Tag: Donn Davis

Donn Davis Lists ‘5 Bad Things’ That Happened To PFL In 2024: ‘Bellator Star Fighters Complained…’

The PFL had some major highlights throughout 2024 from the debut of Francis Ngannou to the rise of one of the promotion’s new focal points, Dakota Ditcheva. However, the year also provided them with some difficult challenges, some of which are yet to be dealt with now that 2025 is underway. PFL founder Donn Davis […]

The PFL had some major highlights throughout 2024 from the debut of Francis Ngannou to the rise of one of the promotion’s new focal points, Dakota Ditcheva. However, the year also provided them with some difficult challenges, some of which are yet to be dealt with now that 2025 is underway.

PFL founder Donn Davis spoke about this in a recent post on LinkedIn which has attracted the wrong kind of attention. In an effort to show the other side to what most business owners put out there on social media, Davis listed “5 bad things that happened to PFL in 2024.”

The majority of the post references things that happened behind the scenes which fight fans wouldn’t have known about as Davis talks through some of the issues that they have experienced that come with running a company of this scale. He reveals how throughout 2024, they have had to battle potential investors wasting their time, an advertiser deal breaking down, the costs of international expansion into new regions and a delay in the promotion’s plans which was caused by one of their partners.

It is the third entry in the list that is particularly of note as unlike the other problems, this one has taken place in the public eye. The PFL’s acquisition of Bellator has certainly led to the promotion having a better product overall when it comes to the talent on their roster but keeping everyone busy and happy has been a major issue with several big names openly voicing their issues with the way that they have been treated.

Davis made reference to this in his post where he appeared to criticize these fighters for making claims which have damaged the promotion’s public perception.

“Some Bellator star fighters complained on social media about not fighting, making PFL look like not meet our contracts.”

PFL Founder Calls For ‘Less Noise & Disinformation’ In 2025 Amid Fighter Complaints

PFL founder and chairman Donn Davis continues to battle what he’s branded “disinformation” in the mixed martial arts community. 2024 turned out to be a mixed year for the Professional Fighters League, a promotion that entered it off the back of acquiring rival organization Bellator MMA. While that brought across prominent champions and plenty of […]

PFL founder and chairman Donn Davis continues to battle what he’s branded “disinformation” in the mixed martial arts community.

2024 turned out to be a mixed year for the Professional Fighters League, a promotion that entered it off the back of acquiring rival organization Bellator MMA.

While that brought across prominent champions and plenty of notable fighters, the past 12 months have been littered with issues relating to the merger, from complaints over unpaid medical expenses from before the PFL purchased Bellator to canceled events.

The ultimately failed Bellator Champions Series didn’t produce the number of cards or title fights that were laid out at the start of last year, leaving champions like Patricio Freire and Patchy Mix without their desired level of activity. Both have even publicly requested their releases.

PFL higher-ups haven’t spoken on the complaints from ex-Bellator athletes in recent times. Davis, for one, has instead continued to tout his promotion’s achievements in 2024 and dismiss any suggestion that fighters have been left in the cold.

And in his latest post, the 62-year-old commented on another seemingly disgruntled Bellator name, Aaron Pico.

During a recent interview with MMA Junkie, Pico’s manager stated that his man is now a free agent entering 2025 and is looking for regular fights having not competed since the PFL vs. Bellator event 11 months ago.

But despite inactivity seemingly bothering the 28-year-old featherweight, Davis claimed a “major” deal and title fight is on the table for Pico.

“2025 hopefully brings less MMA noise and disinformation,” Davis wrote, before addressing Pico’s situation. “@PFLMMA? has offered Pico title fight and major new contract … We love Aaron and look forward to him having big fights at #PFL for the long-term.”

Pico was expected to challenge “Pitbull” on New Year’s Eve before that became the latest event to fall by the wayside.

It remains to be seen what will come next for the decorated wrestler, who has won his last three fights opposite James Gonzalez, Pedro Carvalho, and James Kennedy.

PFL Founder Calls For ‘Less Noise & Disinformation’ In 2025 Amid Fighter Complaints

PFL founder and chairman Donn Davis continues to battle what he’s branded “disinformation” in the mixed martial arts community. 2024 turned out to be a mixed year for the Professional Fighters League, a promotion that entered it off the back of acquiring rival organization Bellator MMA. While that brought across prominent champions and plenty of […]

PFL founder and chairman Donn Davis continues to battle what he’s branded “disinformation” in the mixed martial arts community.

2024 turned out to be a mixed year for the Professional Fighters League, a promotion that entered it off the back of acquiring rival organization Bellator MMA.

While that brought across prominent champions and plenty of notable fighters, the past 12 months have been littered with issues relating to the merger, from complaints over unpaid medical expenses from before the PFL purchased Bellator to canceled events.

