Professional Fighters League (PFL) today announced a historic two-part exclusive partnership with Jake Paul which will accelerate PFL’s mission to innovate and grow the global sport of MMA.
First, Jake Paul begins his MMA journey with PFL by signing as the first fighter in the new Pay-Per-View division he co-created with PFL called “PFL PPV Super Fights.” Second, Jake Paul, along with his business partner Nakisa Bidarian, will utilize their expertise and platforms to help recruit, market, and promote the new PFL PPV Super Fight Division for the benefit of all top fighters.
The new PFL PPV Super Fight Division is open for business effective immediately. The league is in the process of signing top PPV fighters, who want to become true economic partners. Fighters in the PFL PPV Super Fight Division will earn 50% of the revenue from PPV events, which is groundbreaking pay in MMA.
As the first fighter under contract for PFL PPV Super Fights, Paul is partnering with PFL due to its “fighter-first” culture to co-create this new 50-50 revenue partnership model for all PPV fights. As a long-time advocate for fighter-pay, Paul has also been appointed Head of Fighter Advocacy and will continue to work towards a business model that benefits all top fighters.
PFL PPV Super Fights are stand-alone events separate from the PFL League Season. PFL will stage two PPV Super Fights starting in 2023, scaling to more PPV events in following years.
PFL is entering its next phase of expansion by launching the PFL PPV Super Fight Division and is welcoming Paul and Bidarian as minority equity owners in its parent company. Paul and Bidarian will deploy their expertise, creativity, network, and platform to help promote fights, produce content, and recruit talent to help build PFL and the grow the awareness of its great fighters.
“I’ve proven myself in and out of the boxing ring and now I am going to do the same in MMA, and there is no limit to the positive impact I can make on the sport,” said Jake Paul. “I plan to enter the PFL SmartCage and once again show the world that that anything is possible with hard work and dedication. Outside of the cage, equal fighter-pay and advocating for female fighters has been my passion, and I am aligned with PFL to evolve the sport. I believe in PFL, their mission, and what they have accomplished in a very short period of time. That is why I chose to partner with PFL exclusively, both as a fighter and a businessperson. As Head of Fighter Advocacy, I will consistently promote PFL fighters and I invite all top MMA fighters, both men and women, to join the PFL and get a payday like they’ve never had before.”
“I founded PFL to innovate, professionalize, and grow MMA, and we have done that with our disruptive sport-season format which put “fighters-first” as they control their own destiny,” said PFL Chairman and Founder Donn Davis. “Today, we begin our next phase of growth by disrupting the MMA pay-per-view market, with an unprecedented new model where fighters will be true 50-50 economic partners in PPV revenues. I’m gratified that Jake and Nakisa chose to join PFL, and I can’t wait to see what Jake does as a fighter, creator, and promoter in MMA with PFL.”
“Jake and I have proven our ability to successfully promote and stage major international PPV events. We look forward to having a similar result with PFL within the sport of MMA.” said Nakisa Bidarian. “Our creativity and expertise, paired with PFL’s great reputation and strong position, will push MMA into a new phase of growth and one with more freedom and economic opportunity for fighters. Through our years of experience, we have developed a unique network of people and a novel approach to promotion and content, which we plan to bring to PFL with full force.”
“Jake Paul begins his journey to fight in MMA today by signing exclusively with the PFL for our global capabilities, innovative platform, and fighters-first culture,” said PFL CEO Pete Murray. “PFL built a great roster of world-ranked fighters for our PFL League, and PFL is now open for business to partner with the best MMA PPV fighters on the planet to be part of our new PFL PPV Super Fight Division.”
Further information regarding the PFL PPV Super Fight Division and this historic exclusive partnership will be announced in the coming months.
PFL is the #1 fastest growing company in MMA and the #2 MMA company on worldwide basis. PFL is the only in MMA with the sports-season format, where individual fighters compete in sports-season “win and advance” meritocracy like all other major sports. The PFL fighter roster is global and world-class, with fighters from over 20 countries and 25% independently ranked in the top 25. PFL leads in technology and innovation, with its proprietary PFL SmartCage powering real-time betting and next-gen viewing experience. PFL airs live primetime in the U.S. on ESPN and ESPN+ and via 25 distribution partners is broadcast and streamed to 140 countries worldwide.