Donn Davis, the founder of the Professional Fighters League, announced Wednesday that he is stepping down as chairman of the organization he built from the ground up eight years ago.
Davis, 63, posted a statement on X reflecting on his tenure and expressing gratitude to employees, investors, fighters, and fans. “I gave you everything I’ve got,” Davis wrote.
The departure caps a stunning executive shakeup at PFL in January 2026. Former CEO Peter Murray and longtime president Ray Sefo have also parted ways with the promotion in recent weeks. According to MMA journalist Ariel Helwani, PFL has also laid off several long-time employees.
Davis acquired World Series of Fighting in 2017 and transformed it into PFL, launching in 2018 with its signature season format featuring $1 million championship payouts. Under his leadership, PFL expanded globally, acquired Bellator in November 2023, and signed former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou.
The timing is notable as PFL’s ESPN broadcast deal is set to expire at the end of 2026. Former Time Warner executive John Martin was brought in as CEO in late 2025 to guide the promotion through this critical period.
On the same day as Davis’s announcement, PFL revealed new funding from Knighthead Capital Management and 885 Capital, along with a new nine-member Board of Directors.
Francis Ngannouâs inactivity compels an MMA analyst to advise PFL for drastic measures with the heavyweight division.
âThe Predatorâ inked his deal with PFL in May 2023, securing several exclusive perks, including being named chairman of PFL Africa with the responsibility of spearheading MMAâs growth across the continent. However, when PFL Africa finally launched with a sold-out debut in Cape Town this July, Ngannou was conspicuously absent.
Image: @francis_ngannou/X
Francis Ngannouâs absence from the Cape Town debut didnât sit well with PFL chairman Donn Davis, who openly voiced his disappointment over the Cameroonianâs no-show at such a landmark event.
âIâm not going to hide it – I expected him. This is part of his vision, so that all those fighters out there donât have to leave the continent like he did. We worked for two yearsâ Iâm disappointed.â
John McCarthy Suggests PFL Should Shut Down Heavyweight Division With Francis Ngannou On Sidelines
During a recent episode of the Weighing In podcast alongside former UFC fighter Josh Thomson, âBigâ John McCarthy criticized Francis Ngannou for failing to live up to his PFL deal, pointing out that âThe Predatorâ has fought just once in the past two years.
With Ngannou stuck on the sidelines, the veteran MMA analyst argued that the PFL heavyweight division lacks the depth to justify its existence and suggested the promotion should instead invest its resources into other weight classes.
“It’s a glamour division with no talent,” McCarthy said. “Let’s just be honest, OK? Why do you have it? You have the ability to put in a flyweight division. You finally put in the bantamweights: Way to go. That was a smart thing. You’ve got some really good, talented people in that. Open up the 125-pound division. Take the heavyweights, get rid of it.
“Be honest, (the UFC’s) whole (heavyweight) lineup, it’s just not that good. You can take a look at the PFL’s lineup. Yes, Francis is a good fighter… Get rid of it. All it does is cost you way more money than it’s worth for your promotion. Get rid of the heavyweights, put in all the other weight classes. Have 125, ’35, ’45, ’55 â you’ll have it all the way to 205. You don’t need the heavyweights because they’re not doing anything for you, and Francis is not doing anything as far as what he was supposedly contracted for.”
Francis Ngannouâs lone outing inside the SmartCage came at PFL Super Fights: Battle of the Giants in October 2024, where he stopped Renan Ferreira via first-round TKO to capture the PFL super heavyweight title.
Since parting ways with the UFC, however, “The Predator” has shifted his focus to boxing, suffering back-to-back defeats in high-profile bouts against Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua.
According to PFL founder and chairman Donn Davis, there’s no truth behind talk of Francis Ngannou approaching a potential termination clause in his contract.
Ngannou has competed just once in the PFL since signing in May 2023 off the back of his highly publicized exit from the UFC. “The Predator” debuted by knocking out Renan Ferreira in quick time last October.
While his next appearance in the cage is expected to come under the PFL banner, journalist John Nash recently addressed a rumored termination clause that could see Ngannou leave the organization as early as this month during his Hey, Not The Face podcast.
“If itâs true that his contract has a termination date and that termination date is the end of this month, they better get on that!” Nash said. “Because this is one of their major selling points, and if theyâre looking for a big TV deal after UFC maybe leaves (ESPN), youâre gonna need Francis Ngannou to get that sale. That just shows you in some ways the message are communicating to the CEOs and in the corporate world, those are things that we as fans that know the sport would see through, but they donât.”
It didn’t take long for Davis to attempt to quash such speculation on social media, writing on X that talk of Francis Ngannou departing the PFL soon is nothing but “fake news.”
