Professional Fighters League (PFL) News
Claressa Shields starts training at JacksonWink ahead of PFL debut in 2021
Cole Shelton - December 4, 2020
Claressa Shields has found an MMA camp ahead of her Professional Fighters League debut in 2021. Shields, who is arguably the best female boxer in the world shocked many when she signed with PFL. She will have non-tournament bouts in 2021 and is still allowed to box. Immediately after she signed with the promotion many wondered where she would train and it appears that will be JacksonWink.
10 women to watch in MMA in 2021
Tom Taylor - December 2, 2020
The ongoing coronavirus pandemic has made 2020 a very tough year for MMA, but 2021 looks like it could much better—particularly for the women’s side of the sport. As the 2021 calendar starts to fill up, a number of female fighters look poised for huge things, from the UFC’s Octagon, to the ONE Championship Circle, to the PFL and Bellator MMA cages.
Fabricio Werdum explains the secret to fighting into his 40s
Adam Martin - December 1, 2020
Former UFC heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum explained the secret to fighting into his 40s and still performing at a high level in MMA. Werdum is now 43 years old but he is still winning fights against elite opposition who are younger than him. In his last outing on Fight Island back in July, Werdum picked up a huge upset win when he submitted Alexander Gustafsson. After being left for dead following a decision loss to Aleksei Oleinik at UFC 249 this past May, Werdum showed that he still has plenty of gas left in the tank when he beat Gustafsson.
Claressa Shields signs with PFL
Adam Martin - November 30, 2020
Claressa Shields, a former Olympic gold medalist in boxing, is making the move to mixed martial arts and surprisingly has signed with PFL. Shields has been teasing a move to MMA for the last few years. In fact, she was a guest of UFC president Dana White at UFC 245 last December in Las Vegas. Many thought that after Amanda Nunes defended the UFC women’s bantamweight title against Germaine de Randamie that night that Shields could potentially be a future opponent. But that fight won’t be happening anytime soon with Shields now in PFL.
Kayla Harrison reveals advice she received from Ronda Rousey: "You need to have thicker skin"
Tom Taylor - November 26, 2020
PFL star Kayla Harrison has revealed a crucial piece of advice she received from former UFC champ Ronda Rousey earlier in her career. Like Rousey, Harrison is a former Olympic judoka who later turned her attention to mixed martial arts.
Ray Sefo says PFL has no interest signing Anderson Silva
Adam Martin - November 23, 2020
PFL president Ray Sefo says that his organization has no interest in signing former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva. Silva recently became a free agent when the UFC released him following a knockout loss to Uriah Hall on Halloween. Silva is now 45 years old and he has lost his last three fights, but he has vowed to continue to fight. “The Spider” recently took to social media and exclaimed that he finally feels free after being fully released by the UFC. It seems like Silva will soon be testing the free-agent market and see what is out there for him.
Fabricio Werdum signs with PFL
Adam Martin - November 16, 2020
Former UFC heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum has decided to take his talents to the Professional Fighters League as he’s signed with PFL. Werdum recently became a free agent after his UFC contract expired following a submission win over Alexander Gustafsson on Fight Island. Despite being 43 years old, Werdum received plenty of interest in free agency and it looked like he was bound to sign with Bellator rematch Fedor Emelianenko. However, Werdum on Monday announced that he has decided to sign with PFL and compete in its 2021 heavyweight tournament. The Brazilian hinted last week that he could sign with PFL, and now it’s official.
Fabricio Werdum says Bellator negotiations have stalled, now wants to fight for PFL
Tom Taylor - November 13, 2020
Former UFC heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum is now eyeing a spot on the PFL roster after negotiations with Bellator MMA fizzled out. Werdum, who parted ways with the UFC earlier this year, has recently been linked to a rematch with fellow heavyweight legend Fedor Emelianenko after the Bellator MMA banner.
PFL star Kayla Harrison to make featherweight debut in Invicta FC cage
Tom Taylor - November 9, 2020
South Korea's Sung Bin Jo hopes to draw in Asian-American fans as he takes his talents to PFL
bjpenndotcom - November 3, 2020
In his home country of South Korea, Sung Bin Jo is already a pretty big deal. The dashing 28-year old has looks that can rival any K-Pop star, and that has translated to gigs as an image model on television and magazine ads, as well as appearances on shows such as “Bad Papa” and “Cash Back”.
