MMA Startup Raises $28 Million Series B Round With Help From Kevin Hart And Tony Robbins
The Breakdown
- An MMA-style startup called the Professional Fighters League (PFL) has closed a $28 million Series B investment round.
- Notable investors in PFL’s Series B round include Kevin Hart, Tony Robbins and Washington Capitals majority owner Ted Leonsis.
- The PFL previously raised $25 million in a Series A round.
Some Color
The PFL has now raised more than $50 million with some serious celebrities attached to it as well as many venture capital firms, including Elysian Park Ventures and SWaN Ventures. The goal is to bring a unique style of MMA to the masses, with a regular season and playoff system.
Media rights are already in place with NBC and Facebook Live. You may have not yet heard of the PFL, but its first season is wrapping up in August 2018, and with a massive new round of funding, heavy-hitters believe there is real growth potential in the near future.
The inaugural 2018 season had 72 MMA fighters in 6 weight-classes. The Championship, on New Year’s Eve, will feature 6 back-to-back title bouts and a $10 million total prize pool
This format of MMA will cater to someone like myself because it brings clarity to the sport. Having a playoff type system makes it easy to follow in my opinion. I’m interested to see how this turns out.
I am too. After writing, some people told me they are familiar with the league. I’ll have to check it out.