MMA
TURN-ON Financial Technologies Launches Fan-Funded Series and Adds DJ Mode to Advisory Board TURN-ON Financial Technologies Names DJ Mode to Advisory Board, Launches Fan-Funded Series to Empower Athletes and Artists
Published
6 months agoon
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — ENABLE financial technologies announced today two major events that highlight its long-term vision for behavioral trading in sports, music and culture. The company has appointed Efrain “DJ Mode” Mercedamusic director for Fresh York Football Clubits advisory board while launching Fan-funded seriesa first-of-its-kind trade activation model designed to transform community support into true economic capital for athletes, amateur athletes, independent musicians and emerging artists.
The double announcement highlights TURN-ON’s core philosophy: sports and music have always connected culture, and now they can also transfer capital.
DJ Mode Merced joins TURN-ON’s advisory board
Merced brings over two decades of experience as a cultural strategist and sonic architect in the global entertainment industry. His clients include brands such as: Cadillac, Pepsiand major sporting events such as USA Tennis Open Championships.
As music director for Fresh York Football ClubMerced designs the club’s entire sonic identity on match day, shaping the atmosphere for thousands of fans from the moment they enter the stadium until the final whistle.
His role at TURN-ON goes far beyond an honorary title. Merced will facilitate develop the platform’s sonic identity, experiential activation framework and cultural architecture to ensure that every interaction in the ecosystem reflects the emotional connection that fans experience at live sporting and music events.
Stadiums are filled with sports. Music fills the same stadiums. TURN-ON builds financial infrastructure for the same communities that power both.

“TURN-ON exists to change the way people participate in the economy of shared moments, enabling culture, connections and values to move together. Music and sports have always lived at this intersection. Now financial infrastructure can do so, too.”
Efrain DJ Mode Merced / Advisory Board / TURN-ON Financial Technologies
Merced emphasized that culture, not technology, ultimately determines the success of platforms.
“Most people focus on technology first, but the real driver of a recent category is culture. If there’s no cultural moment, technology doesn’t matter. The key is to build something that feels natural to how people already connect with music and sound, and then reinforce that experience, rather than forcing an entirely recent behavior.”
Efrain DJ Mode Merced / Advisory Board / TURN-ON Financial Technologies
Where sports, music and commerce intersect
The TURN-ON strategy focuses on the shared economic reality between athletes and artists at the local level.
Martial arts athletes often train without endorsement contracts. Independent musicians tour on minimal budgets. Teenage athletes rely on families and local communities to cover travel, equipment and competition costs. Artists and visual creators often build devoted audiences without access to the financial infrastructure to support their development.
In each case, social support already exists, but the tools to transform this support into real economic support have traditionally been confined.
The Fan-funded series aims to solve this problem.
The founder’s perspective
CEO of TURN-ON Thomas Yu brings extensive experience in global combat sports management. Yu previously served as president of the Pan American Division World Association of Mixed Martial Arts and co-founder World Confederation of Mixed Martial Artshelping to create the infrastructure of MMA federations in Latin America.
Yu says the fan-funded series was created directly from his experience seeing athletes struggle to finance their careers.
“There are many things that TV and social media never show. Sleepless nights. Figuring out how to pay for proper training, proper equipment and proper nutrition. The stress this puts on parents, family, uncles, aunts and grandparents who want to facilitate but have confined resources. As a former president of the WMMAA Pan American Division, I can tell you that national aid for a selected national team will never be enough. In fact, even after athletes are selected to represent their country, they still have fundraisers money to supplement their trip. The Fan Funded Series eliminates this problem. Our programmable gifting tool provides peace of mind like nothing else.
Tomas Yu / CEO / TURN-ON Financial Technologies
Yu also explained why the company brought Merced on to the advisory board at this stage of the platform’s development.
“TURN-ON is not your typical fintech platform. We are disrupting the paradigm. Culture is not a marketing layer for us, it is at the core of what we build. Yes, money moves people. But so does pop culture. And music has, since the beginning of time, moved the masses in a way that nothing else can. Like sports, music is part of culture and together we can make a much greater impact. Coming from the heart of culture, Fresh York, Efrain lives and breathes this world. No I couldn’t think of anyone better to bring on board to facilitate lead the disruption and make sure the disruption reaches the players, athletes, musicians and artists who have been waiting for it.
