A little competition never hurt anyone. The Professional Fighters League provides that, in MMA in general and inside its cage.
The PFL is one of the only major organizations in MMA that uses a point-based scoring system to determine a winner. Since 2018, it has signed fighters from all over, with the goal being to determine who the best within all weight classes.
With investments by Alex Rodriguez, SRJ Sports Investments, and Wiz Khalifa at one point, the PFL has become a legitimate alternative to the UFC. Acquiring Bellator and its roster has helped its cause.
Here is all you need to know about the Professional Fighters League.
What is the PFL?
Following the acquisition and restructuring of the World Series of Fighting, the PFL was founded in 2017 by Donn Davis. With a launch in 2018, it is the first major MMA promotion where athletes compete in a regular season, post-season, and championship format.
The PFL uses a point system, with wins in a certain round resulting in a certain number of points. The point system of the PFL is based on the round of the fight.
Fighters in each division compete multiple times a season for a spot in the PFL Finals. The divisions are the following (since 2025):
- Heavyweight
- Light Heavyweight
- Middleweight
- Welterweight
- Lightweight
- Featherweight
- Bantamweight
- Flyweight (women)
The winner of the PFL Finals takes home the championship title from their division, as well as $500,000 (initially $1 million).
Over the years, the PFL launched the following associated properties:
- Challenger Series
- PFL Europe
- PFL MENA
- PFL Africa
- PFL Pacific
Key differences between PFL and UFC
Like the UFC, the PFL abides by the Unified Rules of MMA. One of the biggest differences is that the PFL has used a seasonal format. There is also no ranking system. Match-wise, fights are crafted via the bracket standings.
PFL champions have competed in PFL cards the following season. In a sense, they are defending their status as champion.
Recently, the PFL created PFL Championship belts, with the winner of the tournaments often facing the champions.
PFL fighters
The PFL made waves by signing the following fighters, via initial signings, the acquisition of Bellator, the Challenger Series, and more:
- Cedric Doumbe
- Dakota Ditcheva
- Francis Ngannou
- Cris Cyborg
- Jake Paul
- Impa Kasanganay
- Fabian Edwards
- Corey Anderson
- Phil Hughes
- Costello van Steenis
- Vadim Nemkov
- Usman Nurmagomedov
- A.J. McKee
