Issue 189

March 2020

With million-dollar paychecks and innovative use of technology, the Professional Fighters League has disrupted the MMA landscape. and they have even bigger plans for their third season starting later this year.

The Professional Fighters League (PFL) is just two seasons old but the new kid on the block seems to have found a recipe for success.

Having transitioned from their previous World Series of Fighting (WSOF) incarnation over two years ago, the first season of the PFL got underway back in May 2018 with an innovative new format and presentation style. 

With weight classes ranging from featherweight up to heavyweight, PFL started their first season with 72 fighters competing in a round-robin format before then heading into quarter-final and semi-final play-offs. Those who won through to the finals then competed for $1 million checks in fights that took place on December 31 at the famous Hulu Theater at New York’s Madison Square Garden. 

With the likes of featherweight Lance Palmer, welterweight Magomed Magomedkerimov, and heavyweight Philipe Lins, all taking home seven-figure prizes in 2018, PFL upped the ante in 2019 by introducing a women’s lightweight division and signing a lucrative broadcast deal with ESPN in the US. 

Following another successful season in 2019 where another six $1 million checks were handed out, the PFL recently announced the major signing of former UFC welterweight title contender and Bellator champion, Rory MacDonald in another move that sent shockwaves through the MMA landscape. 

It’s safe to say the third season of the PFL is likely to be the most star-studded and exciting yet and speaking recently in an exclusive interview with Fighters Only, PFL CEO Peter Murray reflected on the past two years and went into depth on their plans for further expansion.

“We launched in 2018 and what we achieved was validating our format where fighters would fight in a season before then having play-offs and then championship bouts,” Murray said. “Last year, in 2019, our primary focus was on distribution and reach. It was our first season with ESPN in the United States and we also got other big deals with other big platforms giving us distribution in over 150 markets. 

“In year one we simply launched with Facebook Watch for everyone outside of the US and it was a terrific platform for us,” he added. “We have continued to use Facebook but we now have direct deals with sports networks in various countries. Getting more eyeballs onto the product, growing the brand and engaging new fans was a big focus.”

Whilst expansion has been the name of the game since launching, PFL has also placed a lot of focus on innovation. Murray believes three things differentiate them from the products that the likes of UFC and Bellator promote and that they are currently offering something unique for the fans.

“We’re a unique promotion and we have several things that make us different,” Murray explained. “Firstly, our format with the season; no one else does that. Secondly, I think our technology use is something no one else is doing right now and that all sits under our SmartCage platform. Thirdly, I think we’re different because of our storytelling. We truly believe these are three key differentiators which make the PFL different to everyone else and compelling to fans all around the world.”

PFL’s use of technology has been a highlight of their first two seasons. Sensors measuring the ferocity of punches, and referees wearing cameras like in the days of PRIDE are two of the most obvious examples, but Murray explained how data analytics is also being used to help fans understand exactly what’s going on in the cage as the action unfolds.

“Our technology is something I’m really proud of,” Murray enthused. “We were the first promotion in combat sports to measure the strike speed of a fighter. We measured every punch using the PFL proprietary chip and technology. That gave us some really interesting data which we used as the fights happened on our broadcasts. We combined that with real-time tracking in the cage so we could tell fans stats like how long a fighter had spent pressed up against the fence, or on their feet, or the ground. This new technology helps us enable our storytelling during the fight.” 

With technology a key differentiator for the PFL there will be no shortage of investment in innovation for future seasons. Whether it’s for the benefit of fighters preparing for fight night, or whether it’s to enhance the fan experience of viewing PFL both at home or in the arena, several new and exciting uses of technology are apparently just around the corner.

“SmartCage in 2020 is going to evolve and it’s going to have three distinct new pillars,” Murray said. “The first one is measuring athlete performance and using data analytics in several ways. Before a fight, it can help athletes prepare, whilst in real-time we can use it to activate new dimensions for gaming and gambling. Also, under our CageEnomics umbrella, we will be rolling out data in regard to kick speed, heart rate, and calories burned. 

“The second pillar is customization. We want to give fans more custom control of the broadcast they watch. Via our PFL app, we’re going to let fans listen into corner audio, view the fights from ref cam, and basically just customize their viewing experience.

“Thirdly, our last innovative pillar is dynamic storytelling” he continued. “We want to use technology to present the story of the fight in real-time. We are going to be able to change elements in the cage whether it be the mat, the cage itself, the sponsor boards that surround it. That might all be a few seasons away, but that is all being worked on right now.”

2019 also saw several PFL fighters come to the fore as the face of the promotion and arguably the fighter whose profile rose the most was Kayla Harrison. The two-time Olympic gold medallist obliterated all competition placed in front of her en route to taking home the $1 million check and PFL’s confidence in her as a star was very apparent when they gave her the main event spot on their finals card at Madison Square Garden.

“Last year we really began to build some stars in our organization and none more so than Kayla Harrison,” Murray said. “Kayla is now a champion and she’s the first-ever 155-pounds lightweight women’s champion in the world. She’s incredible and she’s a game-changing athlete who resonates with our fans a lot. We’ve got so many other stars that are up and coming as well. Ray Cooper III in our welterweight division is a guy I’m really excited about. Our two-time featherweight champion Lance Palmer also had another incredible season.”

Harrison’s signing for the PFL in 2018 raised plenty of eyebrows and coming from a judo background she has long been touted as the ‘Next Ronda Rousey’. It’s a comparison that Harrison has never hidden from, but she’s always made it readily apparent that she’s out to forge her own path.

With seven wins and one season championship already under her belt, Harrison has rarely looked troubled in the PFL cage and there’s already talk of her running out of competition. In 2020 she will be entering the last year on her PFL contract and whether she remains with the organization after that would seem to depend on whether PFL can guarantee her a high level of opposition.