Tomas Yu / CEO / TURN-ON Financial Technologies
How a fan-funded series works
The Fan Funded Series enables supporters – fans, family members, coaches and community members – to send financial support through the TURN-ON platform using programmable gifting technology.
Once sent, the funds appear in your digital wallet connected to the TURN-ON trading network. Recipients can spend instantly at participating local businesses, including:
- Gyms and training facilities
- Restaurants and food service providers
- Regeneration and wellness centers
- Hardware dealers
- Recording studios or innovative production spaces
Merchants only collect 0-2% handling feeswhile TURN-ON does not take a percentage of the transferred capital.
The result is direct economic participation, not symbolic support.
Broadcasters can also determine how their contribution should be used – whether for training, travel, equipment, studio time or recovery – ensuring transparency between fans and audiences.
Who does a fan-funded series serve?
Fan-funded fighters
Combat sports athletes in MMA, boxing, Muay Thai, wrestling and Brazilian jiu-jitsu – from the amateur circuit to international competition – who have sturdy fan communities but confined financial infrastructure.
Athletes financed by fans
Youth teams and independent players whose families traditionally rely on local fundraising to cover the costs of participation.
Musicians financed by fans
Independent artists and touring musicians who want a direct community support channel without platform commissions.
Fan-funded artists and creators
Visual artists, filmmakers, photographers and digital creators whose communities want to invest in their work and development.
Latin America as a strategic starting point
TURN-ON’s established relationships in Latin American MMA federations provide a direct path for expansion in one of the most passionate but under-funded sports markets in the world.
Yu says these connections give the company a significant advantage when bringing a fan-funded series to market.
“Latin America is not a market we’re trying to enter. It’s a home-field advantage. We already have relationships. We already have trust. We’re providing infrastructure to communities that have had passion for decades but never had the financial tools.”
Tomas Yu / CEO / TURN-ON Financial Technologies
Launch timeline and partnership opportunities
The TURN-ON function is currently enabled pre-start phasebased in Albuquerque, Fresh Mexico, based in Albuquerque, Fresh Mexico Scheduled to launch in the Southwest U.S. in summer 2026.
We encourage combat sports promoters, federation leaders, athlete managers, gym owners, music industry professionals and the artistic community interested in participating in the Fan Funded Series activation to contact the company in connection with the development of its network.
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Joshua Van reveals why he used to flip Dustin Poirier fight footage
Published
3 hours agoon
September 23, 2026
Van studies footage of fellow fighters who have a style similar
to his.
Van recently revealed that he used to flip tape of Dustin
Poirier to pick up techniques. He explains that he used to flip
the footage because he is orthodox while Poirier is a southpaw. Van
studies tape of other elite fighters like Ilia
Topuria, who have a boxing-based style like him. However, Van's
favorite fighter to study is fellow
Ultimate Fighting Championship titleholder Petr Yan.
Joshua Van explains how Dustin Poirier, Petr Yan and Ilia
Topuria influence his striking
Van defended his title for the second time at UFC
331, putting his renowned boxing on display to defeat Alexandre
Pantoja in their rematch. “The Fearless†revealed in a recent
interview that he actively studies Yan's hands and incorporates
what he can into his own arsenal.
“He's got my style of fighting,†Van told Ariel Helwani. “He's a
boxing-based fighter, kind of like Petr Yan, Ilia. I like to study
one of the greats and just put it into my game… Petr Yan really is
the one that I really watch.â€
Van has emerged as a fan favorite for his fighting style. His next
challenger hasn't been revealed yet, with Manel Kape
being the frontrunner. Meanwhile, Yan is scheduled to defend his
title in a trilogy bout against Merab Dvalishvili at
UFC 333.
