Professional Fighters League (PFL) News
Michael Chandler gives his take on 'Bittersweet' Bellator-PFL sale: "They were important to me"
Josh Evanoff - December 7, 2023
Former Bellator lightweight champion Michael Chandler is a bit sad to see their recent sale to the PFL. ‘Iron’ is now one of the UFC’s biggest stars and most entertaining fighters. Although, Michael Chandler hasn’t been seen in the cage since a submission loss to Dustin Poirier well over a year ago. Now, the former Bellator champion has been stuck on the sidelines, waiting for a long-awaited fight with Conor McGregor.
John McCarthy believes Dana White's PFL comments spawn from frustration over missing out on Bellator fighters
Harry Kettle - December 6, 2023
John McCarthy has given his thoughts on UFC president Dana White’s recent comments regarding PFL purchasing Bellator. The MMA community has had a few weeks to digest the news that PFL has purchased Bellator. As you can imagine, there have been plenty of opinions flying around regarding what it means for the sport and for both brands moving forward.
Cris Cyborg gives career update: "Financially, I can retire"
Zain Bando - December 5, 2023
Cris “Cyborg” Justino is at a crossroads. The former UFC women’s featherweight champion and current Bellator featherweight champion, Cyborg wants to be part of the newly minted PFL-Bellator merger.
UFC CEO Dana White reacts to the PFL purchasing Bellator: “One sh*tty organization that sells no tickets and nobody watches buys another”
Fernando Quiles Jr. - December 3, 2023
UFC CEO Dana White continues to slam the PFL after the rival promotion purchased Bellator MMA. PFL founder Donn Davis told Ariel Helwani on “The MMA Hour” that he feels the move was the quickest and most effective way to have a roster on par with the UFC’s talent pool. Clearly, White feels irritated at the thought of a rival promotion making an effort to raise its profile. White hasn’t been shy in expressing his belief that the PFL-Bellator merger makes no sense.
'Company Man' Daniel Cormier laughs off PFL's attempt to challenge the UFC: "It's not close!"
Josh Evanoff - November 30, 2023
UFC commentator Daniel Cormier knows he’s biased, but he doesn’t see how the PFL can compete. Earlier this month, the Professional Fighters League completed their purchase of Bellator. Following the sale, Donn Davis and other executives stated that the move made them the number two company in the world. Furthermore, they see themselves as a future co-leader of MMA, alongside the UFC.
Olivier Aubin-Mercier admits that he felt nothing after winning PFL lightweight tournament: "It's not normal"
Josh Evanoff - November 27, 2023
PFL lightweight tournament winner Olivier Aubin-Mercier knew it was time on Friday night. Over the weekend, ‘The Canadian Gangster’ returned against Clay Collard in the main event of PFL 10. The pay-per-view offering saw the return of names such as Kayla Harrison but featured Olivier Aubin-Mercier in the main event. For his part, he entered the bout riding a nine-fight winning streak and won the previous lightweight season.
Ben Rothwell expresses interest in fighting Francis Ngannou under the PFL banner: “Something like that would be fun”
Susan Cox - November 23, 2023
Ben Rothwell is expressing an interest in fighting Francis Ngannou under the PFL banner. Rothwell (39-14 MMA) parted ways with with UFC in 2022 after 13 years with the promotion. The 42 year old subsequently signed with the BKFC where he holds a record of 2-0.
Kayla Harrison hopeful for Cris Cyborg fight after PFL-Bellator sale: "It feels closer than ever"
Josh Evanoff - November 22, 2023
Former PFL tournament winner Kayla Harrison doesn’t want to jinx it, but she might fight Cris Cyborg. The Olympic judoka is set to return to the PFL Smart Cage this Friday night against Aspen Ladd. Originally slated to face Julia Budd, the fight will be Kayla Harrison’s first in over a year. Famously, she suffered the first loss of her career last time out, suffering a decision defeat to Larissa Pacheco last Fall.
PFL’s Donn Davis wants Ngannou vs. Wilder to be a "mixed-rules" fight
Zain Bando - November 21, 2023
Monday marked a historic day for MMA, as Donn Davis’ PFL and Scott Coker’s Bellator unified to become second-fiddle to the UFC. It also teased speculation about what could be next on the boxing side of things, specifically for former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou. Donn Davis, who appeared on the latest edition of “The MMA Hour” with Ariel Helwani, said there is a possibility of Ngannou fighting Deontay Wilder, the former WBC heavyweight champion.