No truth, fake news. Francis has at least one more fight with @PFLMMA
Karate Combat president Asim Zaidi isn’t sure that Donn Davis is the right person to be a spokesperson for the PFL, specifically when it comes to talking about combat sports. Davis is the founder, chairman and co-owner of the promotion and that means that he tends to face criticism when complaints are raised regarding the PFL.
The entrepreneur tends to be at the center of this more than the PFL’s other leading men in Peter Murray and Ray Sefo because he’s the most vocal especially when it comes to their business decisions which has been a big talking point following the recent departures and issues regarding some of the Bellator fighters on the roster. Zaidi, who is also known as “President Awesome”, takes a very different approach when he’s talking about his promotion.
As a jiu-jitsu and judo black belt, Zaidi is also the owner and one of the coaches at the Goat Shed gym in Miami, Florida. This gives him the viewpoint that a combat sports promotion should be headed up by someone who has first-hand experience of what it is like to be an active participant in the sport itself.
He spoke about this in a recent interview with MMA Junkie where he voiced his opinions without wanting to personally criticize Davis.
âHonestly, I hate saying this because he seems like a nice guy â I would love to sit with him and just understand,â Zaidi told MMA Junkie. âMaybe Iâm misunderstanding him. I donât think he understands anything about combat sports. And I donât think that â if youâre not in this sh*t, if you canât roll on the mats with me, I donât think you should be part of it, you know what I mean?
âHeâs never trained martial arts in his life. Iâm saying this ignorantly, I donât know if he has, but thereâs no way, right? Can the guy throw up a triangle? How is he going to understand what itâs like for fighters to do certain things, or when Patricio âPitbullâ hasnât fought in so long and is begging for a fight in the prime years of his career? He doesnât understand that.â
Zaidi continued, making the case that Davis may well be a valuable asset to the promotion but he believes that there are others who could be a more effective leading man.
âHe comes from a finance background, which is wonderful, but stay in the background then and put Ray Sefo in front,â Zaidi said. âImagine this for a moment: Imagine if Ray Sefo was president? It would be really respectable. It would be unbelievable. How can you say anything bad about Ray Sefo?
âPut Donn Davis in the background, he handles whatever back there. Heâs a finance guy. Great. But hearing him talk about fighters and fighting, it doesnât even sound like he watches fights. So, Iâm not impressed by him. Iâm not impressed by what he says. Dana White is an absolute G with everything he says, and I truly agree with him: I donât think PFL has it.â
Francis Ngannou has an exciting year ahead as he balances his pursuits in both boxing and MMA.
In his return to MMA, Ngannou delivered a dominant victory over Renan Ferreira at PFL: Battle of the Giants, reigniting fan interest in what the former UFC heavyweight champion will do next.
Ngannou has expressed his openness to competing in both sports, though his next move hinges on discussions with the Professional Fighters League (PFL). The promotion’s founder and chairman, Donn Davis, confirmed that Ngannou remains under contract with the organization and shared insights into their collaborative planning process.
âHe is still under the same contract with us,â Davis explained during a Town Hall-style interview with MMA Fighting. âWeâre happy, heâs happy. No. 2, we work very partner-like with Francis. We plan, âWhat does he want to do? Why does he want to do that? What are the full options?â We sit down with him like you would any real partner.â
Davis indicated that Ngannou is likely to compete in both boxing and MMA in 2025 but suggested the former could come first due to the lucrative opportunities available.
âIf I had to guess, I would think boxing will be first, given the opportunities he has,â Davis said. âI donât want to say anything about that. Thatâs his business for him to announce, but he has unbelievable boxing opportunities. So I think thatâs more likely to come first, and MMA is likely to come second.â
According to Davis, Ngannouâs fans can expect to see him compete in one fight in each sport this year.
âWhat I believe youâll see from Francis this year is one MMA in PFL and one boxing from Francis,â Davis concluded. âSo I think fans of Francis will see him do one of each this year.â
As Ngannouâs next steps unfold, the combat sports world will eagerly anticipate his dual-sport ambitions and the challenges that lie ahead.
Jake Paul is finally set to make his much-anticipated MMA debut this year â at least, according to PFL chairman Donn Davis.
In January 2023, “The Problem Child” signed an exclusive contract to compete in MMA under the PFL banner. Together, Paul and the organization launched the PPV Super Fight division, a pay-per-view platform designed to ensure fighters receive an unprecedented 50 percent share of event revenues.
However, despite the constant buzz, little progress has been made, as more than two years after signing with the PFL, Paul has yet to be booked for his promotional debut. Instead, the 27-year-old Ohio native has focused on his thriving boxing career, competing in six bouts between February 2023 and November 2024.