The ultimately failed Bellator Champions Series didn’t produce the number of cards or title fights that were laid out at the start of last year, leaving champions like Patricio Freire and Patchy Mix without their desired level of activity. Both have even publicly requested their releases.

PFL higher-ups haven’t spoken on the complaints from ex-Bellator athletes in recent times. Davis, for one, has instead continued to tout his promotion’s achievements in 2024 and dismiss any suggestion that fighters have been left in the cold.

And in his latest post, the 62-year-old commented on another seemingly disgruntled Bellator name, Aaron Pico.

During a recent interview with MMA Junkie, Pico’s manager stated that his man is now a free agent entering 2025 and is looking for regular fights having not competed since the PFL vs. Bellator event 11 months ago.

But despite inactivity seemingly bothering the 28-year-old featherweight, Davis claimed a “major” deal and title fight is on the table for Pico.

“2025 hopefully brings less MMA noise and disinformation,” Davis wrote, before addressing Pico’s situation. “@PFLMMA? has offered Pico title fight and major new contract … We love Aaron and look forward to him having big fights at #PFL for the long-term.”

Pico was expected to challenge “Pitbull” on New Year’s Eve before that became the latest event to fall by the wayside.

It remains to be seen what will come next for the decorated wrestler, who has won his last three fights opposite James Gonzalez, Pedro Carvalho, and James Kennedy.

PFL Founder Calls For ‘Less Noise & Disinformation’ In 2025 Amid Fighter Complaints

PFL founder and chairman Donn Davis continues to battle what he’s branded “disinformation” in the mixed martial arts community. 2024 turned out to be a mixed year for the Professional Fighters League, a promotion that entered it off the back of acquiring rival organization Bellator MMA. While that brought across prominent champions and plenty of […]

PFL founder and chairman Donn Davis continues to battle what he’s branded “disinformation” in the mixed martial arts community.

2024 turned out to be a mixed year for the Professional Fighters League, a promotion that entered it off the back of acquiring rival organization Bellator MMA.

While that brought across prominent champions and plenty of notable fighters, the past 12 months have been littered with issues relating to the merger, from complaints over unpaid medical expenses from before the PFL purchased Bellator to canceled events.

The ultimately failed Bellator Champions Series didn’t produce the number of cards or title fights that were laid out at the start of last year, leaving champions like Patricio Freire and Patchy Mix without their desired level of activity. Both have even publicly requested their releases.

PFL higher-ups haven’t spoken on the complaints from ex-Bellator athletes in recent times. Davis, for one, has instead continued to tout his promotion’s achievements in 2024 and dismiss any suggestion that fighters have been left in the cold.

And in his latest post, the 62-year-old commented on another seemingly disgruntled Bellator name, Aaron Pico.

During a recent interview with MMA Junkie, Pico’s manager stated that his man is now a free agent entering 2025 and is looking for regular fights having not competed since the PFL vs. Bellator event 11 months ago.

But despite inactivity seemingly bothering the 28-year-old featherweight, Davis claimed a “major” deal and title fight is on the table for Pico.

“2025 hopefully brings less MMA noise and disinformation,” Davis wrote, before addressing Pico’s situation. “@PFLMMA? has offered Pico title fight and major new contract … We love Aaron and look forward to him having big fights at #PFL for the long-term.”

Pico was expected to challenge “Pitbull” on New Year’s Eve before that became the latest event to fall by the wayside.

It remains to be seen what will come next for the decorated wrestler, who has won his last three fights opposite James Gonzalez, Pedro Carvalho, and James Kennedy.

“Those Guys F*cking Suck” – Former Bellator Fighter Absolutely Shreds “Sh*tty A**” PFL

"Those Guys F*cking Suck" - Former Bellator Fighter Absolutely Shreds "Sh*tty A**" PFLFor a company that claims to put fighters first, the PFL certainly seems to have pissed off a lot…

"Those Guys F*cking Suck" - Former Bellator Fighter Absolutely Shreds "Sh*tty A**" PFL

For a company that claims to put fighters first, the PFL certainly seems to have pissed off a lot of them.

In November 2023, the Professional Fighters League announced that it had purchased Bellator MMA, folding the promotion’s entire roster into its own in an attempt to further compete with the UFC. Thus far, the PFL has run six events with the Bellator name attached, including a PFL vs. Bellator card in 2024 that pitted top stars from the two organizations against one another.

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Unfortunately, the promotion rubbed a lot of fighters the wrong way when it canceled events in Chicago, Paris, and Japan that were scheduled to go down between October and December 2024.

