- Luana Pinheiro will become the first female UFC fighter to be paid in bitcoin through a partnership with Bitwage.
- Pinheiro joins her boyfriend Matheus Nicolau who previously adopted a Bitcoin standard last March via Bitwage.
- Bitwage is a payroll service provider that allows anyone in the world to convert their salary into bitcoin without employer consent.
Bitwagea payroll service provider specializing in bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, has in partnership with Luana Pinheiro making her the first Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) fighter to be paid in bitcoin, according to a press release sent to Bitcoin Magazine.
Pinheiro is ranked No. 15 in the strawweight fighting class and will also be the first Latin American athlete to receive salary in bitcoin. The Brazilian fighter is 10-1-0 and is currently on an eight-fight winning streak. Previously, Pinheiro’s boyfriend, Matheus Nicolau (18-2 record) who is ranked seventh in the UFC Flyweight class, also in partnership with Bitwage last March.
So both fighters adopted a bitcoin standard and also noted a preference for time when it comes to training and how it transcends their financial well-being and patience.
“I don’t think I will have a problem with bitcoin going up or down,” says Pinheiro. “If it weren’t volatile, it wouldn’t increase either. Think about this: it takes an average of 10 to 15 years for an individual to earn a black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, so my time preference here is just as long if not longer.
Nicolau echoed his partner’s sentiments for preference over time, but also spoke of his need to act, not just for his own future, but for that of his future family.
“Luana joining me to go Bitcoin standard makes me very happy and I am more than confident that the bold and courageous steps taken today will be a huge win in the future, for both of us,” Nicolau said. “We stand tall and do things together, united and in perfect sync, because that’s how we are – never above, never below, but always next to each other.”
Pinheiro noted that the experience she witnessed when Bitwage flew in to personally discuss the transition to a bitcoin standard with Nicolau blew her mind and that not investing in bitcoin was a risk she didn’t want. not take. Pinheiro’s personal experience with Brazil also influenced his decision to partner with Bitwage.
“And don’t forget I’m from Brazil, so I know a thing or two about inflation and its effects,” Pinheiro said. “I was born around 1994, at that time the Brazilian currency Real was introduced and pegged 1:1 to the US dollar at that time. Now it’s 5 BRL for 1 USD. Why are we using Bitcoin again?!”
Nicolau embraced his partner’s embrace of a Bitcoin standard and low time preference, which Pinheiro calls “black belt time preference,” and he made a lasting comment about the price of inaction in regarding bitcoin adoption:
“Opportunity is a naughty goddess who wastes no time with those who are unprepared,” Nicolau said.