However, as per Davis, Paul will be making his MMA debut this year.
Speaking recently on MMA Fighting’s Town Hall, the PFL head honcho acknowledged that while “The Problem Child” has been predominantly focused on boxing, delaying his debut, there’s no pressure to rush him. Davis hinted that Paulâs first fight under the PFL banner is expected to take place sometime in the fall.
“I talked to Nakisa [Bidarian] an hour ago,” Davis said. “Two things are happening: Jake is super successful in boxing. Whether you love Jake or hate Jake, we can all agree that guy’s the man when it comes to generating attention, revenue, and viewership with his boxing career. It’s more successful than it was when we signed him. On the boxing side, that success has delayed MMA because he’s killing it in boxing. So will MMA happen with PFL? Yes, it will. Has it been delayed? Yes, it has. My guess is fall of this year, but I don’t think it’s going to be before that. He’s got so many things going on in boxing.”
The PFL season format is no more following some big changes that the promotion has made before hosting their first event of the year in 2025. For a long time, the promotion’s primary focus and unique selling point has been the World Championship tournaments that take place each year with a $1 million cheque waiting at the end for the winners of each weight class.
Whilst the points-based system was certainly different, it also had its issues and fans didn’t seem to connect with it. Along with reports that the prize money for the winner would be cut in half to $500,000, there was also talk of the tournament format changing significantly.
The announcement that divisional PFL titles will be created and defended at the PFL Champions Series events means that participating in and winning the tournaments is no longer the ultimate prize in the promotion.
PFL founder Donn Davis posted on X to give fans a look at the new “PFL World Tournament” that will take place in 2025 across eight weight classes. Rather than trying to bring something new to the sport like in the past, this will see the promotion revert to a more conventional Grand Prix style tournament with eight fighters competing in a single elimination bracket in order to crown winners at women’s flyweight, bantamweight, featherweight, lightweight, welterweight, middleweight, light heavyweight and heavyweight.
The graphic posted by Davis also lists the dates that three stages of the tournament will take place on, as seen below:
Along with the way that fighters progress through the tournament and the prize waiting at the end, there are a few other key changes here from the way that the PFL have things done in the past. For a start, all of the final matchups will not take place on the same night as has been the case for the season format.
Whilst that gives the promotion one big event to build towards throughout the year, it also creates a card that features six five-round title fights which can make for a long and tiring viewing experience. This new world tournament will also feature two new divisions which haven’t previously been a part of the PFL’s seasons with bantamweight and middleweight being added into the mix.
When the promotion acquired Bellator towards the end of 2023, it was unclear how they were going to cater for Bellator titleholders like Patchy Mix and Johnny Eblen when the promotion didn’t have active 135 or 185-pound divisions at the time. It remains unclear at this time what will happen to those titleholders and how the new PFL champions will be crowned.
One Shot to be a CHAMPION đđ„
âĄïžSingle Elimination Tournament đEvents 8ïžâŁWeight Classes 6ïžâŁ4ïžâŁ of the best fighters in the world#PFLWorldTournament Starts This April
Donn Davis, founder and chairman of the Professional Fighters League (PFL), continues to dismiss any suggestion that his promotion hasn’t done right by fighters it acquired through the Bellator acquisition.
Davis and the PFL have come under heavy scrutiny in recent weeks after a number of fighters went public with their complaints about management.
Most notably, champions Patricio “Pitbull” Freire and Patchy Mix marked some of the unhappy ex-Bellator stars who were left without their desired number of fights in 2024 â the first full calendar year post-the PFL’s purchase of its rival organization. That led to them even requesting their release from the PFL on social media.
The promotion hasn’t released an official statement, however, and its founder has been largely dismissive of the fighters’ complaints in his recent LinkedIn and X posts.
Davis wrote on social media Wednesday, claiming that Bellator fighters actually “got way more fights” than PFL athletes in 2024 in spite of the numerous canceled Champions Series cards.
2024 @PFLMMA interesting fighter statistics on activity âŠ
Bellator fighters actually got way more fights than PFL fighters âŠ
Of course, the addition of context to Davis’ figures does little to help his case.
While plenty of fighters were added to the PFL’s season format, where they competed numerous times, that doesn’t change the fact that Freire, Mix, Danny Sabatello and the like made the walk just once.
It’s hard to imagine those sidelined fighters will be changing their stance on a push for more activity as long as others were handed two or three times more appearances in the cage.
Unsurprisingly, Davis’ latest attempt at pushing away fighter complains did not go down well with the MMA community online â to say the least.
