LAS VEGAS – Dana White can’t fathom some of the monetary decisions PFL has made in recent months and are reportedly looking at in the future.
Following DWCS 61 on Tuesday, White welcomed questions related to the growth of PFL, a promotion he complimented and even called a competitor.
Smiling from ear to ear, White appeared to take joy in discussing the business practices of said competitor – which he generally outlined as sustainable. Among the prospective business moves was the PFL’s rumored acquisition of Bellator.
“Why on God’s green f*cking Earth would anybody buy Bellator?” White told MMA Junkie and other reporters. “So what we were just talking about, business and making the right moves and right decisions, there’s been lots of bad ones. Bellator would be one of the f*cking biggest.
“Why anyone would buy Bellator is besides me. But hey, what do I know? I’ll sit back and see how this plays out. I’m excited. … Bellator is $500 million? Awesome, sounds like a steal. Sounds like a f*cking steal. Buy that thing quick before – who else does? Come on, guys. This is f*cking silly – silly.”
Since early 2023, rumors have surfaced about a potential merger or sale of Bellator and PFL, the two largest competitors to the UFC in today’s landscape. Both parties have confirmed talks in recent months, though no finalized business agreement of any kind is publicly announced or confirmed.
In a recent interview with Front Office Sports, PFL CEO Donn Davis touted, “We do everything they do and we do some things better,” as he spoke about the UFC. One of those things, Davis, said is fighter pay.
White disagreed.
“There’s one of two things in that,” White said. “There’s either a lot of delusion or he’s uninformed. Almost everything in that statement is incorrect except for what happens in the cage determines your future. I think that’s the only right thing that he said. And you know what? Good for him. Get out there. F*cking let’s fire it up. Let’s whatever. It’s all good. I’ve said this before about the PFL. I have no beef with those guys. Those guys have always been standup guys and have always been classy when it comes to the business. These guys are in this to compete with us and I respect that.”
While a merger still remains unclear, PFL has continued to make large transactions, such as signing Francis Ngannou and Jake Paul, and receiving a $100 million investment from Saudi Arabia for a minority stake.
It seems like the PFL has deep pockets. But will the bottom ever be reached?
“There’s been plenty of people who have opened the checkbook to be a competitor,” White said. “It’s not about money. As I sit back and being in this for 23 years, I watch everything that is done wrong. One of the big things he said in there that is absolutely false is that they pay more than the UFC. It’s just absolutely, positively not true. But I do see them waste unbelievable amounts of money. You can only waste unbelievable amounts of money for so long no matter how much money somebody has.
“If you go in the dictionary and look up the word ‘business.’ There’s business and then there’s charity. I’m involved in both. I run a business and I do lots of things for charity. Most of these other guys are all running charities, not businesses. Like I say, you can only do that for so long before it runs out and it ends. So we will see. When you guys ask me these kind of questions, you ask me like this is the first time I’ve seen things like this, like it’s the first time somebody with money is getting involved. It’s about a lot more than money.”
