PFL Heads Into 2022 Season as Co-leaders With UFC

The Professional Fighters League (PFL) has quite the expectation for the coming year.

Fresh off a widely successful 2021 season, the US-based MMA league is already pegging 2022 to be their biggest year yet. And with good reason. For one, the PFL plans to hold exponentially more events in the year, supported by several new properties and executions.

The PFL, which officially began operations in 2018, has already established itself as the co-leader in the MMA scene, alongside industry giants the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A notable feat for an outfit that’s been around roughly four years.

In an interview with the South China Morning Post, PFL CEO Peter Murray revealed as much: “On every metric, the PFL has surpassed Bellator as the number two in the world. I’m proud of what my team has accomplished here, and we are poised to become a co-leader.”

How they’ve managed to do it in such a short amount of time, however, comes down to a combination of multiple things – the biggest of them being their penchant for innovation.

Unique League Format

In an industry where promotion is the name of the game, the PFL decided to abandon that style altogether and go for a more traditional sports league approach. As such, the PFL is the only MMA organization in the world to feature a season-style format that has an elimination round, playoffs, and finals.

In each of the league’s last three seasons, they’ve managed to turn that format – anchored by some of the best fighters in the world – into must-see action. The league has made stars of Kayla Harrison and Ray Cooper III, both of whom are two-time titleholders. Add to that a million-dollar purse waiting at the end of the tournament, and you have a brand of MMA action that is unlike any other.

World Class Roster

The one-of-a-kind league format is indeed a big draw, but what makes it all work are the participants.

The PFL has already turned homegrown talents into household names, but they’ve also brought in some of the best and most decorated athletes in the combat sports world. Just in 2021, the PFL saw world champions such as Anthony Pettis, Fabricio Werdum, Rory MacDonald, and Claressa Shields enter the cage.

Prior to the end of the previous season, the league also brought in women’s MMA icon Julia Budd to compete in this year’s festivities.

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As the season draws closer, expect the league to announce even more big-name acquisitions and even more surprises. The man responsible for bringing the best is none other than Ray Sefo, President of Fighting Operations.

In 2022, the PFL will also launch a new property called ‘The PFL Challenger Series’, which will award up-and-coming fighters the opportunity to compete in the PFL’s million-dollar tournament.

“We have pro athletes that are aspiring to get into the season for the big-money, million-dollar opportunity. This is our way to develop talent and give them a stage,” Murray said. “Every night in the Challenger Series, one fighter will be selected and awarded a PFL contract.”

With this development, expect the PFL’s 2022 roster to be stacked.

Innovation Leading to Growth

The PFL takes pride in being the most innovative sports league in the world, and they’ve managed to back that claim up with the steps that they have taken to change the way fans view MMA.

The biggest step being their proprietary SmartCage technology, which has allowed fans a more in-depth look at the fights as they’re happening. Through the SmartCage, viewers have access to real-time stats such as strike speed, known as Cagenomics.

These stats and info have helped open the door for other avenues of entertainment, such as betting. Throughout the 2021 season, the PFL partnered with the likes of DraftKings and BetMGM.

In 2020, the promotion also launched ‘PFL Studios’, which gave fans access to a plethora of exclusive content on the league’s mobile platform. Since then, the league has partnered with numerous platforms such as Wave.TV and Sugar 23 to carry PFL content.

Global Expansion

The PFL has also continued to push its efforts toward global expansion by linking up with the biggest broadcasters around the globe. Worldwide, viewers can see the PFL through networks such as ESPN, Bild, Globo, Digisport, Telesport, Eurosport, and many other platforms.

It is available for fans across countries such as Russia, India, Brazil, South Korea, and Germany, among others.

In 2022, the promotion plans to take the action overseas, with the possibility of staging the championships outside of the United States for the first time in league history.

No doubt, the PFL is a global platform for mixed martial artists.