Former MLB baseball player Alex Rodriguez has joined the Professional Fighters League on its Board of Directors as part of anew round of equity investment into the league. The move is part of $30 million round to fund global expansion and launch its new PPV Super Fight Division per its press release.
The funding round was led by Waverley Capital, investor Edgar Bronfman Jr.’s media-focused venture capital fund.
A-Rod’s personal investment in the PFL was not disclosed. He is a minority owner in the NBA’s Minnesota Timberwolves and the WNBA’s Minnesota Lynx. His corporation also made investments in dozens of companies including the UFC Gym personal fitness arm of the UFC.
Via PFL’s press release:
“While it is clear that sports is the most valuable content and intellectual property in the world, what is also becoming increasingly clear is that MMA is the growth sports business of this decade,” said PFL Founder and Chairman Donn Davis. “The MMA category is on fire, and while UFC is the first winner in this market, several major valuable companies will be built, and PFL has secured the #2 market position and is the fastest growing and most innovative company in MMA.”
PFL press release
“With this new capital, PFL is open for business to sign the biggest MMA star fighters in the world to our new PPV Super Fight Division,” said PFL CEO Peter Murray, “Just as we changed the game with our league season format, we will now disrupt the long-overdue pay-per-view business for the benefit of fighters by partnering to make them major participants in the revenue of their own fights.”
“I love the global reach of MMA,” said Alex Rodriguez. “The PFL continues to build and innovate for fans, media, and fighters and there is massive demand in the marketplace.”
“Content is always king, and sports content is the king of kings,” said Edgar Bronfman, Jr. Co-Founder and Co-Head of Waverley Capital. “Within sports the most scarce content is MMA, and we see PFL as the premium innovative provider for this generation of global fans.”
Payout Perspective:
While Rodriguez is the headliner in this story, the $30 million investment is important for the PFL for its expansion which is said to include a PPV division. Based on its actions, it believes that expansion to international markets will help with the proliferation of the product. One would also think that the funding would help in the addition and retention of athletes as well as marketing them into stars. Whether that equates to a PPV division will be based on the execution.
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