We haven’t been in 2025 for long but the PFL has already announced a major change to the promotion going forward. One of the most talked about criticisms of the action that takes place inside the Smart Cage has been the removal of one of the most dangerous weapons in mixed martial arts.
Elbows are an incredibly important weapon in a fighter’s arsenal, especially for grapplers who do their best work when they’re on top of their opponents, raining down strikes. However, due to the promotion’s tournament format, they have not been allowed in the PFL’s ruleset because it makes it more difficult for fighters to make the required turnarounds throughout the season due to the cuts that elbows often open up.
For a long time, fans have argued that whilst this may be the case, they should be given the all clear for elbows in championship fights and in this area, the PFL made a change by allowing this form of striking technique in the 2024 World Championships. Across that event alone, we saw some devastating elbows once they were unlocked with Dakota Ditcheva in particular making the case for why this ruleset should become permanent with her ruthless display against Taila Santos.
The promotion have finally responded to this feedback from the fans and the fighters via a recent social media post from PFL founder Donn Davis who announced that from now, elbows will be allowed in every PFL fight. 2024 may have been a mixed bag for the promotion overall but this is a step in the right direction regarding the product itself.
“New Year ⊠New Adjustments YOU asked for ELBOWS @PFLMMA is giving you elbows! All elbows. All fights. All the time. #PFLMMA 2025 ⊠COMING”
New Year ⊠New Adjustments YOU asked for ELBOWS@PFLMMA is giving you elbows!
All elbows. All fights. All the time. #PFLMMA 2025 ⊠COMING
PFL founder Donn Davis spoke about this in a recent post on LinkedIn which has attracted the wrong kind of attention. In an effort to show the other side to what most business owners put out there on social media, Davis listed “5 bad things that happened to PFL in 2024.”
The majority of the post references things that happened behind the scenes which fight fans wouldn’t have known about as Davis talks through some of the issues that they have experienced that come with running a company of this scale. He reveals how throughout 2024, they have had to battle potential investors wasting their time, an advertiser deal breaking down, the costs of international expansion into new regions and a delay in the promotion’s plans which was caused by one of their partners.
It is the third entry in the list that is particularly of note as unlike the other problems, this one has taken place in the public eye. The PFL’s acquisition of Bellator has certainly led to the promotion having a better product overall when it comes to the talent on their roster but keeping everyone busy and happy has been a major issue with several big names openly voicing their issues with the way that they have been treated.
Davis made reference to this in his post where he appeared to criticize these fighters for making claims which have damaged the promotion’s public perception.
“Some Bellator star fighters complained on social media about not fighting, making PFL look like not meet our contracts.”
PFL founder and chairman Donn Davis continues to battle what he’s branded “disinformation” in the mixed martial arts community.
2024 turned out to be a mixed year for the Professional Fighters League, a promotion that entered it off the back of acquiring rival organization Bellator MMA.
While that brought across prominent champions and plenty of notable fighters, the past 12 months have been littered with issues relating to the merger, from complaints over unpaid medical expenses from before the PFL purchased Bellator to canceled events.
The ultimately failed Bellator Champions Series didn’t produce the number of cards or title fights that were laid out at the start of last year, leaving champions like Patricio Freire and Patchy Mix without their desired level of activity. Both have even publicly requested their releases.
And in his latest post, the 62-year-old commented on another seemingly disgruntled Bellator name, Aaron Pico.
During a recent interview with MMA Junkie, Pico’s manager stated that his man is now a free agent entering 2025 and is looking for regular fights having not competed since the PFL vs. Bellator event 11 months ago.
But despite inactivity seemingly bothering the 28-year-old featherweight, Davis claimed a “major” deal and title fight is on the table for Pico.
2025 hopefully brings less MMA noise and disinformation âŠ
Pico was expected to challenge “Pitbull” on New Year’s Eve before that became the latest event to fall by the wayside.
It remains to be seen what will come next for the decorated wrestler, who has won his last three fights opposite James Gonzalez, Pedro Carvalho, and James Kennedy.
2024 has provided some problems for the PFL that they haven’t had to deal with in the past. Despite having the PFL debut of Francis Ngannou and some great performances on the 2024 World Championships card, a lot of the talk surrounding the promotion as of late has revolved around the fighters that haven’t been in action.
Following the acquisition of Bellator last year, the PFL was always going to have to work out how to keep a huge amount of new fighters on the roster busy and happy. This has not been the case for some of the top names in the promotion including Bellator champions like PatrĂcio Pitbull, Cris Cyborg and Patchy Mix who have all complained about not being as active as they would like.
In a recent social media post, PFL founder Donn Davis hit back at some of the criticisms by stating that the promotion always has and always will offer each athlete the opportunity to compete twice per calendar year. It is also worth noting that the following post was edited with a slight change to the wording.
