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Brett Okamoto
The PFL will kick off its 2026 slate Saturday in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, with an event featuring undefeated lightweight champion Usman Nurmagomedov and 2025 lightweight tournament champion Alfie Davis (noon ET on ESPN+, prelims at 9 a.m.). The card will mark the first event of a new look and new regime for the company that launched in 2018 after the acquisition of World Series of Fighting.
In the past several months, the PFL has announced a permanent move beyond the single-elimination tournament structure it used in 2025 in favor of traditional matchmaking. It installed a new CEO, former Turner executive John Martin, and parted ways with longtime leadership, including chairman and co-founder Donn Davis, CEO Peter Murray and president Ray Sefo. The promotion also announced it would finally revamp its championship system, ridding itself of multiple tournament and regional champions in favor of a single belt holder per division.
The moves amount to something of a reset for the PFL, which has struggled to find its footing despite splashy moves such as signing former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou and purchasing Bellator MMA in 2023.
What impact the changes will have remains to be seen. The PFL is the second-largest promotion in the U.S. — and arguably the world — behind the UFC. If it were to fail, MMA and its athletes would lose a second option.
«If the PFL were to fail, it would really undermine the sport as a whole,» one prominent MMA manager recently told ESPN. «You might see a shift where if you aren’t this flashy guy who fits the ‘[Dana White’s] Contender Series’ model, or you take a few fights with the UFC and it isn’t the right fit — you could see those guys leaving the sport entirely. And if you have talented people leaving the sport, it’s really going to be detrimental to MMA as a whole.»
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Usman Nurmagomedov wins PFL lightweight title
Usman Nurmagomedov defeats Paul Hughes by unanimous decision to win the vacant PFL lightweight championship.
Can the PFL under new leadership succeed? ESPN asked experienced managers of PFL and UFC fighters to share their thoughts on what it would take. The managers spoke on the condition of anonymity.
Make a deal with a strategic media partner
Martin, who was not available to comment for this article, has called 2026 the most important year in PFL history. One of the primary reasons is that the PFL is in the final year of a three-year extension it signed with ESPN in 2023. According to Martin, the PFL is «looking for a committed partner.» An ESPN spokesperson declined to comment on the status of negotiations with the PFL.
Last month, the PFL announced a multiyear deal with Fox Latin America to broadcast PFL events in Mexico and Central America, but the domestic rights deal will be exponentially more consequential to the health of a company that, according to fight managers we spoke to, needs exposure and assistance promoting its athletes.
«They need a really good television, streaming media partner — period,» a manager said. «I don’t think any of it is sustainable without that. And it needs to be a great strategic partner. They need a television partner that is going to buy into what they’re doing and promote the league. Without a media partner, there’s nothing to talk about.»
Athletes want to fight on the biggest platform and exposure expectations will always be compared to exposure available in the UFC.
«[The PFL] can sign these big deals with Usman Nurmagomedov, Francis Ngannou, Dakota Ditcheva, but all it does is hemorrhage money if you’re not bringing back value in data points like ratings,» another manager said. «And if that doesn’t change, let’s be honest, you’re always on borrowed time with those guys, because they’re all going to want to fight in the UFC on Paramount, where they know they can be seen.»
At the same time, modeling itself after the UFC’s example has been a flaw in the PFL messaging in the past, according to another manager.
«Recognize you’re not the UFC, so whoever the [PFL] executives are, whoever the president is, just shut up about comparing yourself to the UFC. Stop that nonsense,» the manager said. «I always thought that was an error and I don’t think their own fighters liked it. You’re not the UFC and you don’t need to be the UFC. You can continue to be your own brand and develop something that fans want and fighters want.»
Focus on Europe and only starved markets in the U.S.
The PFL has consistently struggled to sell tickets to live events in the U.S, according to sources with knowledge of ticket sales. In Europe, the company has fared far better, with notable success in France and Belgium.
The PFL doesn’t have to compete as strongly with the UFC in Europe, because the UFC doesn’t prioritize Europe. The UFC’s last visit to Germany was in 2018. It has made annual trips to England since 2022 but has never held more than two events there in a calendar year. Since France legalized professional MMA in 2020, the UFC has promoted four cards there.
«[The PFL has] a very good name in Europe, and the UFC is not very invested in Europe,» a manager said. «I think PFL should really focus on building the brand there, with the momentum they basically took from Bellator MMA in the acquisition. Trying to compete with the UFC in the U.S. has proven to be a pretty big failure. Their shows are very poorly attended.»
Beyond Europe, a recurring sentiment among the majority of managers we spoke to was to focus on U.S. cities the UFC rarely visits. The PFL spread out its 2025 tournament locations more than it ever had and is perhaps already continuing that trend by booking its first U.S. event of the year in Pittsburgh, a city the UFC hasn’t been in since 2017.
«Trying to promote a PFL event in Las Vegas is a terrible idea,» a manager said. «New York? Why are you ever going to New York? Where is a city the UFC hasn’t been in forever? Milwaukee. Go get a bunch of guys who train in Milwaukee and build a card around it. Stop trying to do the Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden. Kansas City is a fight-friendly town, and the UFC goes there every, what, five years? That would be a pathway to success, hitting these types of markets.»
Sign UFC athletes, minus the giant price tag
A majority of managers ESPN spoke to said the PFL should show interest in potential free agents coming from the UFC, but overpaying big names in the twilights of their careers is not the way. Rather than sign a few known stars who can headline cards, managers said, the PFL should target established but less expensive fighters to pit against its homegrown rising talent.
«Welterweight Thad Jean is a homegrown talent, and I think he’s one of the best young prospects in the sport,» a manager said. «He’s fighting guys who don’t have a name and are hard to look good against, like his last fight against Logan Storley. Go out and find a serviceable UFC veteran with 15 fights or so, who doesn’t cost you a lot but can put Jean in a spot that gets him over with the public if he wins.»
Another manager suggested bringing back promotional collaborations to orchestrate a similar effect. Before Bellator MMA was purchased by PFL, the now-defunct promotion was collaborating annually with Japanese promotion Rizin. Sharing athletes in that manner brought attention to the fights and increased the talent pool for breakout candidates.
«I don’t know if that kind of collaboration is on the table anymore, but I have always thought Rizin is a super-cool promotion. They do very cool stuff, and it reminds longtime fans of the days of Pride Fighting Championships,» the manager said. «Those [promotion vs. promotion] cards are enjoyable, and it’s just one more thing you know the UFC is never going to do because they don’t need to collaborate with anyone.»
