Who Owns Professional Fighters League (PFL)?

The Professional Fighters League (PFL) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in New York. The company was founded in 2018 by venture capitalist Donn Davis. PFL is the only MMA organization with a sports-season format.

In Feb 2024, the league announced dates, locations, and weight classes for the first half of the 2024 PFL Regular Season. Fans can watch PFL fights live across ESPN, ESPN+, and ESPN Deportes in the US, via DAZN in Canada and Europe, and through premium sports channels globally. [1]

PFL is a global powerhouse in MMA and the fastest-growing sports league. Its format offers a regular season, playoffs, and championships yearly. Fighters can engage in five live fight franchises, including PFL League Season, PFL PPV Super Fights, PFL Challenger Series, PFL International Leagues, and Bellator. In Nov 2023, The Anthem in Washington, DC, hosted the 2023 PFL Championship event. Six fighters were crowned 2023 season division winners and awarded $1 million each. [2]

PFL is the world’s second-largest MMA brand globally on all key metrics. The league is streamed in 150 countries with 20 premium media distribution partners. In Nov 2023, PFL partnered with DUDE Wipes for the 2023 PFL World Championship. DUDE Wipes presented “The DUDE to Watch” pre-fight analysis and hosted “Party Poopers Sweepstakes,” where two lucky fans upgraded their tickets to the cage side. [3]

PFL was introduced in the US in 2018 before expanding globally. The company operates in North America, Europe, and Asia. In Feb 2024, PFL announced plans to launch PFL MENA in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, its second international league. Top MMA fighters from the Middle East and North Africa competed in a sport-season format across 4 live events when PFL MENA started in Apr 2024. But who owns PFL? [4]

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Who is PFL’s Owner?

Donn Davis is the PFL founder and co-owner. The company is backed by blue-chip investors, celebrities, CEOs, and sports team owners. They co-own PFL with Chairman Donn Davis. As of Feb 2024, PFL had 650 million fans worldwide. The company expects to be profitable by 2025. [5]

PFL relies on strategic collaborations and alliances to enhance viewers’ experience. In Mar 2024, the company extended its partnership with Westgate Resorts through 2026. They first launched the collaboration in 2023 to provide fans exclusive booking opportunities for the PFL regular season, playoffs, and world championship events across 10 US cities. The new deal extends the offerings to include extraordinary VIP packages in the US. [6]

PFL is one of the world’s fastest-growing sports leagues. The brand is expanding its market reach by partnering with leading regional TV stations. In Feb 2024, PFL signed multi-year partnerships with Europe’s TV Nova and Japanese video streaming platform U-NEXT.

TV Nova will be the exclusive PFL media partner in the Czech Republic and Slovakia from 2024 to 2025, while U-NEXT will become the home of PFL and Bellator in Japan. [7]

PFL is solidifying its position as the premiere destination for mixed martial arts. The league seeks to deliver immersive experiences to viewers globally. In Oct 2023, PFL announced a new strategic partnership with Dafabet for fans across Asia.

Dafabet will access PFL’s social assets and premium footage to offer a unique perspective on the league and its fighters’ journey in the MMA landscape. This collaboration expands PFL’s reach to more fans in the Asian region and enhances the viewing experience. [8]

PFL Ownership History

Donn Davis established PFL in 2018. Davis is the original PFL owner. However, the brand traces its history to 2012, when the World Series of Fighting (WSOF) was formed. Davis owned WSOF. In 2017, MMAX Investment Partners acquired WSOF and restructured it to create the Professional Fighters League (PFL), with owner Davis as the founder. The Hulu Theater in New York City hosted PFL’s inaugural event on Jun 7, 2018.

MMAX Investment’s members, Russ Ramsey, Mark Leschly, Ted Leonsis, Mark Lerner, and Glenn Youngkin, became PFL co-owners with Donn Davis. In Feb 2021, PFL raised $65 million in financing.

This funding round increased PFL’s total to $175 million and added Ares Capital, Elysian Park Ventures, and Knighthead Capital to PFL’s list of backers. Former NFL player Marshawn Lynch and rapper Wiz Khalifa became PFL investors in Apr 2021, and Legends Hospitality bought a minority stake in PFL Aug 2021 via a long-term partnership deal. [9]

PFL had raised $178 million as of Aug 2021. The company signed partnership deals with Rival Games and social platform Millions.co in Apr 2022. Rival Games created a gaming community for PFL, allowing fans to host tournaments.

In May 2022, PFL completed a $30 million equity round. The company used the funds to launch a new European league and expand its Pay-per-view division. PFL Europe started in 2023, with preliminary events in Cardiff, Wales, and London, England. [10]

Saudi-backed SRJ Sports Investments invested in PFL to ensure MMA events are held in Saudi Arabia. In Nov 2023, PFL bought rival MMA firm Bellator from Paramount Global for an undisclosed amount. Bellator became PFL’s fifth live fight franchise after PFL League Season, PFL PPV Super Fights, PFL Challenger Series, and PFL International Leagues. The acquisition reinforced PFL’s position as the world’s #2 MMA company. [11]

PFL Shareholder Structure

PFL is a private company offering mixed-martial arts (MMA) events. Co-founder Donn Davis is PFL’s chairman and co-owner. As of 2024, Davis was the company’s majority shareholder. Davis is also a co-owner of the Team Liquid e-sports team and a co-founder of Revolution, a venture capital firm that manages $1.5 billion in client assets.

He served as Chairman and CEO of Exclusive Resorts and Managing Partner of the Revolution Growth funds before establishing PFL. [12]

PFL is backed by blue-chip investors, including SRJ, Ares, Knighthead, Luxor Capital, Waverley Capital, and Elysian Park Ventures. MMAX Investment’s members, Russ Ramsey, Mark Leschly, Ted Leonsis, Mark Lerner, and Glenn Youngkin, launched PFL with Chairman Davis. These organizations and individuals have a stake in PFL.

A group consisting of Kevin Hart, Mark Burnett, and Tony Robbins invested in PFL in 2018. Other PFL shareholders include Blackstone director David Blitzer, rapper Wiz Khalifa, LS Power founder Ted Seagal, Ventas CEO Debra Cafaro, film producer Jimmy Iovine, and Riot Games co-founder Brandon Beck. In Aug 2023, Saudi-backed SRJ Sports Investments purchased a minority stake in PFL for $100 million. [13]

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