What is the Professional Fighters League?
For anyone new to MMA, the Professional Fighters League, otherwise known as thePFL, is a US based MMA league. The first season of the league launched in 2018 and it has since become a stalwart competitor of the UFC.
The PFL is the very first MMA league to have the fighters in its roster compete in a regular season like we’re used to with allot of other sports. The organisation also features post-season line-ups and an annual set of championship fights in November. The league has had success further abroad as well, with PFL Europe being covered by DAZN outside of the U.S.
PFL Standard Weight divisions
There are six weight classes overall, with ten fighters per division. Of the six divisions, there are the following five men’s categories, and one division for women's lightweights.
- Men's Featherweight
- Men's Lightweight
- Men's Welterweight
- Men's Light Heavyweight
- Men's Heavyweight
- Women's Lightweight Division
The PFL ‘Super Fight’ Division
In its inaugural year, the ‘Super Fight’ division is a pay-per-view series of events. 'Super Fight' holds annual, stand-alone events that are separate from the PFL regular season. The division adds a little more spice as matchups are determined by the reputation and “name value” of the competitors.
Jake Paul is both a co-founder as well as a fighter on the roster and has spoken openly about the fighter-centric approach of the league operating a 50/50 revenue split between Super Fights participants and the organisation.
Naturally, the division has garnered some of the brightest stars in boxing and MMA, including Francis Ngannou, Kayla Harrison and, more recently Amanda Serrano the undisputed Featherweight world boxing champion.
The PFL Challenger Series
Described by PFL CEO as the “American Idol” of MMA, the PFL challenger series sees 56 rising MMA stars fighting for a PFL contract. One contract is awarded per week to the winner, decided by celebrity judges and fan votes on twitter. Celebrity judges have included the likes of Wiz Khalifa, Kayla Harrison, and the NFL’s Ray Lewis.
The series begins in January and runs for eight weeks, with each week dedicated to a different weight division.
2023 Challenger Series division and winners
Week 1 | Welterweight | Thad Jean |
Week 2 | Women’s Featherweight | Amanda Leve |
Week 3 | Heavyweight | Abraham Bably |
Week 4 | Lightweight | Elvin Espinoza |
Week 5 | Women’s Flyweight | Desiree Yanez |
Week 6 | Featherweight | Brahyan Zurcher |
Week 7 | Light Heavyweight | Impa Kasanganay |
Week 8 | 2nd Chance Fights | Denzel Freeman |
PFL MMA Fighting format
Held in a 10-sided mixed-martial arts cage, or the “SmartCage”, which has its own data and analytics platform and enables real-time betting. PFL matches operate under the unified rules of mixed martial arts bar the banning of elbow strikes.
The Regular Season
PFL fighters each compete in two bouts to three rounds per season. The fighters are awarded 3 points for a win, 1 point each for a draw and no points for a loss.
Tiered bonus points are also on offer to those who win by knockout or submission. Finish points are determined by the round, so first round finishes garner 3 additional points, second round finishes get 2, and 1 is awarded for a third-round knockout.
Fighters who are overweight at weigh-in will have 1 point deducted and can’t obtain any points from the fight regardless of the outcome.
PFL Playoffs
As the regular season concludes, each fighter gets ranked in their division based on their cumulated points and the top 4 will advance to the playoffs.
Semi-Finals
The highest ranked fighter will face the fourth ranked, while second faces third. The respective winners fight in a 5 round championship fight in the finals for a $1 million prize pot.
2022 Professional Fighters League World Title Holders
| Division | Champion |
|---|
Heavyweight | Ante Delija |
Light Heavyweight | Rob Wilkinson |
Welterweight | Sadibou Sy |
Lightweight | Olivier Aubin-Mercier |
Women's Lightweight | Larissa Pacheco |
Featherweight | Brendan Loughnane |
Professional Fighters League FAQs
Is there an ad free tier for ESPN+?
No, unfortunately ESPN+ isn't available without ads.
Can I watch PFL MMA for free?
You can watch a number of PFL highlights through league's official Youtube channel for free. However, to watch full live fights you'll need a paid streaming subscription to access them.
When did the 2023 PFL Season begin?
The PFL season began April 1st, 2023. The championship finals be held on the November 24th, 2023.
Does my ESPN+ subscription include PPV events?
While you can access PPV events through ESPN+, all PPV events require an additional payment on top of subscription.
