PFL has constantly been under fire, but it’s fighters due to the lack of fights in the promotion.
The PFL promotion recently bought Bellator and has managed to keep the promotion alive, but it seems PFL has not quite gotten the hang of it. The promotion hasn’t set a lot of fights this year, and fighters are worried that the promotion is lax in their duty to set up fighters for the athletes. Some of the promotion’s top fighters, like Corey Anderson, Patricio Pitbull, and others, have complained about this long break and are unsure when they’ll get their day in the octagon. Former champion Gegard Mousasi took legal action against the promotion, accusing them of sidelining him.
Although the PFL is yet to address this issue, there have been many speculations about the issue. Fans feel the lack of fights is due to financial issues. Since buying Bellator, PFL has had to settle some outstanding deals, and it seems they are trying to restructure the promotion before going into fight seasons. The promotion has also let go of some fighters and replaced some. UFC fighter Matt Brown has much to say about the promotion’s strategy and believes PFL has probably bit off more than they can chew.
“It sucks,” UFC legend Matt Brown said on the latest episode of The Fighter vs. The Writer. “Because all these guys are in their prime, too, and they’re essentially wasting their prime waiting on this organization to figure out their shit. PFL-Bellator, it just seems like a mess really. The merger with everything, it just seems like there’s not a lot of organization.
“There’s a fight happening this weekend that nobody even really knows is happening. I think they lost their ass in the [Francis] Ngannou fight. It just seems like a trainwreck. The rails are just slipping off little by little.”
“What other reason could there possibly be? If they had the money, they would be wanting these guys to fight,” Brown said. “This is all their premier fighters that they acquired with Bellator. Of course, they want these guys to fight, get them out there, and put on shows for the fans. Us hardcore fans that do follow Bellator, these are the guys we want to see fight. I want to see Gegard Mousasi fight. Guys like Patchy Mix that are in their prime they should be fighting. I want to see him fight. I want to see Aaron Pico fight. And, I want to see Corey Anderson fight.
“This is just a bad, bad look, especially when these guys start coming out publicly about it. It just looks terrible for PFL-Bellator. Looks like a trainwreck on its way. The train’s going to fall off at some point and explode.”
Brown believes PFL having separate fights and treating Bellator as a different entity when, in fact, it’s now under PFL might be confusing for fans. He also disclosed that the promotion’s format isn’t set up to MMA standards, as it is set to copy the NBA and NFL, which have season-long tournaments that end in championship finals. He says the promotion will achieve more if the two promotions are combined and they hire top fighters and stars to create publicity for the promotion.
It’s a trainwreck,” Brown said. “The fact is, it’s all MMA, but still just like the UFC, and no one cares. Your tournament? No one cares. Your f*cking point system? No one gives the slightest f*ck. Nobody. Not the hardcore fans. Not the casual fans. Nobody f*cking cares.
“The only way you’re going to compete is by getting the best fighters and putting on the best shows and building some f*cking drama.”
Brown says having a storyline also helps sell the fighters, and PFL should build on that and take pointers from UFC.
“I’ve said it for years. That’s what the UFC has done better than any sports promotion in history. They build drama like no one else,” Brown said. “We know the personalities of the athletes. We build favorite athletes and guys you start caring about,, and it builds drama and people start f*cking caring. Motherf*ckers do not care about your points, about your tournaments. They do not f*cking care.
Brown cited the Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson fight as an excellent example of storytelling in promoting the fight and advised PFL to employ such tactics in promoting their future fights.
“Jake Paul and Mike Tyson, 65 million people watch this shit because of emotional investment,” Brown said. “Not because of a single f*cking skill. I know everybody has the question of whether Mike Tyson can do it at 60 years old, whatever it is, but no, we got emotionally invested. Like, f*ck yeah, Mike, you can do it at 60! We couldn’t help but watch because of emotions, not because of skill.
“PFL-Bellator has a long road and no sporting promotion in history except maybe Jake Paul. Nobody else has ever sold personality and drama the way the UFC has, and that’s the key to their success. [Entertainment] sells, not sports.”
The Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson fight took place some weeks ago and was a hit with fans. The bout raked in over $60 million, with gate fees alone amounting to $17.3 million.
