in the works.
All of which has led Kelly to an interesting decision: The decision to sponsor an MMA fighter, or more particularly, to sponsor Jon Fitch.
So, I'm sponsoring Jon Fitch (www.jonfitch.net), the No.2 Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) World Ranked Welterweight, in his upcoming fight on July 5 on NBC. Like many of us, Jon has recently caught the digital currency bug and with this sponsorship, he will become the first professional athlete to be paid in a digital currency.
Fitch is currently slated to take on Dennis Hallman at WSOF 11 in Daytona Beach, Florida on July 5th. When Fitch steps into the cage, you can expect to see a new logo on his shorts and banner, repping the Nautiluscoin brand. It's something Fitch has already been looking to promote on Twitter.
It's truly another strange turn for the MMA world. And in a market that has recently seen sponsorship dollars dry up, e-currencies could find a home. Investors seem to be looking for more public ways to advertise their currencies and fighters are looking for money in the bank by any means necessary. If Fitch ends up being any sort of success as an endorsement partner for Nautilus coin, it seems pretty likely that other fighter sponsorships could follow.