This morning, we learned of some major news that the PFL (Professional Fighters League) has formed a new partnership with Saudi Arabia’s SRJ Sports Investments. Per a report from Sportico, SRJ will be investing more than $100 million into the promotion to try and expand it’s global outreach.
The top bullet on the PFL release this morning said that the investment would assist the promotion in signing more top talent and star fighters. Another big piece in the media release this morning talked about how the PPV Super Fights division will launch and be hosted by Saudi Arabia in 2024.
Of course, the biggest stars featured in that division as of now include former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou and boxing star Jake Paul. Both men have experience with Saudi Arabia as Ngannou will be taking on Tyson Fury in Saudi Arabia while The Kingdom hosted Jake Paul’s bout against Tommy Fury.
“PFL and SRJ share the same vision for mixed martial arts – the biggest star fighters, mega global events, and global expansion to bring the sport to all regions – so we are thrilled and honored to have SRJ as our investment partner,” said PFL CEO, Peter Murray. “PFL has become the clear #2 MMA company in just five years, and with SRJ’s backing, the best of PFL is still to come.”
PFL to buy Bellator?
We know that the rumor mill has been running hot regarding a potential Bellator sale. Scott Coker has openly talked about the fact that the promotion is seeking an investor and PFL has been on the shortlist of potential suitors. With this new investment and partnership with SRJ, I think the writing is on the wall.
Acquiring Bellator would be massive for the PFL. It would create and solidify a dominant and unique force that could make a run at challenging the UFC for supremacy. Obviously, it would still be an incredibly steep mountain to climb to overtake the UFC, but a Bellator – PFL merger would break historical trends where we usually saw the UFC buying their competition.
Now, we could be seeing a reality where the clear second and third ranked promotions form one strong competitor. Fans should want this deal to happen because it would also create some sensational matchups. At the championship level, Bellator has more talent in my opinion which makes them extremely desirable for the Professional Fighter’s League. My guess is that if an acquisition goes through, it would go through sooner than later.