MMA fighters react to news that the PFL has acquired Bellator: “This is huge for the sport!”
Harry Kettle - November 21, 2023
A parade of past, present and future MMA fighters have reacted to the news that PFL has officially acquired Bellator. Earlier this week, it was announced that the Professional Fighters League (PFL) had officially purchased Bellator. It’s a move that has been heavily rumored for a while and now, it’s been confirmed. PFL’s Donn Davis ironed out some of the details in an appearance on The MMA Hour, but there are still plenty out there who are curious to see how it all goes down.
Jake Paul reacts to the PFL-Bellator merger: "Let's prove it"
Zain Bando - November 20, 2023
Boxing personality Jake Paul has chimed in on the Bellator-PFL merger, which was announced Monday morning by PFL chairman Donn Davis. The two promotions will begin their partnership in 2024. Jake Paul, who boxes Andre August December 15, said he’s excited for the future of MMA and said the timing couldn’t be more perfect.
Donn Davis eyeing PFL vs. Bellator championship card for February: "Best card possible"
Josh Evanoff - November 20, 2023
PFL executive Donn Davis is hoping to see his best face Bellator’s early next year. Earlier today, the Bellator-PFL sale was made official. Throughout much of this year, the two companies were in talks, especially after Showtime made the decision to drop combat sports. While already rumored, the announcement this fall made Donn Davis and others get this deal finalized.
PFL reportedly offers Bellator president Scott Coker "an opportunity to stay on"
Cole Shelton - November 20, 2023
PFL founder Donn Davis says they are offering Bellator president Scott Coker an opportunity to stay on if he wants. On Monday, it was announced that PFL has bought Bellator and the promotion has expectations for both brands. According to the press release, the plan is to do a champions vs. champions event in 2024. Also, Bellator will be rebranded to Bellator International Champions Series and will run concurrent to PFL in 2024 with eight one-off events in 2024.
PFL officially acquires Bellator MMA: “Our fighter roster is equal to UFC”
Susan Cox - November 20, 2023
The PFL has officially acquired Bellator MMA, and in doing so has stated, ‘Our fighter roster is equal to UFC’. The news of the merger has been in the works for months, but now is a done deal and the Professional Fighters League has officially acquired Bellator MMA.
PFL reveals pay-per-view price for their ‘2023 World Championship’ event
Harry Kettle - November 20, 2023
The Professional Fighters League (PFL) has announced their pay-per-view price for their 2023 World Championship event. The PFL World Championship card will take place at The Anthem in Washington, D.C. on Friday night. On the card, we will see the crowning of six divisional champions who will all receive a fee of $1 million for their victory. In addition to that, we’ll also see the return of Kayla Harrison to the cage.
Patricky Pitbull unsure Bellator lightweight tournament will continue after PFL sale: "Losing $2 million"
Josh Evanoff - November 17, 2023
Former Bellator lightweight champion Patricky Pitbull is just as unsure of the company’s future as anyone. The Brazilian has been out of the cage since a knockout win over Roberto de Souza in July. That was a nice rebound win for Patricky Pitbull, having lost his lightweight gold to Usman Nurmagomedov in his prior outing. With the win at Bellator X RIZIN 2, he advanced to the lightweight Grand Prix semifinals.
Jake Paul says it’s “a shame” that Dana White isn’t willing to collaborate with PFL for Jones vs. Ngannou: “We share the same media partner?”
Harry Kettle - November 14, 2023
Jake Paul has questioned why Dana White wouldn’t be willing to co-promote with PFL for Jon Jones vs Francis Ngannou. It’s well-known that fight fans want to see Jon Jones vs Francis Ngannou. The only problem, of course, is that Jones is signed to UFC, and Ngannou is signed to PFL. Many have suggested that the two promotions could work together on the bout and put on a monstrous co-promotion.
Dana White reacts to the idea of cross promoting Jon Jones vs. Francis Ngannou
Fernando Quiles Jr. - November 12, 2023
It is quite clear that UFC CEO Dana White has no plans doing business of any kind with PFL MMA. Francis Ngannou’s stock has soared in the world of boxing after he went the distance with Tyson Fury. He almost defeated Fury at his own game. While Ngannou is enjoying great success outside of the UFC, one of the downfalls is that the lone appealing MMA fight for him is against Jon Jones.