“I want to go down as one of the best to ever do it,” Harrison recently explained to ESPN. “Hopefully, that means I can stay with the PFL. But ultimately, I have to do what’s best for me and my career and my goals and my dreams and desires. So after next year, who knows? But I’m hopeful that the PFL can bring in the top talent and I can stay with the company that I believe in. We’ll see.”

72 fighters made up the roster in 2019 with no fewer than 16 nationalities represented. Unlike most promotions in the world, PFL fighters have a minimum number of guaranteed fights per year making them a highly attractive option for those looking to make a consistent amount of money. 

As well as the guarantee of steady money, there’s also the potential of a $1 million bonus check for the winner of each division and it’s unsurprising to see a large number of fighters showing interest in the upcoming third season. 

“The benefit for fighters in the PFL is that they control their own destiny,” Murray said. “We’re a fighter-first organization and no other promotion can tell fighters when they are fighting, who they are fighting, and what they are fighting for all year round. In our regular season, we guarantee every single fighter two fights from May through August so they can plan and prepare for their opponents and their matchups. They then have to earn their way through to the postseason, but our compensation during the season is competitive win and show. 

“Come the post-season, should they get through, they then get the opportunity to fight for $1 million which is a lot of money and makes it very exciting for the viewer. There have been very few fighters in the past two decades who have fought for that amount of money in a single fight and just last December we had 12 fighters competing for that prize money.”

Before their finals night on December 31, PFL unveiled their latest big-name signing, Rory MacDonald. The move came as something of a shock given MacDonald’s championship run in Bellator, but speaking after his signing he explained that it was PFL’s transparency that made him sign up for season three. 

“I’m excited to join the PFL, where every year, the world championship and $1 million prize is there for the best fighter, without any games or politics,” MacDonald said. “I believe in the PFL sport-season format and fighters-first organization.”

PFL apparently won’t just be stopping at the signing of MacDonald and with global expansion very much the goal they will be looking across the world for new talent. Whilst American and Dagestan have been very well represented in the first two seasons, Murray explained how they are aiming to include further talent from other European countries in the coming years.

“There are absolutely more signings to come,” Murray confirmed. “A big focus for us for 2020 and beyond is to concentrate on developing PFL fighters and stars that are currently on the roster, combined with next-level talent. If we think someone can bring the audience and has the talent to compete with the best in the world, then we’re interested. We want to bring them in to elevate the entire league.

“Europe is going to be a big focus of ours,” he continued. “In 2019 we had 50 countries represented on the roster and we’re going to grow that. We’re going to strategically select countries around Europe, namely the UK, Germany, Russia, and even France. I think France is a really interesting one as it’s exciting times in France as the sport should be legalized soon. I think it’s highly likely that we’ll see a lot more fighters from Europe on the PFL roster for the 2020 season.”

One British fighter who has already signed up to the PFL is Brendan Loughnane. The Mancunian was on the cusp of earning a UFC contract on Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series last year, but when he shot for a takedown in the closing stages of a dominant performance the UFC brass made it clear that they were looking for fighters who throw caution to the wind to finish their fights. Loughnane’s dream of fighting for the UFC wasn’t to be then, but he’s since found a home under the PFL banner and is extremely happy to fight for $1 million later this year.

“I am very excited to fight for PFL and it’s a dream come true,” Loughnane recently told ESPN. “This is not about the UFC. It’s about Brendan Loughnane. There were plenty of offers on the table after the Contender Series, but one thing I liked about PFL is you can be a millionaire in one season. Nowhere else can you can get that opportunity and I can’t wait to show everyone how good I am.”

If Loughnane is to bank the $1 million he’s going to have to claw the PFL featherweight title away from Lance Palmer. The Team Alpha Male man has won both seasons of the PFL’s 145-pound division and has rarely looked in trouble doing so. 

Some fans have suggested that it might be time for Palmer to move on given his dominance in the division, but Murray believes he will still be fighting in the league next year and aiming for a hat trick.

“Lance earned his slot and we look forward to having him back,” Murray said. “We are going to make sure that Lance is challenged this year with next-level competition so we’re excited to see how that plays out.

“Half of the roster for PFL will be totally new to the league,” he continued. “We will let go half of the roster so across all weight classes we will have new weight classes. The likes of Lance and Kayla will have new opponents and there are some amazing athletes and fighters around the world that we will be looking to sign to challenge them. The 155-pound women’s division isn’t the biggest, but there are definitely women out there coming up who are high-caliber fighters who this will be a perfect weight class for.”

With new signings and growing stars, the future looks bright for the PFL as they enter 2020. Much of their focus so far has been used to establish strong foundations in the sport and in the next five years, they will look to expand upon them. With the MMA landscape likely to change significantly by 2025, the PFL is looking to grow globally and ensure they are recognized as one of the big players for many years to come.

“We’re focused on our mission and that’s to reimagine and regrow the sport,” Murray said. “I think right now we’re experiencing the next evolution of the sport and that we’ve become a big leader in that. I think we’re doing it with distinction and it’s not a me-too product. We’re trying to be different and we know there’s a demand for live, quality MMA fighting. We’re premium, we’re innovative and we own a different night of the week. We believe we are growing the sport in different ways to other organizations.

“By 2025 I expect us to have expanded both in the number of the events we have in a calendar year and also our geographical footprint,” he continued. “We will have scaled significantly by then and I can see us having a full year-round schedule. I think at least 40 percent of events by then will be outside of the US.

“We’re less than two years old and we’ve already done so much. This is a high-growth venture and we understand the opportunity that is here for us. I truly believe that MMA before long will be an Olympic sport and that when that happens it will be even more widely adopted. That will happen this decade. This sport is only ever going to get bigger and we’re positioning ourselves as one of the premier organizations developing it.”