Earlier today, the Professional Fighters League announced their formation and their plans to create the world’s only Mixed Martial Arts league, which will launch in January 2018, with a total prize pool of $10 million over seven weight classes.
After cancelling events and losing many of their champions to other promotions, it was rumoured that the struggling World Series of Fighting was in financial difficulties and had sold 60% of their organisation for $25m in January. That now looks to be true with the Professional Fighters League confirming they purchased the fighting operations and event infrastructure of WSOF earlier this year and they have installed WSOF President Ray Sefo in the same role within the PFL.
The newly announced league will be open to all professional MMA fighters worldwide and will consist of regularly scheduled fights over a season before elimination style playoff tournaments decide the winner in each weight class. The prize will be $1m for each of the seven winners with the remaining $3m being shared out amongst other regular season and playoff participants.
Executive Chairman of the Professional Fighters League, Russ Ramsey said the new league is both innovative and reactionary to the ever-changing landscape of the developing sport.
“The Professional Fighters League brings a proven sports format that fans love and athletes respect to MMA for the first time. Featuring a regular season, post-season, and championship structure, the launch of the Professional Fighters League continues the evolution of MMA into a professional, mass-market, prime-time sport for a global audience.”
With fighter pay being such a hot topic for the sport of MMA, the PFL will offer a fair and equal chance for all fighters to compete for $1m which PFL President Sefo insists is an important part of what the new promotion is all about.
“All fighters deserve to control their own destiny, to win or lose on their own merits,” explained Sefo.
“There are thousands of professional MMA fighters, and yet in the entire history of the sport, only a handful of these athletes have ever fought for $1 million. We are proud to offer that opportunity to every fighter in the Professional Fighters League.”
With a large prize pot on offer and a chance to succeed through merit rather than popularity, the PFL will no doubt appeal to many fighters around the world and has a chance to revolutionise the way fans around the world watch the sport.
