PFL on a ‘Mission’ to Develop Next Generation of Mixed Martial Artists

The Professional Fighters League listened to the mixed martial artists who comprise its roster, to the fans and to the critics. One year after their purchase of Bellator MMA, the PFL decision makers moved to abandon their season and points-style format in favor of a single-elimination World Tournament in 2025.

While it was easy to bring over Bellator fans and some of the company’s well-known veteran fighters, the PFL gave rise to its own stars in 2024, most notably Dakota Ditcheva. The American Top Team standout proved she was the best women’s flyweight in the promotion by cruising to the 125-pound championship in convincing fashion. The PFL leaned into Ditcheva and other young talents, including Ireland’s Paul Hughes, who shined in a closely contested defeat to Bellator lightweight champion Usman Nurmagomedov in January.

By altering its format, moving on from some of the biggest names on the integrated roster and building toward the World Tournament, the PFL seems ready, willing and able to embrace the future-is-now approach. PFL CEO Peter Murray likes the idea of highlighting the next wave of MMA talent.

“What we get excited about at the PFL is identifying and developing the next generation of great fighters that come from different parts of the world and then giving them a pathway to becoming great, as well as [becoming] potential champions—regionally and globally,” Murray told Sherdog.com. “That’s our mission. We’re not about yesterday. We’re about tomorrow.”

Murray pointed to the work done by Ditcheva as she advanced from PFL Europe to the global roster and then emerged as a star. He would like nothing more than for other up-and-coming fighters to follow her lead. Ditcheva will be featured on the PFL Champions Series in 2025.

“Dakota is a great example of [our approach],” Murray said. “She worked through our system out of Manchester, [England], came to PFL Europe, did the business, became champion [and] then punched her ticket to PFL global and did the business. She’s a star. She’s going to be a superstar. Now, she’s going to be elevated to the Champions Series platform. That’s what our focus is: to advance and grow the sport around the world.”

The PFL held its first event of 2025 on Jan. 25. It was headlined by the memorable title fight between Nurmagomedov and Hughes in the United Arab Emirates.

“Change is good,” Murray said. “Mentioning Hughes and Usman, I think it’s a top three event, if not the best event, the PFL has ever staged since launching the format in 2018. I think it really illustrates the growth in MMA and the interest in MMA all over the world, including the UAE. We’re really proud that last year we were the first organization to open up Saudi Arabia to MMA, and a year later, we opened up Dubai to the first-ever major MMA event.”

Murray takes particular pride in the international leagues the PFL has built, starting with PFL Europe and progressing to PFL Middle East and North Africa. PFL Africa launches later this year. Those three territories could be joined by another branch in the not-too-distant future.

“International leagues—that is the future of the sport. Those athletes,” Murray said. “Coming up through our system, you have PFL Europe going into the third year, PFL MENA is going into their second year and we will launch PFL Africa this year. We’ve been working on that for years. Francis Ngannou is the chairman [of PFL Africa]. That roster is set. What I can tell you: I’m excited about an upcoming announcement related to Australia and the Pacific region.”