The post originally read that the PFL did “a good job” before it was later changed to state that the promotion did the “best we could”.
“PFL has ALWAYS provided all fighters 2 fights a year ⊠When we acquired Bellator THEY had ZERO fight events scheduled for their Bellator 210 fighters in 2024. @PFLMMA stepped in and did best we could for them in 2024 ⊠2025 ALL fighters again 2 fights a year!”
PFL has ALWAYS provided all fighters 2 fights a year âŠ
When we acquired Bellator THEY had ZERO fight events scheduled for their Bellator 210 fighters in 2024.@PFLMMA stepped in and did best we could for them in 2024 âŠ
2025 ALL fighters again 2ïžâŁ fights a year! #PFL
Cyborg, who is the Bellator featherweight champion, has been one of the most vocal about her issues with the PFL but this has quietened down since her fight with Larissa Pacheco in October. The Brazilian icon responded to Davis’ post and showed her support for the promotion.
Excited to be a part of this as part of my Legacy Tour đđœ loved having the opportunity to be the first women world championship in the sport of MMA to fight in the country of Saudi and feel motivated seeing women like @hattanalsaif24 come behind me as the future of @PFLMENA đ„
Bellator is PFLâs property, many fighters didnât fight a single time and many like me only fought once.
You said youâd honor everyoneâs contracts and give them 2 fights this year. You didnât. You cut over 70% of the roster and had many renegotiate their pay. (1/2) https://t.co/Zvx4NS45H8
During a recent Q&A session hosted by MMA Fighting’s Mike Heck, PFL founder Donn Davis took questions from the fans in the live chat. One question asked whether Davis and the promotion would be releasing an official statement regarding Daiane Silva.
The Brazilian fighter was set to make her debut for the promotion at the Bellator Champions Series event in London back in September. Following a failed attempt to hit the featherweight limit, having previously competed at lightweight in her career, Silva was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit at Northwick Park Hospital in London.
After suffering from kidney failure, she was placed into an induced coma with MMA Fighting reporting that she is still currently sedated. Nacao Cyborg, an MMA promotion belonging to Cris Cyborg, posted about the current situation this past weekend which alerted a lot of people to what was going on after there was no statement or update from the PFL.
Davis explained why that was the case by speaking publicly on Silva’s health concerns for the first time.
“Yes, I’ll tell you it’s specifically not been addressed for the fighter privacy. Everything you just said fully explains the situation. She was a first time fighter for us, she experienced a very difficult weight loss which resulted in a medical emergency which was dealt with seriously and appropriately and she’s been in long-term hospitalization and we’ve done everything possible to support her recovery. To say anything other than that is not our place. This is her business and her privacy but everything I just said is the news and that’s the news that is well known and that’s the news that, we wouldn’t want to say anything other than that news.”
Davis was also asked why there was no response from the promotion when they were asked for updates by the media.
“Yeah look, I understand why a lot of times, people in the media want to know stuff. I totally understand that but I would hope people appreciate over the last five or six years, given how we’ve handled our business partners, our fighters, our relationships with everybody associated with the company, we always try to do the right thing, which doesn’t always mean the easy thing. In this case, I think respecting her privacy at a very sensitive time instead of giving constant updates to anyone who wants to know is the right thing. It might not appear to be the easy thing.”
PFL founder and chairman Donn Davis has claimed that there isn’t a UFC event in 2024 that generated the kind of viewership his promotion’s latest pay-per-view did.
With those two making their long-awaited returns to the cage in addition to Bellator gold being on the line between Johnny Eblen and Fabian Edwards, not to mention an exciting clash between Paul Hughes and AJ McKee, the Oct. 19 event was highly anticipated.
On that note, Davis recently conducted a Town Hall-style interview with MMA Fighting’s Mike Heck. The PFL chief took questions on a variety of topics from the mixed martial arts community, including some centered around the latest action inside the SmartCage.
When discussing how the event this past Saturday night performed, Davis made some bold claims. The PFL founder said his promotion’s research has shown that Battle of the Giants outperformed every event the UFC has put on this year in terms of viewership.
“I can’t answer the first question (how many PPV buys?). The second question (did it meet projected goals?), yes it did,” Davis said. “I actually made a post an hour ago…we actually provided eight viewership goals that we put out. Almost everything on this event, I put out one hour ago. What you will see is pretty astounding global audience numbers for this event.
“This event, by our research, beat every viewership number of every UFC event this year, and was very, very close to ‘Ring of Fire’ (Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk)…the biggest boxing event in five years,” Davis continued. “Overall, the same global viewership metrics of ‘Ring of Fire’. That was really something that was our stretch goal, and that’s what we achieved.”
