MMA has traditionally been one of the toughest sports to promote unless the three letters attached to the organization are UFC.
Numerous second-place contenders have come and gone over the years from Strikeforce to PRIDE Fighting Championships, WEC, and even upstarts like Affliction, have failed to really carve out a long term, sustainable piece of the combat sports pie. By all accounts, the PFL has settled into the No. 2 spot in MMA behind the UFC after acquiring Bellator in 2023. However, that deal hasn’t exactly gone smoothly with numerous high-profile fighters, including champions Patricio Pitbull and Patchy Mix, requesting releases due to inactivity.
Retired UFC welterweight Matt Brown argues that many of these promotions just don’t have the best business plan to find long-term success, especially with organizations like the PFL billing itself as “fighter first” and handing out massive paydays such as the $1 million prize per weight class handed out each year.
“There’s only been one truly successful fight promotion in history — the UFC,” Brown said on The Fighter vs. The Writer. “They did not build it by helping fighters. I think that’s where they’re all kind of f*cking up.
“I say that as a former fighter, I want to see everybody get paid and do well but the UFC built their business lowballing fighters and still almost went out of business. There are still a lot of arguments about how they take care of their fighters even today. I find it hard to believe that making it a fighter based, help the fighter promotion is really the way to build a promotion. I hate saying that because I love that they care about the fighters. I love the thought process behind it, but is that going to build a promotion? I have a hard time believing it.”
Matt Brown explains why ‘fighter first’ promotions like PFL and GFL are likely destined to fail - MMA Fighting
