Bellator as we know it is gone and a new PFL is heading your way in 2025. That is the news that was reported this afternoon by Ariel Helwani. Helwani reported on his show that Bellator will cease to exist as we know it and after this month’s lightweight title fight between Usman Nurmagomedov and Paul Hughes, everything will be moved over to the PFL.
Near the end of 2023, Bellator was acquired by The Professional Fighters League with the hopes of creating a true co-leader in the MMA space alongside the UFC. There was so much hype entering 2024, but the year fell flat in many ways. The Bellator Champions Series was launched and the hope was to run Bellator as it’s own promotion just under the PFL’s roof.
It just didn’t go smoothly and there’s been many calls for change throughout the year. I’ve been vocal about the fact that there needed to be some wholesale changes with the PFL and today, Helwani revealed what is coming this year.
PFL Major Changes
We have heard that the season championship purses are going from $1 million to $500,000. Well, Helwani reported a little more context today as to why that is. The regular season format as we know it is going away. Instead of a point system, there will be 8-fighter single elimination tournaments that’ll make up the season with the winner cashing in on the $500,000.
While those tournaments are going on, PFL will crown it’s own champions by infusing the top Bellator talent with their own talent. These champions will compete in the champions series as well as the Super Fight series. Finally, the promotion is bringing their talent under one roof where they can put on the best cards possible.
I’m thrilled to hear about some of the changes that are being made. It’s about time and honestly, I couldn’t be more excited about the rest of this year for the PFL.