As many pointed out in the comments below the PFL founder’s post on social media, the graphic doesn’t include viewership via pay-per-view on ESPN and DAZN and instead focuses on social media figures.
Rare in sports for excellence on global scale – we did it with PFL Super Fight: Battle of the Giants
But Davis went on to explain why a changing landscape in the broadcast and media realm means PPV buys are no longer the be-all and end-all when determining the success of an event in terms of global viewership.
“Right now, economics flow a very different way. In the sports world, it used to be just PPV buys. But now, money is made many different ways,” Davis stated. “Sponsorship, social media, host fees; there’s an economical bundle that is very different now. So there’s many metrics that matter.”
That falls significantly short of @ufc numbers throughout the year, with one example being numerous posts during April’s UFC 300 event. Of note was a video of Max Holloway’s buzzer-beating KO of Justin Gaethje, which surpassed 7.8 million views.
On this occasion, the Cameroonian will debut in new surroundings as the headline act for the Professional Fighters League’s second pay-per-view event of 2024.
After completing his long-desired transition to boxing to do battle with Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua, the former UFC champ will adjust his sights back to MMA to face 2022 PFL title winner Renan Ferreira in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
And as his first MMA fight week since departing the UFC gets underway, the PFL higher-ups are seemingly expecting some outside efforts to drag the spotlight away from Ngannou…
Davis Predicts White Announcement In Light Of Ngannou’s PFL Fight Week
To kick off the PFL’s ‘Battle of the Giants’ fight week, Davis once again had his sights on a UFC figure, this time the boss.
In a social media post, Davis suggested the UFC CEO will no doubt be preparing a major announcement in the hope of stifling Ngannou’s return â a habit of the UFC’s that has become a running joke in the MMA community.
PFL Super Fight Week! Francis Ngannou makes his highly anticipated return with @PFLMMA!
“PFL Super Fight Week! Francis Ngannou makes his highly anticipated return with @PFLMMA!” Davis wrote on X. “So what will @danawhite announce to try to steal spotlight from THE biggest fight of 2024?? #PFLSuperFights“
It would stand to reason that no announcement could affect the anticipation for Ngannou’s return, which comes after he took Fury to the limit and suffered a brutal KO to Joshua in the squared circle.
Ngannou vs. Ferreira headlines Saturday’s card, with the likes of women’s MMA legend Cris Cyborg, reigning Bellator middleweight kingpin Johnny Eblen, and former Bellator champion AJ McKee making up the undercard.
The 34-year-old Ohio native has spent nearly all of her MMA career dominating the PFL’s lightweight division. The two-time Olympic gold medalist has impressively finished 11 of her 15 victories, with her only professional setback coming in November 2022, when she suffered a unanimous decision defeat to Larissa Pacheco in their trilogy bout.
Merely hours ahead of her bout with Vieira at UFC 307, her former organization, PFL, shared a promotional clip for Pachecoâs upcoming bout against Cris Cyborg on October 19. In the process, they appeared to ridicule Harrison’s sole career defeat.
Harrison On PFL Targeting Her: ‘Iâm not going to go low’
During a recent interview with MMA Fighting, Harrison weighed in on the PFL’s attempts to mock her through their promotional video. The former Olympic wrestler stated that she has no intention of speaking negatively about her previous organization, emphasizing her pride in having contributed to its growth.
“I operate from a place of gratitude, and I grew up in that organization,” Harrison said. “I was able to financially provide for my family. I have financial abundance. I grew so much there. Iâm grateful for what I believe I helped build over there. I feel like I was a big part of that, and I take pride in that.
Iâm not going to go low. Iâm not going to talk sh*t… Thatâs not who I am as a person. Thatâs not the kind of business that I want to do. Thatâs not what I want to be known for. So Iâll just keep my head down, work hard, you want to talk sh*t about me? Go ahead. I helped build that company.â
At the UFC 307 press conference, UFC CEO Dana White responded to the unfolding drama between the PFL and Harrison with a chuckle, remarking, âWhen youâre losing as much money as they are, f**king go for it.â
Harrison’s return to the Octagon wasn’t without comment from her former home, the PFL, who received some criticism for posting about her loss to Larissa Pacheco on the same evening.
The use of Harrison’s time spent in the PFL didn’t stop being talking point there after the promotion’s founder commented once again on the day after UFC 307.
Donn Davis Says PFL’s Women’s Division Would ‘Crush’ The UFC’s, Lays Down A Challenge To Prove It
In a post on X, PFL founder Donn Davis made a statement that was followed by a challenge to the UFC regarding the strength of their female roster.