PFL to offer blockchain fan tokens through new partnership
bjpenndotcom - October 23, 2020
Professional Fighters League (PFL) today announced a global partnership with Socios.com, a leading blockchain fintech company in the sports space. This new partnership will see the PFL launch Fan Tokens, digital assets that provide fans with engagement opportunities – including voting rights and the chance to earn exclusive rewards, on blockchain-based fan voting and rewards app Socios.com, the “Official Fan Token Partner of the PFL.”
PFL announces date, broadcast details for start of 2021 season
Tom Taylor - October 20, 2020
The Professional Fighters League (PFL), the first organization to present MMA through a Regular Season, Playoffs and Championship format, today announced that the 2021 PFL Season will begin April 23 on ESPN2 in primetime. The remaining Regular Season events will take place on April 29, May 6, June 10, June 17, and June 25. PFL will begin its 2021 season a month early as the league makes its anticipated return to action. “We’re thrilled to announce an early start date for the 2021 PFL Season and we look forward to building on the positive momentum experienced in a historic first season on ESPN,” said PFL CEO Peter Murray. “In 2021, the PFL will deliver an elevated, immersive, and interactive fan viewing experience incorporating expanded, real-time fighter data and analytics from our proprietary SmartCage technology, behind-the-scenes access, the return of ref cam, and more. Our champions return looking to earn another title, while a fresh crop of exciting new fighters will challenge for the top spot in MMA. Additional contenders will be unveiled in the lead-up to what we believe will be the biggest season in PFL history.”
PFL announces multiple new signings, including several UFC veterans
Tom Taylor - October 8, 2020
The Professional Fighters League (PFL), has announced a host of exciting free agent signings for its 2021 season. The PFL, a fast-rising mixed martial arts promotion that features a one-of-a-kind regular season, playoffs, and championship format, announced its newest signings in a press release on Wednesday.
Peter Murray’s passion helps fuel PFL’s drive as elite MMA promotion
Tom Taylor - September 28, 2020
The executives behind the rapid growth of the Professional Fighters League all have an incredible story of their own to tell. Peter Murray is chief among those as the CEO for the promotion, which features a unique setup that sees fighters compete through regular season, playoffs and a championship format to come away with one of six million-dollar prizes.
PFL’s partnership with WAVE TV adds to already-impressive social media presence
Tom Taylor - September 25, 2020
MMA fans around the world continue to be given access to the Professional Fighters League as the promotion finds new and valuable ways to reach the masses. The latest is a partnership with WAVE.tv, a sports media company for today’s digital savvy fan, reaching more than 200 million users across Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, TikTok, Facebook, YouTube and other emerging digital platforms.
PFL CEO Peter Murray says leaving own company Insignia was the hardest decision he ever made
Tom Taylor - September 9, 2020
These days, Peter Murray is known as the head honcho for the Professional Fighters League (PFL), a fast-rising mixed martial arts promotion based in the United States that features a one-of-a-kind regular season, playoffs, and championship format. Prior to helping the PFL revolutionize the way the sport of mixed martial arts is presented however, Murray was already a creative force behind some of the biggest brands, companies, and agencies.
Randy Couture injured in ATV accident, will require surgery
Tom Taylor - September 8, 2020
Former UFC heavyweight and light heavyweight champion Randy Couture and his girlfriend Mindy Robinson were injured in an ATV accident on Monday, and the MMA legend will require surgery as a result. News of Couture’s accident was first reported by TMZ Sports.
Former UFC fighter Clay Collard says boxing is not a "permanent switch," opens up on PFL contract
Cole Shelton - August 26, 2020
Clay Collard is one of boxing’s biggest stars of 2020. The former UFC featherweight is signed to Top Rank boxing and has gone 5-0 in 2020 including a TKO win last Saturday. At the beginning of the year, he was being brought in to lose against some of Top Rank’s best-undefeated prospects. Yet, Collard won the fights and is now getting pushed by the ESPN boxing promotion.
PFL launches free OTT platform, will provide year-round premium content
Tom Taylor - August 5, 2020
The Professional Fighters League (PFL) will bring the action closer to fans once again with the release of a brand-new OTT platform. The premium content service—which will be free—was announced by the promotion on Tuesday, providing fight fans around the world with hundreds of hours of viewing from the first organization to offer MMA through a regular season, playoff and championship format.