The Skilled Fighter’s League (PFL) intends to additional give again to its athletes beginning in 2023.
With the promotion’s seasonal match format remaining on the core, subsequent 12 months will see pay-per-view (PPV) occasions launched into the fold. Speaking with MMAMania.com in March 2022, PFL Founder Donn Davis revealed that the upcoming PPV collection will happen each quarter with 4 occasions a 12 months. Two-time Light-weight champion Kayla Harrison is formally the primary fighter to be signed for the collection and this present season will probably be her final.
Nonetheless, Davis shared right this moment (Thurs., Might 19, 2022) some extra particulars surrounding the extra product they’ll offer. As an alternative of the anticipated 4 occasions, there’ll now solely be two, together with some unprecedented advantages.
“Loads of the capital from this new spherical is gonna go towards: we’re open for enterprise for prime fighters,” Davis advised Spinnin Backfist. “We disrupted — name it the media enterprise — with the league format. We’ve got pretty much as good a product on TV — not pay-per-view — as UFC or anyone. However till right this moment, we’ve by no means been within the pay-per-view enterprise. So in case you’re a pay-per-view fighter, Conor McGregor, you’re [Kamaru] Usman, Jon Jones, you’re individuals who — Kayla Harrison subsequent 12 months — you’re so good, you’re prime two, three, 4 in your weight class, your economics demand you battle on pay-per-view. Till right this moment, we’ve by no means been in that enterprise. We’ve solely been within the media enterprise to this point.
“Beginning in 2023, exterior of the league format, we’re going to placed on two tremendous fights,” he continued. “As of right this moment, we’re open for enterprise. However we’re going to do two issues completely different. Simply as we disrupted earlier than, fighters will probably be true financial companions of their fights. 50/50 for pay-per-view shares. They are going to share 50 p.c of the income of their pay-per-view fights. By no means occurred within the historical past of MMA, No. 1. And No. 2, till now in pay-per-view it’s been a one-company city. It’s now a two firm city. If you happen to’re a fighter, you might have alternative. When you might have alternative, you might have alternative. Earlier than, the one firm that placed on profitable pay-per-views have been UFC and so they’re nice at it. Beginning in 2023, there’s a second firm.”
Traditionally, the PFL doing PPV occasions doesn’t make them the second promotion to ever do such a factor as promotions like Bellator, Invicta Combating Championship, RIZIN, ONE Championship, PRIDE Combating Championship, World Excessive Cagefighting (WEC), Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki (KSW), Golden Boy MMA, and numerous others have achieved it earlier than them. … The purpose is; it gained’t be new, however what can be is that if the PFL could make it a consistency when a majority of others haven’t.
Relating to who and what number of fighters will get to take dwelling the shared income, Davis highlighted the “prime two” fighters on the cardboard. It wasn’t clarified as as to whether or not which means the 2 largest names or the 2 fighters in the principle occasion.
The 2022 PFL season is at the moment underway and most not too long ago wrapped up the primary three reveals of the 12 months as the following set of three are set to begin in mid-June in Atlanta, Georgia. As per typical, winners of every division’s tournaments earn $1 million.
