Never before has a league format been implemented in MMA until PFL introduced the concept in their inaugural season four years ago.
CEO of the promotion, Peter Murray, believes the format has brought an unprecedented product to the sport that has captivated fight fans around the globe. Leagues are used in most of the biggest sports around the world, but the violence of fighting has shied promotions away from utilising it.
"Our vision was to reimagine and grow the sport by launching an innovative, differentiated MMA product," Murray told Mirror Fighting . "We felt the season format was right for fighters and fans candidly. It's a proven format, fans have the ability to truly follow the journeys of the fighters through a rigorous and gruelling format that is unique in MMA.
Fighters compete four times in seven months to try and reach the knockout stages and clinch the illustrious $1m prize of each PFL season. Points are scored for a win with bonus points being awarded for finishes, as the four highest-scoring fighters from each division all qualify for the playoffs.
"We believe the league format is much more compelling," Murray said. "In other promotions, the events are one-offs and are not transparent for the fighters or fans. In the PFL, every fight counts in our format. It's a proven format, fights are exciting and there is a system in place."
The promotion has taken strict measures to try and ensure fighters can stick to the intense schedule by banning elbow strikes in the hopes of reducing lacerations. Matchmakers also try to give fighters minimum of 45 days in between seasonal fights.
PFL has aimed to revolutionise the sport through technology, as they are the only promotion to have introduced GhostCam, a system that allows viewers to watch fights horizontally instead of over the cage. Fans can also view entire fights through the referee's perspective with RefereeCam.
"Technology is at the core of everything the PFL does to present the action," he added. "That's with our Smart Cage technology, but with respect to camera technology we are always looking for additional opportunities to provide fans access to the action.
Murray feels that MMA fans are underserved and thinks their league format is a breath of fresh air for the sport. PFL have big goals for the next five years and they hope to put together several super-fights on pay-per-view next year with “needle-mover” athletes.
In a market that is largely dominated by the UFC, the promotion's goal is to become a co-leader in MMA, something that Murray is confident they can do through their different approach.
"This is a growing sport, so we believed we timed it right. We have 600 million fans and growing, 80 per cent outside of the US. That fanbase is the youngest of all major sorts, it's the third-largest fanbase behind football and basketball," Murray continued.
"It's an underserved fan. They want access to more premium events each year and we're proud to fulfil that in a different version of the sport on different nights of the week, than some of our key competitors. We have a number two market position, but we are focused on becoming a co-leader in the sport."
