Tag: Donn Davis

PFL founder Donn Davis laments blown opportunity to book Kayla Harrison vs. Cris Cyborg fight

PFL founder Donn Davis laments missed opportunity to book Kayla Harrison vs. Cris Cyborg fightPFL founder Donn Davis was disappointed to lose Kayla Harrison but remains confident that the promotion will get along…

PFL founder Donn Davis laments missed opportunity to book Kayla Harrison vs. Cris Cyborg fight

PFL founder Donn Davis was disappointed to lose Kayla Harrison but remains confident that the promotion will get along just fine without her.

After securing her 16th career win against Aspen Ladd at the 2023 PFL World Championships last year, Davis was under the impression that Harrison had one more fight on her contract. Then suddenly, his star was gone. The two-time Olympic gold medalist unceremoniously walked away from the PFL to sign with the UFC. Scheduled to make her promotional debut on April 13 at UFC 300, Harrison is set to square off with former bantamweight women’s champion Holly Holm.

Holly Holm vs. Kayla Harrison

Speaking on Harrison’s exit during an appearance on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, Davis offered his honest take on what happened between the two parties and his reaction to losing their biggest star.

“I don’t know,” Davis said. “And I talked to Kayla, and I believe Kayla and I have a very good relationship, and I don’t know [what happened]. So I can only speculate and I don’t really like to speculate about things that are about other people.

“So one, I don’t know, and two, I’m disappointed. So I think – unlike Dana [White] when he talks about other fighters, tends to be negative if they leave, tends to be negative if they don’t do what UFC wants them to do – here, I’m disappointed. PFL, in six years, has never lost a fighter, and remember, in year one and year two and year three, PFL was not a strong company. We’re a new company, so there were many reasons for fighters to leave and they never did. Now, did we release up fighters? Yes. Did we upgrade fighters? Yes, because we were always getting better. Never had a fighter leave, so this is the first time in six years.

“And ironically, PFL had never been stronger and the matchups we had for Kayla Harrison, were better than the matchups she was going to get at UFC. She was going to fight Cris Cyborg, which I believe is the biggest fight available in the women’s division possible. It’s a legacy, career statement fight for her. [Then] Larisa Pacheco, who beat her fair and square. So Kayla’s, call it next two to three fights at PFL are harder than they are at UFC, are bigger than they are at UFC. So I don’t know. I really can’t explain her motivations for leaving, and I was disappointed.”

Making her PFL debut in 2018, Kayla Harrison amassed an impressive 16-1 record with all, but one of her fights coming inside the Smart Cage. Despite coming up short for the first time against Larissa Pacheco in the 2022 PFL women’s lightweight final, Harrison was still primed for a clash with reigning Bellator women’s featherweight champion Cris Cyborg.

The fight was all, but guaranteed after the PFL absorbed Bellator late last year, but with Harrison’s move to the UFC, there’s a strong possibility that we will never see Harrison vs. Cyborg come to fruition.

Will Kayla Harrison ever fight Cris Cyborg?

Donn Davis believes the PFL will get along just fine without Kayla Harrison

It’s an unfortunate realization for Davis, but he remains confident that the promotion will move forward and establish itself as the co-leader of mixed martial arts in the coming years rather than continuing to be a distant second to Dana White and Co.

“That being said, because PFL has never been stronger – 80 fighters ranked in the top 25, 33 fighters ranked in the top 15 – we’re fine,” Davis explained. “It’s almost like when people post about UFC, they’re always fine if Connor’s not fighting this year or something like that. So our brand, our ratings, our financials, zero impact to Kayla not being here.

“But personally, I don’t like when any fighter leaves. So I wish she was here.”

Kayla Harrison

PFL founder Donn Davis reveals Francis Ngannou will fight in 2024, confirms Cyborg vs. Pacheco

PFL founder Donn Davis reveals Francis Ngannou will fight in 2024, confirms Cyborg vs. PachecoWith Francis Ngannou coming up short in his second professional boxing match, PFL founder Donn Davis expects the former…

PFL founder Donn Davis reveals Francis Ngannou will fight in 2024, confirms Cyborg vs. Pacheco

With Francis Ngannou coming up short in his second professional boxing match, PFL founder Donn Davis expects the former UFC champion to make his PFL debut no later than September of this year.

