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Professional Fighters League Chief Aims to Tackle New Fans With October 19 ‘Superfight’

brian steinberg
·3-min read

One of the biggest battles for sports fans in recent history will take place October 19 in Saudi Arabia.

It’s easy to think that “”Battle of the Giants” might just be another big MMA card. Organized by the Professional Fighters League, the so-called “superfight” will feature Francis Ngannou, the former UFC Heavyweight Champion, and Renan Ferreira, the 2023 PFL heavyweight title holder also known as “La Problema.” There will also be a showdown between two female champions, Cris Cyborg and Larissa Pacheco

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At PFL, executives see a chance to bring new fans to the sport. “This is a card you’ve never seen. The two best men and the two best women,” says Donn Davis, the former AOL executive who is founder and a co-owner of the MMA league. “We think this is something that’s going  to definitely get the die-hard MMA fans, but if you’re just a sports fan, this is something you’ll want to see.”

In an era when sports may be the last programming genre that reliably draws large simultaneous crowds to TV screens, leagues of all stripes are eager to demonstrate their potential. Media rights for PFL’s main rival, the UFC, is controlled by Endeavor’s TKO Group, come up for renewal in 2025, with PFL’s expiring in 2026, according to Davis. ESPN has distribution pacts with both MMA leagues in the U.S.

MMA, says Davis, “is a very scarce product. There are only two premium companies — UFC and PFL.” And while the two leagues have differences in operation, he says, PFL feels it can gain ground and widen the appeal of the sport. “UFC is the leader, no question, but what PFL does is very interesting and very innovative. We believe people will want to watch all of it, not either-or.”

Still, PFL is very different from the UFC. “We put the fighters in control instead of putting the promoter in control,” says Davis, nodding to PFL having a regular season, a playoff and a championship. He suggests UFC makes use of the “Don King boxing model” in which the promoter decides what fights would be best and makes them happen. “That’s not driven by athletes,” he says. “In the NBA, Adam Silver doesn’t decide who makes the playoffs.”

But the regular calendar and cadence helps the league, he argues, particularly with sponsors. “We have  a season. We are not a one-off event.”

UFC remains the larger competitor, Davis says, and typically draws double the audience PFL has for its big events.  PFL typically draws 2 million viewers globally and 500,000 in the U.S., he says.

The executive says he enjoys working with companies that disrupt the industries that contain them.  He founded the AOL unit that snapped up companies such as Netscape, Moviefone and Mapquest between 1998 and 2002 ,and worked with senior AOL executives Steve Case and Ted Leonsis in their Revolution venture capital firm. As UFC gained traction, he said to himself, “That reminds me of when I went to work for AOL in 1997.”

He wants to do more. “I’m just trying to grow the sport, and take on the world — all in a days’ work.”

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