The worst-kept secret in MMA is finally out, with the PFL officially announcing the acquisition of Bellator MMA in a huge deal that is set to cement the PFL as the second-biggest mixed martial arts promotion in the world.
The deal, which PFL chairman and founder Don Davis revealed was a non-cash transaction that gave Paramount “a small minority share” in the PFL in exchange for ownership of the Bellator MMA brand, will see the rosters of both organizations combined under one roof, with the option for fighters to compete either in the PFL’s upcoming global seasons, or to fight in one-off fights outside of the PFL’s established regular-season format.
Bellator’s acquisition makes it one of five fight franchises under the PFL banner:
- PFL League Season
- PFL PPV Super Fights
- PFL Challenger Series
- PFL International Leagues
- Bellator
A press-release issued by PFL officials confirmed the deal, and teased a “mega-event” in 2024 that would pit PFL’s champions head to head against Bellator’s champions across all seven weight classes.
Commenting on the deal, Davis said, “PFL is now a global powerhouse in MMA. Our Bellator acquisition turbocharges PFL’s mission to innovate the sport and become the industry co-leader.”
PFL CEO Peter Murray added, “The combined PFL and Bellator fighter rosters are second to none in MMA. We can’t wait to bring MMA fans what they have been asking for – best versus best with the PFL Champions versus Bellator Champions mega-event.”
The full press release reads:
NEW YORK (MONDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2023) – Professional Fighters League (PFL) announced it has completed the acquisition of Bellator from Paramount Global (NASDAQ:PARA), creating a global powerhouse in mixed-martial arts (MMA) and accelerating the combined company to become the industry co-leader.
PFL has acquired an immense number of top fighters through the Bellator acquisition, and its combined fighter roster is now equal in stature to UFC. PFL and UFC both showcase rosters that are 30% comprised of fighters who are top 25 independently world-ranked in their weight-classes. In addition, PFL + Bellator now has the best roster of women’s fighters in the world. All newly acquired Bellator fighters will become part of the PFL platform and available to compete in PFL fight franchises.
PFL will continue the Bellator brand, and Bellator will be the “one-off” event product from PFL. PFL will launch a reimagined Bellator product in 2024 – the “Bellator International Champions Series.” The Bellator International Champions Series will consist of eight fight events each year hosted in major cities across the globe, and each Bellator event will feature two compelling co-main fights competing for championship belts.
Bellator becomes one of five live fight franchises of the Professional Fighters League: PFL League Season, PFL PPV Super Fights, PFL Challenger Series, PFL International Leagues, and Bellator. Overall, the company can now meet fan and media demand by producing and programming a year-round calendar of live fight content with 30 premium MMA events per year.
PFL as a fighter-first and fan-focused organization plans to stage a landmark mega-event in 2024 – PFL Champions vs. Bellator Champions. The PFL Champions vs. Bellator Champions mega-event will feature the champions of each promotion in all seven weight-classes in a head-to-head epic fight experience.
Details of Bellator events, distribution, partnerships, and management will be announced at a later date.
Donn Davis, PFL Chairman and Founder, and Peter Murray, PFL CEO, continue to lead and operate the combined company.
“PFL is now a global powerhouse in MMA,” said Donn Davis, PFL Founder and Chairman. “Our Bellator acquisition turbocharges PFL’s mission to innovate the sport and become the industry co-leader.”
“The combined PFL and Bellator fighter rosters are second to none in MMA,” said Peter Murray, PFL CEO. “We can’t wait to bring MMA fans what they have been asking for – best vs best with the PFL Champions vs Bellator Champions Mega-Event.”
MMA with 650 million global fans is the third largest fan-base of all sports worldwide. MMA is the sports growth business of this decade with its current $1.75 billion industry revenue projected to grow 10% annually to $4 billion by 2032.
Bellator has served fighters and fans worldwide for more than a decade, staging an astounding 301 major MMA fight events. Bellator has successfully identified and developed dozens of acclaimed MMA world champions. Bellator’s current fighter roster has 46 fighters world-ranked in the top 25 of their weight-class per independent source Fight Matrix Rankings.
PFL is the only organization in MMA with the sports-season format, where individual fighters compete in a regular season, playoffs, and championship each year. The combined roster of PFL and Bellator boasts 30% of its fighters independently world-ranked in the top 25 of their respective weight-class, the same percentage as UFC. PFL has an expansive global vision for the sport and is building the “Champions League of MMA” with PFL Europe, PFL MENA, and more international leagues in development. PFL leads in technology and innovation, with its proprietary PFL SmartCage, powering fight analytics, real-time betting, AI scoring, and a next-generation viewing experience. PFL is primetime on ESPN/ESPN+ in the U.S. and is broadcast and streamed in 150 countries with 20 premium media distribution partners.
Citi and LionTree served as financial advisors to PFL and Sidley Austin LLP served as legal counsel to PFL.