He took Cris Cyborg and Larissa Pacheco, who are set to face off on October 19, and put them up against the champion and top contender in the UFC’s 135-pound division.
Davis makes it clear that he would back Cyborg and Pacheco over Peña and Harrison and even offers to put money on it.
Following Dana White’s harsh comments regarding the success of the PFL in his post-UFC 307 press conference, Davis wrote “#DanaScared” underneath the post.
“It is clear from UFC 306 that @PFLMMA female division would crush @UFC. I am so confident⊠winner take all. PFL: Cyborg + Pacheco. UFC: Harrison + Peña. $2m to each fighter⊠losing company pays $8m total fighter purses”
It is clear from UFC 306 that @PFLMMA female division would crush @UFC
I am so confident ⊠winner take all
PFL: Cyborg + Pacheco UFC: Harrison + Pena
$2m to each fighter ⊠losing company pays $8m total fighter purses #PFL#UFC#MMA#DanaScared
PFL founder Donn Davis isn’t letting up with his theories on why Kayla Harrison left his promotion to join the UFC.
Harrison’s time competing in the SmartCage, wherein she collected two titles at 155 pounds, came to an end following a bounce-back win over Aspen Ladd at last year’s championship event.
The two-time Olympic gold medalist in judo completed a long-discussed switch to the UFC, shocking many by committing to a bantamweight future.
Debuting this past April, the American Top Team standout made the most of the major UFC 300 stage by dominantly submitting former champion Holly Holm to likely put her one victory away from a shot at the gold.
But while Harrison has the chance to achieve that this weekend at UFC 307 when she shares the Octagon with Ketlen Vieira, her decision to join MMA’s leading promotion is still being scrutinized.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, that’s by her ex-employer…
Donn Davis: Kayla Harrison Left PFL For UFC Because Of Need For ‘Validation’
"I'm disappointed that we couldn't keep Kayla here for, what I think, are the two biggest fights of her legacy…I don't like that she ran from those."@DonnDavisPFL on Kayla Harrison leaving @PFLMMA to seek 'validation' in the UFC
During a recent appearance on SiriusXM’s MMA Today show with Din Thomas and Alan Jouban, Davis further addresses Harrison’s decision to continue her career away from the PFL.
He once again offered a negative take on the reasons behind Harrison’s departure, claiming she “ran” from another fight with Larissa Pacheco and long-awaited showdown with Cris Cyborg.
Davis also reiterated his belief that Harrison was seeking ‘validation’ that she shouldn’t need by competing under the UFC banner.
“We brought Kayla in from the Olympics, developed her into an 18-1 star, two-time champion, and one of the greatest women â top five in the sport today,” Davis said. “Nothing but pride for that and nothing but respect for Kayla. As a competitor, to build the company, I want every great fighter here.
“Iâm disappointed that we couldnât keep Kayla here for what I think are the two biggest fights of her legacy and her career: avenging Pacheco and winning the championship and beating Cyborg, who is the greatest ever,” Davis continued. “I donât like that she ran from those. I donât like that she ran to a brand to validate herself. I think so highly of Kayla Harrison, she doesnât need a brand to validate her. … So that disappointed me.”
Regardless, Harrison is now forging a path to greatness in new surroundings. And having already achieved title glory in the SmartCage twice, the Ohio native is now looking to repeat the feat inside the Octagon and establish herself as among the UFC’s all-time greats.
The next step in that journey comes opposite Vieira this Saturday night in Salt Lake City, where a win is expected to book her spot opposite the bantamweight champion next time out.
Made a STATEMENT in her debut đȘ@KaylaH looks for another impressive victory this weekend at #UFC307!
UFC President Dana White sparked conversation this week after revealing the four figures that would make it into his MMA Mount Rushmore.
Unsurprisingly, White picked out the names that he believes have left behind the greatest legacies in the UFC and have made the biggest impact on the sport as a whole.
After the fans had their say on who they would exchange for their own personal lists, the founder of the promotion that hopes to stand side-by-side with the UFC in the future weighed in with his thoughts.
Dana White reveals his Mount Rushmore for the top 4 UFC fighters of all-time
Donn Davis Lists Conor McGregor, Ronda Rousey, Joe Rogan & Dana White As His Mt. Rushmore Picks
Via a post on X, PFL founder Donn Davis revealed who would make it into his exclusive club for their contributions to the sport.
Rather than naming four fighters, he went slightly outside the box by listing two influential figures who have helped bring the sport to a whole new level.
Conor McGregor and Ronda Rousey were the two shared picks between White and Davis for the sheer amount of attention they have brought to MMA, with Rousey being credited for breaking down barriers in women’s MMA.
