PFL boss Donn Davis plans to revolutionize MMA with 'massive' 30 event, 320 fight year
02/03/2025 09:48 AM
PFL founder Donn Davis believes PFL’s massive global expansion which takes them beyond 30 events and 320 fights in 2025 will kick off a plan to revolutionize MMA.
Since acquiring Bellator last year and with recent trims to the roster, the relatively young MMA promotion has established itself as the number two promotion in America behind UFC. And between Davis and CEO Peter Murray, they’ve put in place plans for a record year.
They kicked that season off with their first Champions Series event of the year in Dubai last month, and delivered an early fight of the year contender. Lightweight champion Usman Nurmagomedov defended his title against Paul Hughes to officially end the Bellator era, and usher in a new period for the sport.
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PFL plots global expansion with 30 international events in 2025
Since launching in 2017, Donn Davis’ PFL have managed to arrive in multiple new territories. They’ve inked deals to bring events such as Francis Ngannou’s MMA comeback to Riyadh as well as putting on a major event in Dubai for the first time last month.
Now, they are planning more growth worldwide with 30 shows in 2025, which will total to around 320 fights. This will include three-quarters of their events being outside of America, focusing on major markets such as France, the UK and even a launch in Australia.
“We will have an event about every 2 weeks in 2025,” he told Bloody Elbow in an exclusive chat earlier this year. “30 events on a global basis, as I said, 320 fights, we have got an absolutely massive year coming from PFL.
“We’re about to announce the schedule from the Champions Series, the Global League, PFL Europe, PFL Africa and PFL MENA; 30 events. 320 fights. The most fights, the most events in PFL history. So, if I’m a PFL fighter, I have more opportunity, I have more fights than ever before, I’m going to be happy.”
Donn Davis explains plan to bring top fights around the world
Perhaps the most intriguing of the offerings from PFL are their shows outside of America. Over 10,000 packed into the Coca-Cola Arena to watch Hughes, while they regularly garner seven-figure gates in Paris for Cedric Doumbe’s big fights.
They also brought Francis Ngannou back into the cage, where he is expected to compete once more in 2025, with a massive pay-per-view show in Riyadh. The heavyweight star is planning to box once before later in the year getting into the cage to defend his belt.
In a later interview with TalkSport, Davis expanded further, adding that: “2025 is all about global. Big focus on international. Three quarters of our events will be outside of the United States.
“Two ways that we’re really taking the international market? One, we’re taking the mega-fights in the Champions Series outside of the United States to all new cities. Two, we’re launching more international leagues.
“PFL Europe? PFL MENA? Already successful. This year, PFL Africa launches in June and we’ll announce pretty soon PFL Australia launching. So we’ll have four up-and-running with more to come. You’ll have the best of global going outside the US and the best of local super-serving those territories.”
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