Now that Patricio Pitbull has become one of the hottest free agents in recent memory after Professional Fighters League (PFL) granted him his release, Donn Davis isn’t too sure it will be the last fighter who wants out.
While the PFL boss would love nothing more than to hold on to as many Bellator fighters as possible after he announced that the company would be absorbed into the PFL ranks as one promotion, he knows there may be some who will want to look for other opportunities.
And he, for one, won’t hold them back.
During a recent interview with MMA Fighting, Davis spoke about the ever-growing changes going on in his promotion (more on that here and here) and specifically talked about the possibility of losing more of the top Bellator stars who may not be on board with the move.
“I believe yes [Patchy Mix will stay with PFL this year],” Davis said. “I think Patchy is going to be happy, I think Corey Anderson is going to be happy, I think fighters are going to be very, very happy. But once again, if they’re not, we’re going to help them get the solution they want that’s not here.
“This isn’t MMA prison camp, this is opportunity camp. So if fighters don’t want to be here and they believe they can do better elsewhere, it doesn’t help us to have them here. It doesn’t help us. We have a pipeline of incredible fighters.”
Mix — the last man to hold the bantamweight belt for Bellator — was one of the fighters who asked his release from the promotion a few weeks back due to inactivity, but there is no word on whether or not his tune has changed now that PFL will merge both companies into one. As far as Davis is concerned, hanging on to Mix is a top priority.
“Patchy is a star. We love him. I want him here. Any other fighter, we want him here. Am I super confident that this noise is a blip and this noise will go away? I am. But might there be another fighter that is unhappy and wants to go? There might be and we’ll accommodate that.”
Some of the current fighters on the Bellator roster have already dipped their toes inside the Octagon, so going back may not be their top option. But for combatants such as Pitbull and Mix, who have yet to fights under the UFC banner, that could be their top destination.