Six weeks after his camp’s Gaethje payout, the Armenian lightweight is now the face of jack.com’s UFC betting markets on a multi-year ambassador deal.
Arman Tsarukyan’s relationship with jack.com started with a bet slip, not a contract. In June, a $1 million wager linked to his camp turned into a $5.7 million payout at the crypto sportsbook. That connection has now become a multi-year, multi-million-dollar deal: jack.com has signed the UFC lightweight contender as its first UFC athlete brand ambassador.
How Did a $5.7M Bet Turn Into a Sponsorship Deal?
Days before the fight, Tsarukyan went live online with fighter Deen The Great and boxing champion Adrien Broner and let it slip: someone close to him had a seven-figure ticket on Justin Gaethje to upset Ilia Topuria, then a roughly -500 favorite, at UFC Freedom 250. Gaethje did exactly that, stopping Topuria in the fourth round on June 14, and jack.com cleared the $5.7 million payout before the night was over. Topuria had never been finished in his career before that night, which is why the bet looked far-fetched at the time.
At the post-fight press conference, UFC CEO Dana White was asked directly whether Tsarukyan had placed the bet himself. His answer was no: the money came from someone close to Tsarukyan, a distinction that matters because active UFC fighters cannot legally wager on their own fights.
jack.com said formal talks about an ambassador role began in the weeks that followed, and that is what produced the deal announced today.
What Has Tsarukyan’s Road to a Title Shot Looked Like?
Winning big off someone else’s fight is a new story for Tsarukyan; contending for a title is not. Known to fans by his nickname “Ahalkalakets,” he holds a 23-3 UFC record, including a split-decision win over Charles Oliveira in what was billed as a lightweight No. 1 contender bout. After waiting more than a year near the top of the division, he is expected to finally get his title shot later in 2026, possibly against the same man his camp bet on in June: Gaethje, now the champion.
He learned the Gaethje result the way plenty of fans did, just later: stuck on a flight with no internet access, he didn’t find out Gaethje had beaten Topuria until he landed. He responded by promising Gaethje a gift from the payout: a new truck. He later posted the bet slip itself, a screenshot showing the $1 million stake, the 5.70 odds, and the $5.7 million payout. It spread quickly across MMA and crypto social media.
The ambassador deal puts Tsarukyan in jack.com’s marketing around his own fight camps and UFC cards. jack.com says that’s only the start: more fan-facing activity built around the deal is already in the pipeline for the coming months, timed to his own camps rather than any single card. For jack.com, the deal extends a push into athlete marketing that runs alongside the same crypto betting operation that paid out his camp’s bet in the first place.
About jack.com
jack.com is a crypto-first international sportsbook and casino, rebranded from Jackbit, operating under a Curaçao gaming license. It takes wagers on UFC, football, basketball, and other major sports worldwide, with payouts in both cryptocurrency and fiat. For current lines, account registration, and promotions, visit jack.com.
