Professional Fighters League (PFL)

The World Series of Fighting (WSOF) was established in 2012, following the negotiation of a broadcast agreement with the NBC Sports Network. Bas Rutten and Michael Schiavello were confirmed as commentators shortly after WSOF’s inaugural event was announced. WSOF’s official voice and ring announcer was Jazz Securo. The World Series of Fighting (WSOF) conducted over 35 events in nations such as the United States, Canada, Japan, China, and the Philippines, and was best known for featuring competitors like as Justin Gaethje, Marlon Moraes, and Lance Palmer.

The WSOF’s assets were purchased in 2017 by MMAX Investment Partners, a consortium of McLean, Virginia investors led by financier Russ Ramsey, Mark Leschly, businessman Ted Leonsis, Washington Nationals owner Mark Lerner, and future Virginia governor Glenn Youngkin. The WSOF was reformed as the Professional Fighters League (PFL), with Michael Davis as the creator and the debut season taking place in 2018.

Ray Sefo, president, and co-founder of WSOF, joined PFL as president of fight operations following the restructure. Sefo formerly competed in MMA and was a six-time Muay Thai world champion. Former National Football League executive Peter Murray was named CEO of the league in January 2018. That year, in its maiden season as the PFL, the promotion became the first MMA organization to use a league concept.

Following a collaboration with blockchain reward app Socios.com in October 2020, PFL created a fan non-fungible token (NFT), making it the first sports league to do so. PFL announced a $65 million investment round in February 2021, bringing the total amount to $175 million. Ares Capital, Elysian Park Ventures, and Knighthead Capital led the fundraising round. Ray Lewis, a Hall of Fame American football player, joined the PFL athlete advisory board in March 2021.

Former NFL running back Marshawn Lynch and artist Wiz Khalifa both become PFL investors in April 2021. Lynch has joined the ownership group, while Khalifa is an advisor. DraftKings was appointed the PFL’s first official sportsbook and daily fantasy partner the same month. DraftKings would promote the league’s pre-fight shows while also recording real-time statistics and using in-fighting technologies for future prop bets.

PFL announced a long-term relationship with Legends Hospitality in August 2021, with the firm obtaining a minority ownership position.

Rival Games announced its first agreement with an MMA business, PFL, in April 2022. The agreement was meant to establish a gaming community for PFL and allow fans to conduct tournaments. PFL secured a contract with the social network Millions. co for group/party streaming the same month. PFL announced in May 2022 that they had closed a $30 million equity round to help with worldwide expansion ambitions and the creation of a new Pay-per-view business. Baseball player Alex Rodriguez was engaged in fundraising and joined the PFL board of directors with Daniel Leff.

That same month, Murray told the New York Post that the PFL will return to New York City for its 2022 playoffs, with the opening game taking place on August 5, 2022, at the Hulu Theatre at Madison Square Garden. Later that month, Live Nation Entertainment agreed to broadcast the 2022 playoffs in the United Kingdom, as PFL planned to hold playoffs at the Cardiff International Arena and the Copper Box Arena in London in August 2022, after a first event in New York City.

Kayla Harrison, a PFL fighter and two-time lightweight champion, was nominated for an ESPY award in June 2022. PFL announced intentions for a European league beginning in 2023 in July 2022. PFL Europe will be the name of the regional league.

The PFL launched a new division, Super Fight, with pay-per-view events in January 2023, co-founded by prominent influencer-turned-boxer Jake Paul.[53] Paul intends to fight twice for the PFL in 2023, as well as take on the role of Head of Fighter Advocacy. Participants in the Super Fight will earn at least 50% of the pay-per-view money, which is much greater than the 20% paid by UFC fighters.

The PFL matches are held within the SmartCage, a 10-sided mixed-martial-arts cage, and follow the unified rules of mixed martial arts, with the exception of the limitation on elbow blows. In the PFL’s season format, a fighter who is overweight on the scale during weigh-ins will be penalized one point in the standings and will be ineligible to win any points from that battle.

The PFL features a point-based scoring system that includes outcome-based elimination, proprietary scoring, and early-win incentives. Fighters participate twice throughout the regular season under the outcome-based scoring system. The top four fighters in their respective divisions’ progress to the playoffs. Fights are three-round affairs, with the winner receiving three points. Knockouts and submission victories get bonus points. If a boxer wins a fight in the first round, he or she receives three bonus points. Finishes in the second and third rounds are worth two and one point, respectively.

A combatant who wins in the first round receives six total points. A second-round finish earns them five points, while a third-round finish earns them four points. The loser of the bout receives 0 points. If a fight is a draw, both combatants receive a single point.

• Win in any round automatically: 3 points
• Bonus points for a finish (KO or submission)
  • Round 1: 3 points
  • Round 2: 2 points
  • Round 3: 1 point

In the playoffs, the fighter with the most points is ranked number one and will face number four. The number two and three ranked fighters will face each other. The semi-finals are three-round bouts. The winners of these bouts will face each other in a five-round championship fight for a $1 million prize.

In 2021, PFL changed the playoff structure, the top four fighters per division after the regular season will make the playoffs, a number down from the eight who made the playoffs in men’s divisions in previous seasons. In the women’s lightweight division, the top four fighters make the playoffs, similar to the 2019 rules. The four fighters who make the playoffs advance directly to the semifinals in each division. There are no quarterfinals, nor a situation where a fighter must win twice in a single night.

The PFL Challenger Series is an American MMA competition. Male and female MMA fighters will battle for a spot in the PFL tournament season and a chance to win $1 million. Each week, the PFL Challenger Series will include a celebrity guest panel of actors, athletes, and sportspeople. The celebrity guest panel for the PFL Challenger Series premiere in 2021 includes NFL players Ray Lewis and Todd Gurley, as well as celebrities Jeremy Piven and Wiz Khalifa. From February through April 2022, the inaugural PFL Challenger Series was broadcast on FuboTV and Fubo Sports Network.

Starting in 2023, PFL Europe will showcase the top developing European MMA fighters, and all events will be held in Europe. PFL Europe 1 was held in Newcastle, England.