The 2022 PFL season is presently in progress, with the first three events of the year just concluded. The following three shows are due to begin in mid-June in Atlanta, Georgia. The champions of each division’s tournaments will receive a $1 million cash prize.
Beginning in 2023, the Professional Fighters League (PFL) plans to give back even more to its participants.
Next year, pay-per-view (PPV) events will be added to the mix, with the promotion’s seasonal tournament model staying at its heart.
PFL Founder Donn Davis announced to MMAMania.com in March 2022 that the next PPV series would take place every quarter, with four events per year. Kayla Harrison, the two-time Lightweight champion, was the first competitor to be signed for the series.
Davis, on the other hand, revealed further specifics about the extra offers they’ll provide. Instead of the four events, there will now be just two events, with some benefits.
Davis told Spinnin Backfist, “A lot of the capital from this new round is gonna go toward: we’re open for business for top fighters. We disrupted — call it the media business — with the league format. We have as good a product on TV — not pay-per-view — as UFC or anybody.”
“But until today, we’ve never been in the pay-per-view business. So if you’re a pay-per-view fighter, Conor McGregor, you’re [Kamaru] Usman, Jon Jones, you’re people who — Kayla Harrison next year — you’re so good, you’re top two, three, four in your weight class, your economics demand you fight on pay-per-view. Until today, we’ve never been in that business.”
“ We’ve only been in the media business so far. Starting in 2023, outside of the league format, we’re going to put on two super fights,” he continued.
“As of today, we’re open for business. But we’re going to do two things different. Just as we disrupted before, fighters will be true economic partners in their fights. 50/50 for pay-per-view shares.”
“They will share 50 percent of the revenue of their pay-per-view fights. Never happened in the history of MMA, No. 1. And No. 2, until now in pay-per-view it’s been a one-company town. It’s now a two company town. If you’re a fighter, you have choice.”
“When you have choice, you have opportunity. Before, the only company that put on successful pay-per-views were UFC and they’re great at it. Starting in 2023, there’s a second company.”
However, the PFL isn’t the first company to offer PPV events. Bellator, Invicta Fighting Championship, RIZIN, ONE Championship, PRIDE Fighting Championship, World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC), Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki (KSW), Golden Boy MMA, and several others have done so before them.
The argument is that it won’t be groundbreaking, but it will be groundbreaking if the PFL can maintain consistency when the bulk of previous leagues has failed.
Davis emphasized the “top two” fighters on the event when it came to who and how many would get the split earnings. It’s unclear if this refers to the two greatest names or the two boxers in the main event.