It’s been a year since Ngannou put pen to paper, signing a ground-breaking deal with the Professional Fighters League. During that time, the Cameroonian stepped inside the squared circle with both Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua, going 0-2 in the process. It now appears as though Ngannou will head back to the world of MMA for a showdown with the 2023 PFL heavyweight tournament winner in just a few short months.

Francis Ngannou

“Will it be as early as July? Maybe. Will it be as late as September? No later, but you’ll see Francis now in 2024 in the PFL against [Renan Ferreira] what I believe is the fight I’m looking forward to the most in the heavyweight division in all of MMA,” Davis said during a recent appearance on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani.

Cris Cyborg vs. Larissa Pacheco will also feature alongside francis ngannou’s pFL debut

Offering some additional details about the event itself, Davis revealed that current Bellator featherweight champion Cris Cyborg will make her promotional debut in the co-main event against the two-time PFL champion Larissa Pacheco.

“That will be a pay-per-view fight,” Davis added. “That event will also have Cris Cyborg vs. Larissa Pacheco as the co-main event. That card will also have Cedric Doumbe against somebody we will announce. So that is going to be big just because of Francis, but it will have other compelling matchups on it.”

Cris Cyborg and Larissa Pacheco

Davis added that the card will take place in Riyadh. No other details were offered, but the event will likely emanate from Kingdom Arena — the same venue that hosted the PFL vs. Bellator event on February 24.

Ngannou’s expected opponent, Renan Ferreira, earned the opportunity to welcome ‘The Predator’ to the PFL by dispatching Bellator heavyweight champion Ryan Bader in just 21 seconds last month in Saudi Arabia.

Ferreira vs. Bader

Exclusive – Luke Thomas insists ‘It’s Not Possible’ for PFL to compete with the UFC: ‘It Cannot Be Done’

Luke Thomas on PFL vs. UFCLuke Thomas doesn’t see any possible way for the PFL to compete with the UFC. 2023 was a fairly…

Luke Thomas on PFL vs. UFC

Luke Thomas doesn’t see any possible way for the PFL to compete with the UFC.

2023 was a fairly big year for the Professional Fighters League. The promotion made headlines when they announced their blockbuster signing of former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou. In addition, the PFL inked a deal with social media star Jake Paul and Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund acquired a minority stake in the promotion.

Of course, the biggest bit of PFL news came when founder Donn Davis revealed that they had acquired Bellator MMA and all the talent signed to the Scott Coker-led fight company.

Speaking with Mike Owens in a LowKick MMA exclusive interview, Morning Kombat’s Luke Thomas suggested that all of these big-money moves could translate to success in the new year, but believes the PFL’s biggest obstacle will be getting eyes on their product and fans in the arena, particularly stateside.

“I think there’s a lot of potential. We don’t really know if Francis is gonna fight in MMA in 2024,” Thomas said. “I tend to think he probably doesn’t, but even if he ends up fighting a nobody, that’s still better than what the PFL has. Obviously, it’d be better if they had a second name. It takes two names to promote a pay-per-view and they don’t have that right now, but something that could potentially be great for them is Jake Paul fighting on that card against somebody that people care about like Dillon Danis. That could be potentially big for them.

“Putting together some kind of event where they could pull 10,000 or 20,000 people. They pulled 20,000 when they went to France. They’ve pulled good cards when they went to the 3Arena [in Dublin], but in the United States, I went to one in my hometown, Washington D.C. and they had less than 3,000. And they were pretty happy with that. It’s tough to draw here.

“If they can solve that problem, that would be great. If they can get their numbers solidly above 400,000 viewers… They typically hover at 300,000 or below and sometimes below 200,000. That has to categorically change.”

Luke Thomas Believes ‘Pure Luck’ is the only thing that will help the PFL

Following the announcement of PFL’s purchase of Bellator, Donn Davis suggested that his promotion will eventually be a co-leader in the world of MMA, sharing the throne that the UFC currently occupies all by its lonesome.

Aside from a few extenuating circumstances, Thomas doesn’t see any future where the PFL can stand side-by-side with the UFC, let alone compete with the Las Vegas-based juggernaut.

“It is not possible for the PFL to compete with the UFC,” Thomas continued. “It is actually in the real world, not possible. It cannot be done. There is nothing that they can do to bridge that gap. So when we’re talking about a successful 2024 for them, I think getting a little bit of luck. Somebody defecting inside the ranks of the UFC. That would be just pure luck. That would be good.

