Once defined purely by pay-per-view numbers, Conor McGregor’s commercial pull is now being tested in a different arena, as his brand underpins a business model designed to extend beyond the cage.
Mixed Martial Arts Group, trading as MMA.Inc, has secured a $3m private placement led by American Ventures LLC, a US investment vehicle linked to the Trump family, with participation from Donald Trump Jr., according to a regulatory filing made to the US Securities and Exchange Commission.
The investment was disclosed in a Form 6-K filing dated December 29, 2025, which attached a company press release as Exhibit 99.1.
The filing confirms MMA.Inc entered into definitive securities purchase agreements for the issuance of Series A Preferred Stock, raising gross proceeds of approximately $3m. Dominari Securities acted as the exclusive placement agent on the transaction.
Alongside the initial funding round, MMA.Inc also entered into an equity purchase agreement with American Ventures under which the investor may purchase up to a further $20m in ordinary shares, subject to certain conditions and limitations. Taken together, the arrangements underpin reports that the total Trump-linked investment commitment could reach $23m.
MMA.Inc is backed by former UFC double champion Conor McGregor, whose profile remains one of the most commercially powerful in combat sports despite an extended absence from competition.
McGregor has increasingly positioned himself as a business figure in recent years, with interests spanning spirits, fashion and sports-related ventures. His Proper No. Twelve Irish whiskey brand, launched in 2018, was largely sold to Proximo Spirits in a deal that valued the business at up to $600m, cementing McGregor’s reputation as a marketable athlete-entrepreneur.
According to the filing, proceeds from the MMA.Inc placement will be used to support the company’s strategic and corporate objectives, including the development of its digital and platform-based initiatives. The group operates across multiple areas of the combat sports ecosystem, positioning itself as a technology-led business rather than a traditional fight promotion.
The investment adds to a long-standing and highly visible connection between the Trump family and combat sports. US president Donald Trump has maintained close ties with the UFC for more than two decades, hosting early UFC events at Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City and frequently appearing cageside at major fight cards.
In July 2025, the president went one step further and announced plans to hose a UFC event at the White House in 2026, as part of the country’s 250th celebrations.
“Every one of our national park battlefields and historic sites are going to have special events in honour of America 250,” Trump said during the America 250 event at the Iowa State Fairgrounds on July 3.
“We’re going to have a UFC fight – think of this – on the grounds of the White House.”
UFC president Dana White has been a vocal Trump supporter, and Trump’s presence at high-profile UFC events has become a regular feature of recent years.
Beyond MMA, Trump-linked entities have also maintained a notable footprint across sport more broadly. Trump-owned golf properties have hosted multiple LIV Golf tournaments since the launch of the Saudi-backed series, placing the family business at the centre of one of the most politically and commercially contentious developments in global sport. Donald Trump himself was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2013, further underlining the family’s historic association with sports entertainment.
While the Form 6-K filing does not disclose any operational role for Donald Trump Jr. or American Ventures within MMA.Inc, the confirmation of their investment provides regulatory clarity on a deal that had circulated in market speculation.
