Win. Advance. Repeat: The Professional Fighters League’s Rise to Prominence
By — Front Office Sports
Posted — March 31, 2025
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In the fight game, opportunity is everything—and in the Professional Fighters League, it’s earned, not given.
Founded by Donn Davis, a visionary with a track record of spotting market-changing opportunities, and led by CEO Peter Murray, whose experience spans the NFL and William Morris Endeavor, PFL was built to challenge the status quo.
Unlike traditional MMA promotions that rely on rankings and behind-the-scenes matchmaking, PFL runs on an unforgiving meritocracy: win, and advance. As of 2025, PFL has introduced a World Tournament format, where every fighter must battle through a high-stakes bracket to reach a championship.
By implementing a single-elimination tournament that mirrors the drama of the world’s biggest sports leagues, PFL has flipped the script on MMA. This clear-cut system eliminates uncertainty and ensures that fighters earn their way to championship opportunities based solely on their success inside the cage.
It’s an approach that has not only elevated elite fighters but also uncovered new stars, offering them a stage as global as the sport itself.
That stage now extends from Paris to Riyadh where PFL has firmly established itself in Europe and the Middle East, regions long overdue for a structured, top-tier MMA presence.
Take Hattan Alsaif, the Saudi standout who has quickly become one of the sport’s most intriguing prospects. Or Dakota Ditcheva, whose meteoric rise in PFL Europe has solidified her as one of the next great crossover talents in combat sports. These fighters represent the next wave of global MMA, competing under a format where every win truly matters.
That clarity extends to PFL’s ambitions as well. With global expansion in full swing, the league isn’t slowing down. The upcoming PFL Africa launch, in partnership with Helios Sports & Entertainment Group, signals an even greater commitment to developing the sport beyond the usual markets.
With the 2025 world tournament format set to launch in April, PFL is entering its next evolution. The question isn’t whether the league will continue to grow—it’s how far, and how fast.
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Corporate partnerships tell the same story with brands like Bose, LMNT, Skechers, that align with PFL’s ethos of performance, technology, and innovation. More recent additions, like VALR Energy and Atturo Tires, further underscore the league’s appeal across industries looking to tap into MMA’s surging popularity.
And with a presence in Dubai, thanks to partnerships with Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism and Dubai Sports Council, PFL has po sitioned itself at the heart of one of the fastest-growing sports markets in the world.
Africa, a continent that has already produced some of the best MMA fighters in the world, now has a direct path to global recognition, with the PFL providing the infrastructure, competition, and exposure necessary to compete at the highest level.
PFL’s growth has been fueled by the kind of backing most sports leagues can only dream of. Investors include some of the most influential names in sports and finance—SURJ, Ares, Knighthead, Waverley Capital, and a roster of NBA, MLB, NHL, and MLS team owners who recognize MMA as the sports industry’s next major frontier.
Hattan Alsaif
It helps, of course, to have superstars already in the fold. Francis Ngannou. Cris Cyborg. Patchy Mix. Johnny Eblen. Fighters who have already conquered the sport’s biggest stages and now bring their championship pedigree to PFL’s innovative format.
For them, the league’s structure isn’t a constraint, but an opportunity: a chance to prove—once again—that the best fighters in the world should be tested under the clearest stakes imaginable.
That belief is backed by numbers: MMA has 650 million fans worldwide, a demographic younger and more engaged than nearly any other major sport. And with media rights deals spanning 190 countries including distribution through ESPN and DAZN, PFL’s reach is as expansive as its ambition.
None of this happens without leadership that understands both the sport and the business behind it. Davis and Murray have built something that transcends traditional MMA structures, a league built not just on fights, but on moments.
And moments are what make PFL different. The flash knockouts. The five-round wars. The realization after each victory that a fighter has just earned their place in the next stage.