“The court case, the antitrust case [against the UFC], if that ends up having an effect, and of course, there could be challenges to any kind of verdict that goes against the UFC, but nevertheless, opening up that possibility of what that could mean. There’s just a lot of ways that… Here’s the reality, folks. Unless the United States Congress gets involved by passing the Muhammad Ali Act to MMA, or this antitrust case really railroads the UFC, or there is some kind of internal scandal that just makes the UFC collapse overnight, there is nothing that PFL, Bellator, ONE, or any other competitor out there can do to actually compete with the UFC.”

Thomas hopes that the PFL can continue to grow and show signs of further success in 2024, even it if means only being a distant second to the empire that Dana White has helped build.

“I hope PFL has a great 2024. They could have a much better 2024 than 2023 and 2023 was a good year for them, all things being what they were, but ultimately, I am telling you how this movie ends,” he concluded.

Watch the full exclusive interview with Luke Thomas:

UFC CEO Dana White roasts the PFL’s Acquisition of an ‘Organization that sells no tickets and nobody watches’

Dana WhiteDana White doesn’t think much of the PFL’s acquisition of Bellator MMA. Last month, Donn Davis, the proprietor of…

Dana White

Dana White doesn’t think much of the PFL’s acquisition of Bellator MMA.

Last month, Donn Davis, the proprietor of the Professional Fighter’s League, ended months of speculation when he officially announced that his company would merge with Bellator, creating a new powerhouse in the world of mixed martial arts, or so Davis says.

Fight fans are undoubtedly excited to see PFL champions mix it up with Bellator champions next year, and even White appeared to offer Davis and Co. a word of encouragement following the UFC’s latest event in The Lone Star State on Saturday night.

“Good for them,” White said at the UFC Austin post-fight press conference. “I wish them all the luck in the world.”

Just in case you thought White was being genuine, the outspoken UFC CEO made his feelings on the merger quite clear in a follow-up comment.

“One sh*tty organization that sells no tickets and nobody watches buys another sh*tty organization that sells no tickets and nobody watched,” White added. “Sounds like a f*cking winner to me, boy. Right? Woo. Go, guys.”

Donn Davis Convinced that Dana White is ‘Worried’ About the PFL

Following news of the acquisition, Donn Davis suggested that Dana White is “worried” about what the PFL can bring to the table with the Bellator talent on board.

“Everybody knows Dana well enough that he only dismisses things that worry him, or else he just doesn’t comment,” Davis said on The MMA Hour. “He didn’t comment on the PFL for four years, ‘cause he wasn’t worried. He’s commented on the PFL a lot the last six months – [he’s] worried.”

He added,“It’s just a matter of time before … we’re not No. 2 – we’re a co-leader,” Davis said in November. “[White] doesn’t want that. That’s what’s going on.”

Dana White doesn’t seem all that concerned to us, but only time will tell.

PFL Founder Donn Davis Accuses Nate Diaz of ‘Weaseling’ out of Jake Paul Rematch: ‘He’s hiding behind a rock’

Nate DiazPFL founder Donn Davis revealed that ex-UFC star Nate Diaz has a standing offer of $10-15 million to fight…

Nate Diaz

PFL founder Donn Davis revealed that ex-UFC star Nate Diaz has a standing offer of $10-15 million to fight social media star Jake Paul inside the Smart Cage.

In August, Diaz made his professional boxing debut against ‘The Problem Child’ in an entertaining ten-round scrap that ultimately saw Paul come out on top via a unanimous decision, scoring his seventh career win in the squared circle. Immediately following the bout, the ‘Stockton Samurai’ seemed keen on running it back in MMA with the Professional Fighters League playing the role of host.

Appearing on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, the PFL chairman confirmed that Diaz vs. Paul is a fight the promotion hopes to deliver in 2024, but suggested that the TUF alumnus is actively ducking the fight.

“If we could ever put together Jake vs. Nate… If Nate would stop weaseling out and complaining about an MMA fight with Jake,” Davis said. “Something like that to put the mind of Jake Paul, creatively, against the technology available. Wow. So, it’s not just about the spectacle of the circle. That’s ten percent of it. The creative technology of the graphics and the engagement and the immersion is 90 percent. So you need to put creative minds against it. Not just a great event.”