Joshua Van
explains why he used to flip footage of Dustin
Poirier to study his striking:“He's got my style of fighting. He's a boxing-based fighter, kind
of like Petr Yan,
Ilia.I like to study one of the greats and just put it into my game.
Petr
Yan really is the one that I… pic.twitter.com/i3D5dST7M5— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani)
September 22, 2026
MMA
UFC 331 upset winner reveals ‘crazy’ decisions behind $600K debt
Published
5 hours agoon
September 23, 2026
Sharaf is planning on getting a financial advisor after making
several terrible decisions.
Sharaf (5-2) was a massive underdog going into his
Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight bout against
Gable
Steveson at UFC
331, where he recorded a 12-second knockout in a historic
upset. He revealed before the bout that he was in heavy debt.
Sean Sharaf discusses ‘crazy' ways he blew up money to end up
in debt
Sharaf earned a $50,000 promotional bonus from Paramount+ for his
win over Steveson. Dana
White added $50,000 of his own to double Sharaf's bonus, while
revealing that the UFC heavyweight was $600,000 in debt.
Sharaf recently revealed how he gradually came under massive debt.
The former U.S. Marine admits to making terrible financial
decisions like buying a truck he couldn't afford. Sharaf also
started gambling when he first moved to Las Vegas in the hope of
meeting White, who frequents casinos.
Sharaf eventually had to borrow money from his mother. He took an
advance from his management company for UFC 331 so that he could
train in Vegas, as he lives with his mother in California now.
Sharaf barely has any assets in his name and banks regularly keep
hounding him. However, his life will hopefully change after his
last win, considering he plans to consult a financial advisor
now.
“I just made a lot of very crazy financial decisions,†Sharaf told
ESPN MMA. “So, I had a TRX I couldn't afford. Blew $120,000 on that
thing. I was trying to help my mom sometimes. But more times I
actually had borrowed money from her. I got an advance on my purse
from my management so I could have my camp in Vegas… I gambled a
lot of money when I first moved to Vegas. I was trying to meet
Dana… I don't have anything in my name. The banks call you every
single day… I think I'm getting a financial advisor.â€
MMA
Marlon Vera reveals $200K robbery on eve of Sean O’Malley title fight
Published
6 hours agoon
September 23, 2026
Vera's house was broken into while he was getting ready to
challenge Sean
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Vera made an unsuccessful
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O'Malley in 2024 in Miami. He recently revealed that his house in
California was broken into the night before the fight. When the
cameras went off at night, Vera's wife thought it was due to a
power cut. The next morning, the police informed Vera that his
house had been robbed.
Marlon Vera says his watch collection was stolen from his
California home before UFC 299
Vera wasn't happy to hear the news just hours before the biggest
fight of his career. Vera's watch collection, worth approximately
$200,000, was stolen. While someone informed Vera about a suspect,
the police never caught the culprit. Vera also believes it could be
someone who knew him, as they entered, found the watch collection
without rummaging through the house and exited within five
minutes.
“The night before the fight, the cameras went off,†Vera told
Michael
Bisping. “My wife was like, ‘Oh, maybe it's the electricity.'
The next morning, I wake up like, ‘F*ck yeah, title fight. Today
life changed.' Then the phone rings and the cops are like, ‘Hey
dude, they just robbed your house last night around 7 p.m.' I said,
‘Right now I don't have time for this; I'm fighting tonight.' The
cops know who I am; they were like, ‘No, we get it; we just thought
we’d let you know.' I'm like, ‘Wrong time to let me know.' They
told me they took my safe. I lost like $200K because I'm a watch
collector. Those were kind of investments. Those watches are money.
I'm counting in my head like, ‘Now I'm $200K short.' The cops never
found the guy. I have a photo and I have this random person
accusing, like, ‘Oh, I know this guy. His name is blah, blah.' The
guy came in, took the safe and took it through the front door. It
took him five minutes.â€
Vera (24-12) went on a four-fight skid starting with the failed
title challenge against O'Malley. “Chito†finally ended the slump
with a stoppage win over Charles
Jourdain at UFC 331.
Joshua Van reveals why he used to flip Dustin Poirier fight footage
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