However, where they differ is in Davisâ two non-fighter picks, one of which was the UFC President, who Davis attributes with âBuilt the industryâ.
Itâs undeniable that White has been a massively significant figure when looking at the growth of the sport and in that same vein, the PFL founder included UFC commentator Joe Rogan on his list.
Not only does Rogan regularly feature on PPV broadcasts, his Joe Rogan Experience Podcast being one of the biggest in the world will have exposed so many new fans to the sport.
As Davis wrote in his social media post, Rogan has played a crucial role in âExplaining the sport to massesâ which has helped to remove barriers to entry and stigmas surrounding mixed martial arts.
Renowned combat sports reporter Ariel Helwani has further expanded on his firm criticism of Professional Fighters League executive Donn Davis.
Throughout the PFL’s existence, the promotion’s higher-ups gave pushed forth the idea that the SmartCage is the place to be for fighters who want to valued and treated fairly.
That notion, however, has taken a hit in 2024.
While the acquisition of Bellator MMA was advertised as the PFL going from strength to strength, the main topic of discussion in recent times has surrounded fighter complaints, particularly from some of those who crossed over as a result of the merger.
Both Gegard Mousasi and Douglas Lima have accused the promotion of keeping them sidelined due to the high figures on their contracts, with the former recently released as a result. Elsewhere, Sobah Homasi has bemoaned his struggle at getting reimbursed for medical bills, while both Larissa Pacheco and Cris Cyborg have spoken out about their struggle to secure a fight.
Most recently, the PFL’s “fighter-first” claim came into question after its founder and chairman opted to fire shots at one of his promotion’s all-time most successful fighters.
Weeks on from Kayla Harrison’s successful Octagon debut at UFC 300, Davis branded her a “follower who needs validation.” The comments drew significant backlash, with Helwani among the most vocal…
Helwani Tells Davis: Take A Page Out Of Coker’s Book!
During a recent interview with UFC legend and current ONE Championship titleholder Demetrious Johnson, Helwani expanded on his criticism of Davis’ remarks and explained why the NBA analogy he used to fire shots at Harrison made little sense.
“Don’t get me started on this. This is crazy to me. When I saw that â it’s so crazy to me on so many different levels,” Helwani said. “Number one, the analogy doesn’t even fit… First of all, LeBron (James) left Cleveland to go join Miami and create a super team, and thus he won two championships with Miami. Doesn’t really fit there. But he’s taking a shot at Kayla by saying Kayla is more Kevin Durant… (Saying) the only way Kevin Durant could win a championship is by joining this super power… The analogy doesn’t work for multiple reasons. Number one, Kayla Harrison had already won championships with PFL!
“Who’s the big fight (for Harrison in the PFL)? Larissa Pacheco (because) she beat her? Guess what, Kayla beat her twice! You want them to fight a fourth time? None of those fights drew a dime!… Cyborg? Okay, first of all, as of right this moment, Cyborg isn’t on the same page as the PFL and is openly complaining. There’s no guarantee that that fight would ever happen as well,” Helwani continued. “Now let’s compare that to the UFC, where you have a slew of new blood, a slew of new faces.”
Helwani went on to reveal that he’d exchanged texts with the PFL chief after posting a tweet criticizing his remarks about Harrison.
Although he didn’t divulge both sides of the conversation, the Canadian journalist outlined the message he tried to hammer home to Davis.
“I like Donn Davis a lot… (But) if you want to be known as the fighter-first organization, you can’t be taking shots at a two-time gold medalist, a two-time champion in your organization. You can’t be doing that,” Helwani stated. “You need to do what Scott Coker did when Michael Chandler left, who was the face of Bellator. ‘Good luck, we wish you the best, we’ll be rooting for you.’
“I had a bit of a text conversation with Donn after I tweeted this. I’m not gonna talk about what we talked about, but what I tried to explain to him â I’ll say what I said to him, I won’t say what he said to me â we can debate who’s tougher, Pacheco or (Holly) Holm, Cyborg or (Amanda) Nunes, but here’s what your missing: Kayla Harrison going from 155 to 135 (pounds) is a challenge greater than all these people combined. That’s the part that you’re missing! … That challenge alone is worth our respect. You have to recognize that, Donn. The fact that you’re not, to me, will only tell other fighters and fans, hey, maybe this guy doesn’t get it,” Helwani concluded.
Nevertheless, given the recent saga, it would appear that PFL has some work to do if it’s to convince the masses of its legitimacy as a fighter-first promotion.
Some fighter mis-info and half-info swirling today âŠ
To be clear – we always honor all fighter contracts. Further, we aim to be fair, often beyond what legal requires.
Nobody gets exactly what they want all the time – different point than honoring contracts.