PFL Offers Nate Diaz the ‘Biggest Payday of His Life’

Asked to elaborate on his comment, Davis revealed that Diaz has a $10-15 million offer on the table to fight Jake Paul in the PFL. All he has to do is come out from behind his rock and sign on the dotted line.

“I respect Nate because he’s the people’s champ,” Davis added. “He’s a man’s man. He’s standup as all standup, but he said I’ll do it in the PFL Smart Cage after the fight [with Jake Paul]. He’s got a standing offer between $10-15 million and he’s hiding behind a rock.”

Diaz reportedly took home a $500,000 payday for his scrap with Jake Paul inside the squared circle earlier this year, but that number may have tripled after his share of the pay-per-view revenue rolled in. Still, if Davis is to be believed, Nate Diaz could see the biggest payday of his life should he choose to come out of the woodwork and take the offer.

“$10-15 million. Biggest payday of his life,” Davis continued. “He gets beat by Jake and he’s hiding behind a rock.”

PFL Founder Claims Ngannou vs. Ferreira Viewership Outperformed ‘Every UFC Event This Year’

PFL founder and chairman Donn Davis has claimed that there isn’t a UFC event in 2024 that generated the kind of viewership his promotion’s latest pay-per-view did. The Professional Fighters League returned to PPV this past weekend when Riyadh, Saudi Arabia played host to Battle of the Giants. The event was topped by two inaugural […]

Continue Reading PFL Founder Claims Ngannou vs. Ferreira Viewership Outperformed ‘Every UFC Event This Year’ at MMA News.

PFL founder and chairman Donn Davis has claimed that there isn’t a UFC event in 2024 that generated the kind of viewership his promotion’s latest pay-per-view did.

The Professional Fighters League returned to PPV this past weekend when Riyadh, Saudi Arabia played host to Battle of the Giants. The event was topped by two inaugural super fight championships, which were won by MMA legends Francis Ngannou and Cris Cyborg.

With those two making their long-awaited returns to the cage in addition to Bellator gold being on the line between Johnny Eblen and Fabian Edwards, not to mention an exciting clash between Paul Hughes and AJ McKee, the Oct. 19 event was highly anticipated.

On that note, Davis recently conducted a Town Hall-style interview with MMA Fighting’s Mike Heck. The PFL chief took questions on a variety of topics from the mixed martial arts community, including some centered around the latest action inside the SmartCage.

When discussing how the event this past Saturday night performed, Davis made some bold claims. The PFL founder said his promotion’s research has shown that Battle of the Giants outperformed every event the UFC has put on this year in terms of viewership.

“I can’t answer the first question (how many PPV buys?). The second question (did it meet projected goals?), yes it did,” Davis said. “I actually made a post an hour ago…we actually provided eight viewership goals that we put out. Almost everything on this event, I put out one hour ago. What you will see is pretty astounding global audience numbers for this event.

“This event, by our research, beat every viewership number of every UFC event this year, and was very, very close to ‘Ring of Fire’ (Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk)…the biggest boxing event in five years,” Davis continued. “Overall, the same global viewership metrics of ‘Ring of Fire’. That was really something that was our stretch goal, and that’s what we achieved.”

As many pointed out in the comments below the PFL founder’s post on social media, the graphic doesn’t include viewership via pay-per-view on ESPN and DAZN and instead focuses on social media figures.

But Davis went on to explain why a changing landscape in the broadcast and media realm means PPV buys are no longer the be-all and end-all when determining the success of an event in terms of global viewership.

“Right now, economics flow a very different way. In the sports world, it used to be just PPV buys. But now, money is made many different ways,” Davis stated. “Sponsorship, social media, host fees; there’s an economical bundle that is very different now. So there’s many metrics that matter.”

It’s difficult to verify Davis’ claim without knowing the exact parameters used for social media engagement. But in terms of promotional accounts only, it’s worth noting that the most viewed post on the @PFLMMA account was Ngannou’s knockout of Ferreira, which accumulated 948,000 views.

That falls significantly short of @ufc numbers throughout the year, with one example being numerous posts during April’s UFC 300 event. Of note was a video of Max Holloway’s buzzer-beating KO of Justin Gaethje, which surpassed 7.8 million views.

Continue Reading PFL Founder Claims Ngannou vs. Ferreira Viewership Outperformed ‘Every UFC Event This Year’ at MMA News.