Combate Americas now has $20 million more in the bank and a big name buying into the business.
The Hispanic-centered MMA promotion today announced a new series B funding with actress Kate del Castillo signing on as a “significant shareholder.” The company has raised a total of $38 million since its founding in 2016, according to a press release.
Del Castillo is best known to American fans as the go-between for a meeting between actor Sean Penn and Mexican drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, who was recently convicted on multiple counts of drug trafficking. Del Castillo later sued the Mexican government for investigating her ties to Guzman and leaking damaging information about her.
The Mexican actress told Variety she was convinced to sign on with Combate Americas after attending a live event. She said she’ll chair a new advisory board to give more opportunities to female MMA fighters.
“I’m a fighter too,” she said. “I will be fighting for them in every sense I can — to fight for all the lady fighters, and also the men, for this sport to become even bigger,” she said.
Combate’s April 26 event – “Reinas del Combate,” which takes place at Galen Center in Los Angeles – will be Del Castillo’s first appearance for the promotion. The promotion is touting it as the first all-female MMA show on a major network, Univision.
The new funding was led by Combate Americas chairman Joe Plumeri, who’s a former CEO of Citibank North America.
For more on the upcoming MMA schedule, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.
