September 14, 2025 – Fight.ID, the Web3 platform developed by Fightfi for combat sports fans and athletes, has raised new funding to support the next phase of its collaboration with the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). The partnership, which began with the development of UFC Strike digital collectibles, is now expanding to deliver a broader range of blockchain-enabled products and services aimed at deepening fan engagement across the global MMA community.
The latest funding round includes participation from a mix of institutional investors and notable figures in sports and entertainment. Backers include Anthos Capital, Aptos Foundation, Aquanow Ventures, Blockchain Coinvestors, Fabric VC, Jupiter, and Memeland, alongside angel investors from the UFC and beyond.
Among the individual investors are UFC fighters Gilbert Burns, Josh Emmett, Dan Ige, Vicente Luque, Eric Nicksick, Alexandre Pantoja, and Gregory Rodrigues. The round also attracted support from Craig Kallman, Chief Music Officer at Atlantic Music Group; NBA veteran Baron Davis; NFL Pro Bowler Cam Jordan; and Yat Siu, Chairman of Animoca Brands.
Proceeds from the round will go toward developing a new suite of Web3-native experiences for UFC fans. Planned products include a digital identity and loyalty framework, a prize pool system designed to increase fighter bonuses, and an exclusive Fight.ID merchandise line. These offerings will incorporate key blockchain features such as asset ownership, reward programmability, and dynamic user interaction, each aligned with the platform’s core principles: Fight Fair, Fight Together, Fight Through, and Fight Forever.
Fight.ID’s role in UFC’s digital evolution began three years ago with its involvement in building UFC Strike. This next stage of the partnership expands its scope, targeting both seasoned Web3 users and mainstream MMA audiences through accessible, immersive digital experiences.
“UFC has always embraced an innovation-first mentality. James and his team have proven to be a dynamic and innovative partner for us, and we are extremely excited to support the Fight.ID ecosystem over the next several years,” said Grant Norris-Jones, Executive Vice President, Head of Global Partnerships at TKO.
The strategic partnership reflects a growing trend among major sports organizations to integrate blockchain technologies as a means of increasing fan participation and loyalty. UFC’s continued collaboration with Fight.ID is positioned to serve as a model for other leagues exploring the Web3 space.
“As our world continues to become more digitally enabled, there is no better time than now to invest in blockchain projects. There’s also no better time to become a UFC fan as MMA continues to capture our cultural zeitgeist,” said James Zhang, Co-Founder and CEO of Fight.ID. “As fight fans, we have long admired UFC’s grit and innovation. Over the past three years, our teams have developed incredible trust and collaboration behind building UFC’s official digital collectibles. It’s time now to expand our offerings to invite all fight fans to join the tribe of digital ownership.”
With a growing investor base and a renewed long-term commitment from UFC, Fight.ID is now moving forward with plans to build out its platform as a central hub for combat sports enthusiasts in the Web3 era.
