Tag: Donn Davis

PFL Chief Denies Bellator Fighter Entrapment: ‘This Isn’t an MMA Prison Camp’

PFL Chief Denies Bellator Fighter Entrapment: ‘This Isn’t an MMA Prison Camp’PFL co-founder Donn Davis isn’t forcing anyone to stick around. Earlier this month, Davis announced that he had granted…

PFL Chief Denies Bellator Fighter Entrapment: ‘This Isn’t an MMA Prison Camp’

PFL co-founder Donn Davis isn’t forcing anyone to stick around.

Earlier this month, Davis announced that he had granted Patricio Pitbull his release after the former Bellator titleholder expressed frustration over news that Bellator and all its fighters would be absorbed into the PFL brand as one promotion going forward.

Patricio Pitbull Freire holds two Bellator titles 1

During a recent interview with MMA Fighting, Davis spoke about the big changes coming to the PFL brand over the next year and the fact that some Bellator fighters may choose to test free agency rather than stick around.

“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.”

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Davis determined to keep patchy mix in PFL

Mix, the last man to hold the Bellator bantamweight belt, asked for his outright release from the PFL due to inactivity. Now that the PFL is merging its roster with Bellator, there’s no word yet on whether or not Mix will stick around to compete inside the Smart Cage, but it certainly sounds like retaining Mix’s services is a top priority for the PFL brass.

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“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.”

Mix is 20-1 in his mixed martial arts career and is currently sitting on a seven-fight win streak. His last appearance inside the cage came at Bellator Champions Series: Paris in May 2024 where he defeated Magomed Magomedov via unanimous decision.

PFL Founder Announces Jake Paul’s MMA Debut Likely For 2025

Jake Paul is finally set to make his much-anticipated MMA debut this year — 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 […]

Jake Paul is finally set to make his much-anticipated MMA debut this year — 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.

The YouTuber-turned-boxer has frequently hinted at stepping into the cage, teasing his MMA debut time and again. He’s even called out UFC icon Conor McGregor and other high-profile fighters for an MMA showdown.

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 Paul’s 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.”

Paul’s most recent appearance in the squared circle saw him face boxing icon Mike Tyson in a highly debated heavyweight showdown this past November, where he secured a unanimous decision victory over his 31-year senior opponent.

PFL Founder Reveals New “World Tournament” After Scrapping Season Format

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 […]

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 and therefore, it appears that a revamped format will instead focus on building fighters rather than having the best of the best face off with one another.

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:

First round: April 3, April 11, April 18, May 1

Semifinal: June 12, June 20, June 27

Finals: August 1, August 15, August 21

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.

Patricio Pitbull Calls Out Francis Ngannou Over PFL Deal Dilemmas: ‘Will You Ever Speak Up for Us?’

Patricio Pitbull Calls Out Francis Ngannou Over PFL Deal Dilemmas: 'Will You Ever Speak Up for Us?'Free at last, free at least. Patricio Pitbull is free at last. And he’s got a few parting words…

Patricio Pitbull Calls Out Francis Ngannou Over PFL Deal Dilemmas: 'Will You Ever Speak Up for Us?'

Free at last, free at least. Patricio Pitbull is free at last. And he’s got a few parting words for the PFL and its top star, Francis Ngannou.

A day after Ariel Helwani broke the news that the Bellator brand would no longer be used by the Professional Fighters League, the promotion announced that it had officially released the most decorated fighter in the now-defunct organization’s history.

After news of Pitbull’s departure from the PFL started making the rounds, the former two-division champion absolutely shredded PFL co-founder Donn Davis and the sketchy business practices of a company that claims to always put fighters first.

“[PFL] is cutting a bunch of fighters and forcing others to take pay cuts of up to 70%,” Pitbull posted on X. “No respect for fighter contracts and what they’ve accomplished… The self-called fighters first organization is also changing its contracts so it’s almost impossible for fighters to be free agents and to leave on free agency.

“Also tying down fighters payments for many years and taking away all their leverage… The self-called co-leader in MMA is ghosting some fighters/ managers and leaving them with no answers while the owner makes silly and disrespectful posts on social media.”

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Patricio Pitbull calls for Ngannou’s help in building a fighter’s union

Pitbull also took aim at Ngannou, who signed a ground-breaking deal with the PFL in mid-2023 making him one of the highest paid fighters in all of mixed martial arts. ‘The Predator’ was also added to the promotion’s global advisory board to advocate for the best interest of every fighter on the roster.

“Hey @francis_ngannou are you aware of all the absurd things PFL is doing to fighters and putting on the new contracts?” Pitbull wrote. “Will you ever speak up for us? I’m thinking it’s time we start a PFL Fighters Union. What do you think?”

While Pitbull has been granted his outright release from the PFL, Pitbull later noted that the promotion still retains matching rights, meaning that the PFL could match any offer he receives from a rival promotion, thus re-signing him.

Patricio Pitbull Freire holds two Bellator titles

Donn Davis Causes A Stir By Claiming Bellator Fighters ‘Got Way More Fights’ Than PFL Counterparts In 2024

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 […]

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 — 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.

And after previously insisting he and his colleagues did “the best” they could, Davis’ latest comments have once again failed to take the likes of “Pitbull” and Mix’s thoughts seriously.

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.

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 — to say the least.

PFL Announces Major Change To Ruleset For 2025: ‘You Asked For…’

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 […]

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”