The PFL made a big announcement today when they announced a new residency at Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida. The new residency kicks off with the first World Tournament that the promotion is hosting which kicks off on April 3rd.
All four of the opening round events will take place at Universal Studios at Stage 19. This is a big move for the promotion and they announced that tickets are on sale now. Of course, this is the first year that the promotion is moving away from their traditional season format in favor of a single elimination tournament.
PFL World Tournament
Here’s more information about the new format from today’s press release.
The annual single-elimination tournament will feature brackets at Heavyweight, Light Heavyweight, Middleweight, Welterweight, Lightweight, Featherweight, Bantamweight, and Women’s Flyweight. The PFL World Tournament spans an action packed five months. 64 of the best fighters from around the world will compete to win MMA’s toughest test – win three straight times in five months to become PFL Tournament Champion.
The First Round fights and the Semi-Final fights will be three, five-minute rounds while the Finals are five, five-minute rounds. All events and all fights now allow the use of elbows. The PFL World Tournament will payout over $20 million in total prize money, including a $500,000 bonus for every winner.
PFL Press Release
I’ve stated for months that I thought the promotion needed to move away from the season format. This new tournament format is going to be so much easier for fans to follow and I think you’ll see more urgency from the fighters knowing that it’s single elimination. I’ll be a very interested spectator as the action kicks off in April.