PFL (Professional Fighters League) is continually looking to prove it’s one of the biggest and best mixed martial arts (MMA) promotions on the planet.
With the promotion’s three 2022 playoff events beginning this Friday (Aug. 5, 2022), a bow will soon be tied on the third overall season in its existence. Come the start of 2023, the seasonal format will remain, however, the new pay-per-view (PPV) series will launch with two events per year featuring fighters exclusively signed for said events. Two-time PFL Lightweight champion, Kayla Harrison, is the first name to be announced as a PPV fighter.
This past offseason, Harrison was the big fish swimming in the free agency waters, and PFL managed to keep her on its roster. Now, as 2022 continues, another big name will soon be available after UFC 279 on Sept. 10, and that’s fan-favorite, Nate Diaz.
Today (Weds., Aug. 3, 2022), PFL CEO Peter Murray spoke about the possibility of pursuing such a target.
“We’ll certainly continue to sign major fighters. Absolutely [we’ll talk with Diaz],” Murray said on The MMA Hour. “What is there to be ready for? We have capital, we have wherewithal and we’re not a regional player, we’re a global player. and now we’re investing in the future.”
Diaz isn’t the only one PFL has an interest in signing relatively soon. During the Harrison saga, the potential for a big showdown with current Bellator Featherweight queenpin, Cris “Cyborg” Justino, was something that nearly swept the Judoka away. Instead, PFL matched Bellator’s offer to Harrison and the hope is now to bring the legend over to the smart cage or at worst, co-promote with Bellator.
“Listen, I think that’s the fight that fans would like to see, that’s a fight that the PFL would like to get behind,” Murray said. “Kayla said she wants that fight, I think it’s gonna come down to Cris Cyborg. Does Cris Cyborg want that fight? And whether Cris decides to come over to PFL to make that fight and perhaps other fights happen, that’s one scenario and another scenario is a co-promotion. We’re proponents of both.
“Our understanding is she is a free agent,” he concluded. “We’d like to make that fight happen. There’s certainly been outreach, we’re looking forward to getting into it in earnest.”