Over the past five years, the PFL has rapidly expanded, solidifying its position as a global mixed martial arts powerhouse.
PFL
While much of the PFL’s growth can be credited to its unique season-based format and a strong roster featuring top combat sports athletes, another key driver of its success lies with the individuals working behind the scenes and in the front office, whose contributions have been instrumental in the league’s rise.
Loren Mack
One of those individuals is Senior Vice President Loren Mack, who joined the company in 2020. A long-time executive in sports and entertainment. Mack’s relentless drive has played a major role in the organization’s rise and has helped push the PFL to the top of the competitive world.
Mack has long been part of the MMA industry, having worked in the Ultimate Fighting Championship in the early years of the promotion’s time under ZUFFA. During his stint with the UFC, Mack saw the company take off in popularity following the now-legendary first season of The Ultimate Fighter. From there, he witnessed the company’s sustained growth, gaining an understanding of what it takes for an MMA promotion to become successful.
As he did with the UFC, Mack helped Cayman Island-based promotion ONE Championship into an impressive “golden era” and become the backbone of MMA in Asia. The past few years have been quite difficult for ONE Championship, however, as the promotion has lost a number of its marquee names and most popular champions. The promotion’s distribution is also quite tiny, and a number of their top talents have also been released due to a lack of opportunities to fight.
On top of this, ONE also had to deal with setbacks leading to layoffs in the organization’s offices.
Mack, who had left ONE Championship, saw that he had a real opportunity to make an impact with the PFL following an unexpected hour-long conversation with entrepreneur and business savant Donn Davis, founder and chairman of the league. The rest, as they say, is history.
Since coming on board, Mack has been a crucial part of some of the PFL’s most significant expansions, including breaking into markets in Europe, the Middle East and North Africa, Africa, and Asia. During this time, the PFL has also brought in some of the most high-profile names in combat sports.
“We’ve brought in stars like Jake Paul, Francis Ngannou, Aspen Ladd, Shane Burgos, Amanda Serrano, Savannah Marshall, and we even re-signed Claressa Shields,” Mack said. “Those are some of the absolute biggest names in the combat sports world, and all of them will be competing inside the PFL SmartCage.”
More recently, the PFL has also made even more groundbreaking moves including the landmark purchase of Bellator MMA, securing a long-term broadcast partnership with ESPN, and expanding its global reach to over 160 countries globally — including recent deals in Japan and South America.
Mack’s strategic approach has helped the PFL become a global MMA powerhouse and a legitimate destination for fighters who aspire to showcase their talents on the global stage.
“Finally, the sport of MMA has two world-class promotions in the PFL and the UFC. Having two global platforms that elevate the sport benefits not just the fans, but the fighters as well,” Mack stated. “As we continue to grow, innovate, and reimagine MMA, we have placed emphasis on engaging fans all year long through impactful storytelling and unprecedented access to the sport, our fighters, and the action inside the cage”
Mack, alongside Davis and CEO Peter Murray, has helped steer the PFL to greater heights, as the league has distinguished itself from other MMA promotions through its innovative season-based format. Similar to other sports leagues that feature a regular season, playoffs, and championships. At the end of the global season, champions are crowned and awarded million-dollar purses.
“When you have some of the best fighters in the world competing for the biggest prize in MMA. there will always be opportunity for content, and that has been a huge factor in the growth of the PFL — not just as a brand, but as an organization as well,” Mack explained. With Mack and the PFL leadership team focused on expanding globally, the league is well-positioned to become a true competitor to the UFC.