Donn Davis said the PFL has become a 'global powerhouse' following its acquisition of Bellator last yeartony florez
Mixed martial arts remain one of the fastest-growing sports across the world, and the head of the Professional Fighters League believes there is plenty of room for two marquee MMA circuits to satisfy more than 650 million global fans.
Donn Davis, the PFL founder, chair and co-owner, told the CAA World Sports Congress during a session yesterday in L.A. that was the approach he took upon the promotion’s founding in 2018.
“I don't have to beat UFC to win,” he said. “There was room for a big, dominant, valuable No. 2.”
Davis noted then that UFC had 50 premium events annually and was the only company with worldwide MMA revenue of more than $1.5B. He also saw that MMA had the third-biggest worldwide fan base, trailing only soccer and basketball. Those two figures created an opportunity.
The PFL has grown since its inception with the
acquisition of Bellator last November, forming what Davis called “a new global powerhouse.”
The PFL has gone back to the roots of MMA, with a tournament format for all its regional and global events. Each fight progresses a fighter along a path for a championship and paycheck. Davis said the format will help grow the fanbase.
“We structure Professional Fighters League as regular season, playoff and championship,” Davis said. “You win, you advance. You lose, you're done for the year. You win four times in 2024, you're the champ. So, in the UFC, 10% of their fights are for a title or to become a title contender, and 90% are essentially friendlies or NFL preseason.”
The promotion’s next event, its third of the year, is scheduled for Friday at Wintrust Arena in Chicago. The 12-fight card, featuring featherweight (145 pounds) and welterweights (170), is headlined by Andrey Korehkov (27-4) vs. Magomed Umalatov (14-0) at 170. The event will air on ESPN beginning at 7pm ET.
