Collectors of sports NFTs gained two new ways to buy and sell licensed collectibles over the past week, as Dapper Labs rolled out marketplace functionality for both UFC Strike and NFL All Day over the span of a week.
The two platforms join NBA Top Shot to give Dapper a trio of high profile NFT programs.
After shaky start, marketplaces produce big sales
The three brands each take a unique spin on the sports NFT marketplace. However, the Dapper platforms all share obvious similarities. All three rely on video “moments†of various rarities that collectors can pull from regular pack drops. The video packages have helped Dapper Labs make their NFTs stand out from the competition over the past year.
The marketplace launches weren’t without hiccups. In both cases, Dapper had to shut down and restart the ability to list and buy moments multiple times while working on optimizing the platforms. In the short term, that left collectors angry and confused as it was difficult to ascertain the real value of moments, scoop up good values, or get a sense of the market.
Dapper Labs was able to solve most of the biggest issues before too long. The UFC Strike marketplace launched on Thursday, Feb. 17, with the NFL All Day marketplace following on Tuesday, Feb. 22. By the night of Feb. 23, both appeared to be operating fairly smoothly.
That has allowed the market to start setting prices for moments big and small. While the cheapest UFC Strike “Contender†moments are selling for as little as $5, the first “Champion†moments – numbered to just 75 each — have commanded four-figure prices. One Francis Ngannou moment fetched $9,999 on the marketplace on Friday.
Over at NFL All Day, the biggest Legendary moments are also commanding high prices. The No. 2 serial of a Joe Burrow moment – with just 59 total copies in existence – sold for $10,000, with several other moments approaching that figure as well.
New brands bring more users into universe of sports NFTs
Even some common moments have serious value. Tom Brady’s debut moment may feature a mint count of 10,000, but is selling for around $450. Moments from Burrow and Josh Allen have also topped the $200 mark.
The new releases have brought more users to the Dapper ecosystem, including the Flow blockchain.
“It’s really reinforcing this idea that Dapper can create products that bring new audiences into the NFT space, and then they can go down the rabbit hole,†Dapper Labs co-founder Mik Naayem told Decrypt. “We’re really excited about that.â€
One thing that has given NBA Top Shot real legs in the collecting community has been the use of regular challenges in which existing moments can be used to earn further rewards. While that has yet to come to NFL All Day, Dapper has already announced the first “Fandom†tier reward for UFC Strike.
Users who make a net spend – that’s purchases minus sales – of at least $500 by Feb. 28 will earn an Israel Adesanya moment. The moment will commemorate Adesanya’s victory over Robert Whittaker at UFC 243 in 2019.