The New York Yankees’ legend Alex Rodriguez is expanding his post-baseball business portfolio. Rodriguez’s new venture is the popular MMA promotion Professional Fighters League (PFL), in which he made a sizeable investment in recent days.
The PFL announced the news on Thursday and also shared that Rodriguez will join its board of directors.
While PFL didn’t disclose the size of Rodriguez’s investment, it did reveal that his contribution is part of a recent $30 million influx of funds. The promotion intends to use the money to expand its brand on the global level and challenge other MMA heavyweights like UFC and Bellator. Part of the windfall will also go to PFL’s efforts to land some notable fighters who are currently on the free-agent market.
This isn’t Rodriguez’s first investment in sports. He recently also became a part-owner of the NBA franchise Minnesota Timberwolves alongside businessman Marc Lore. His other ventures include holding company A-Rod Corp and Presidente beer.
The PFL saw a big increase in its profile in recent years. Part of it is heightened interest in mixed martial arts content, and part of it is the promotion’s unique approach to MMA that includes the regular season, post-season, and championship fights. The promotion recently made claims that it has 600 million fans around the world.