Since then, multiple fighters have expressed their frustration with how the PFL is handling the merger and its failure to properly manage its massive roster. Patricio Pitbull, Corey ‘Overtime’ Anderson, and Patchy Mix are just a few PFL contracted fighters who have slammed the organization in recent months.

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Now you can add former Bellator standout Sabah Homasi to the list of fighters speaking out.

Though no longer with the organization, ‘The Punisher’ was more than willing to share his candid thoughts on the promotion now that he’s exited the PFL in favor of a more fighter-friendly company — Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship.

“[The past year] wasn’t the greatest, let’s just say that,” Homasi told MMA Fighting. “We ended on a great note. That’s all that matters. Between PFL acquiring Bellator, which was super shitty, and just not fighting for over a year. That was the worst part. Whatever, we’re back on track.

“It was amazing [working with BKFC]. They welcomed me with open arms. I talked a lot with everybody upon arrival and checking in and on fight night, it was the weirdest thing ever, I had no nerves. Before the fight started I got into the ring and I looked at my guys in the corner and I’m like guys, I’m too calm right now. It’s scary how calm I am. I was just in my element. Just comfortable being where I’m at. [BKFC president] Dave Feldman’s a great guy. Met him, chopped it up with him a bit.

“He’s amazing. I’m looking forward to my future with BKFC. It feels good to be a part of an organization that actually takes care of their fighters. Not like f*cking sh*tty ass PFL.”

Homasi made his BKFC debut at the promotion’s December 21 event in Hollywood and scored himself a 62-second knockout of Eduardo Peralta.

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Homasi calls PFL’s acquisition of Bellator the ‘worst thing to happen in mMA today’

Despite PFL co-founder Donn Davis’ promise that “all of them are coming over” in regards to Bellator fighters remaining on the roster following the merger, Homasi says that dozens of fighters were shown the door almost immediately.

“I literally called it,” Homasi said. “I told everybody. I said it before it happened. I said this would be the worst thing to happen in MMA today. It f*cking happened. They did a huge disservice to veteran fighters on their roster. They cut over 100 people. 100 high-level fighters. It’s like where are these guys going to go fight?”

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Obviously, Homasi isn’t shy about sharing his poor experience with the promotion and is more than willing to offer a word of advice to fighters either under contract with the PFL or those considering signing with the promotion.

“As soon as PFL came into the picture and they acquired Bellator, those guys are a bunch of f*cking jokes,” Homasi said. “They don’t know how to run a f*cking show. I feel like they came into MMA and they wanted to become popular and be around a bunch of fighters, who the f*ck knows. But those guys f*cking suck. They don’t know how to run an MMA organization. They put on shows and there’s no one in the godd*mn stands.

“I did an interview after the fight, I said listen my advice to fighters in PFL or anyone considering signing with PFL, get it while there’s still water in the well because that f*cking well is going to run dry. That’s it.”

PFL Founder Rejects Bellator Fighter Complaints, Insists Promotion Did ‘Best They Could’ In 2024

2024 has provided some problems for the PFL that they haven’t had to deal with in the past. Despite having the PFL debut of Francis Ngannou and some great performances on the 2024 World Championships card, a lot of the talk surrounding the promotion as of late has revolved around the fighters that haven’t been […]

2024 has provided some problems for the PFL that they haven’t had to deal with in the past. Despite having the PFL debut of Francis Ngannou and some great performances on the 2024 World Championships card, a lot of the talk surrounding the promotion as of late has revolved around the fighters that haven’t been in action.

Following the acquisition of Bellator last year, the PFL was always going to have to work out how to keep a huge amount of new fighters on the roster busy and happy. This has not been the case for some of the top names in the promotion including Bellator champions like Patrício Pitbull, Cris Cyborg and Patchy Mix who have all complained about not being as active as they would like.

In a recent social media post, PFL founder Donn Davis hit back at some of the criticisms by stating that the promotion always has and always will offer each athlete the opportunity to compete twice per calendar year. It is also worth noting that the following post was edited with a slight change to the wording.

The post originally read that the PFL did “a good job” before it was later changed to state that the promotion did the “best we could”.

“PFL has ALWAYS provided all fighters 2 fights a year … When we acquired Bellator THEY had ZERO fight events scheduled for their Bellator 210 fighters in 2024. @PFLMMA stepped in and did best we could for them in 2024 … 2025 ALL fighters again 2 fights a year!”

Cyborg, who is the Bellator featherweight champion, has been one of the most vocal about her issues with the PFL but this has quietened down since her fight with Larissa Pacheco in October. The Brazilian icon responded to Davis’ post and showed her support for the promotion.

Pitbull, on the other hand, has made his mind up that he wishes to be released from the promotion so that he can go and fight elsewhere after going public with his complaints. He also responded and disputed some of the claims made by Davis.