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- Professional Fighters League
Professional Fighters League Acquisition, Valuation, Funding & Investors
Professional Fighters League was acquired by Russ Ramsey, Mark Leschly, Ted Leonsis, Mark Lerner and Glenn Youngkin in April 2017.
Professional Fighters League acquisition price
Undisclosed
Acquired by Russ Ramsey, Mark Leschly +3 · Apr 2017
Cumulative funding Professional Fighters League raised
$303M
across 7 funding rounds
Key investors in Professional Fighters League
Elysian Park Ventures
Ted Leonsis
Kevin Hart
Knighthead Capital Management
Mark Burnett
Red Swan Ventures
SWaN & Legend Venture Partners
David Blitzer
About Professional Fighters League
Professional Fighters League is an American mixed martial arts promotion company. It was established in 2017 and launched in 2018 by venture capitalist Donn Davis and MMAX Investment Partners, whose backers included Russ Ramsey, Ted Leonsis, Mark Lerner and Glenn Youngkin, from the assets of the World Series of Fighting, which had operated since 2012. It pioneered a regular-season, playoff and championship format before returning to a year-round schedule. It earns revenue from media rights, sponsorship and live-event ticketing; its events air on ESPN, ESPN+ and ESPN2 in the United States and in around 160 countries through partners such as TV Globo and Bild. Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund invested $100 million through SRJ Sports Investments in 2023, and on 20 November 2023 PFL acquired rival Bellator MMA from Paramount Global, later running it as the PFL Champions Series alongside PFL Europe, PFL MENA and PFL Africa. By 2026 it had staged more than 100 events in 14 countries with over 300 fighters from more than 40 countries. On 30 July 2026 it agreed to merge with Jake Paul and Nakisa Bidarian's Most Valuable Promotions, with PFL moving under the MVP MMA banner and John Martin as chief executive.
Founded
2017
HQ
Website
Status
Acquired
Customer focus
B2C
Revenue model
Product sales, Advertising
Valuation
$500M (Aug 2023)
Professional Fighters League Acquisition
Professional Fighters League was acquired by Russ Ramsey, Mark Leschly, Ted Leonsis, Mark Lerner and Glenn Youngkin for an undisclosed price on 19 April 2017.
Before the acquisition Professional Fighters League had raised $303M across 7 funding rounds.
MMAX Investment Partners, a group of investors from McLean, Virginia, acquired the assets of the World Series of Fighting mixed martial arts promotion in 2017 and restructured it as the Professional Fighters League, as announced in April 2017. The investor group included financier Russ Ramsey, Mark Leschly, Washington Wizards and Capitals owner Ted Leonsis, Washington Nationals owner Mark Lerner and Glenn Youngkin, then a Carlyle Group executive and later governor of Virginia. Terms were not disclosed. Venture capitalist Donn Davis became the league's founder and chairman. The World Series of Fighting had been formed in 2012 with an NBC Sports Network broadcast deal and staged more than 35 events in the United States, Canada, Japan, China and the Philippines. The PFL launched in 2018 with a regular season, playoffs and $1 million championship prizes in each weight class.
| Acquirer | Date | Type |
|---|---|---|
| 19 Apr 2017 | Strategic M&A |
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Professional Fighters League Valuation
Professional Fighters League is currently valued at $500M, based on its undisclosed-stage round in August 2023. Read the announcement ↗
The $100M round was led by SURJ Sports Investment.
Professional Fighters League's valuation has grown 1.3x from $400M at its undisclosed-stage round in February 2021 to $500M in August 2023, across 3 priced rounds.
Professional Fighters League valuation by funding round
| Date | Stage | Valuation |
|---|---|---|
| Aug 2023 | Undisclosed stage | $500M |
| May 2022 | Undisclosed stage | $500M |
| Feb 2021 | Undisclosed stage | $400M |
Professional Fighters League Funding History
Professional Fighters League has raised a total of $303M across 7 funding rounds.
Professional Fighters League's first fundraising round was a $28M Series B in August 2018. The most recent completed round was a undisclosed-stage round in January 2026.
Professional Fighters League funding rounds
| Date | Stage | Investors | Raised | Valuation | Deal Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 2026 | Undisclosed stage | Knighthead Capital Management (lead); 885 Capital (lead) | - | - | The Professional Fighters League completed a strategic capital raise in which existing investors Knighthead Capital Management and 885 Capital expanded their ownership stakes to become the league's lead owners, as announced on 21 January 2026. The new money was used to retire existing debt, strengthen the balance sheet and fund growth and operations, and the terms were not disclosed. Founder Donn Davis stepped down as chairman, and the PFL set up a new nine-member board of directors under chief executive John Martin. Knighthead, which also owns English football club Birmingham City, first invested in the PFL in 2021, and UAE-based 885 Capital first invested in late 2024. The PFL, launched in 2018, had bought rival Bellator MMA from Paramount Global in 2023. In July 2026 the league agreed to merge with Jake Paul's Most Valuable Promotions, with Knighthead and 885 as founding investors of the combined company. |
| Aug 2023 | Undisclosed stage | SURJ Sports Investment (lead) | $100M | $500M | The Professional Fighters League (PFL) is a mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion that operates in a sports-season format with regular seasons, playoffs, and championships, positioning itself as the second-largest MMA organization after UFC. In August 2023, SRJ Sports Investments, a sports-focused entity launched by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF), made its inaugural investment by acquiring a minority equity ownership stake in PFL valued at $100 million, with funds supporting global expansion, fighter recruitment, fanbase growth, and launch of the PFL MENA regional league in 2024. The deal also includes hosting PFL PPV Super Fights mega-events in Saudi Arabia and broader MENA expansion. PFL's leadership, including CEO Peter Murray and Founder Donn Davis, highlighted the partnership's alignment on global MMA growth, star fighters, and mega-events. SRJ aims to accelerate Saudi Arabia's sports economy, nurture martial arts talent, promote gender equality, and develop sports IP, media, and venues in the MENA region. The investment underscores Saudi Arabia's expanding sports portfolio, including MMA alongside soccer, golf, boxing, and motorsports, with SRJ potentially signaling future Middle East-focused strategies in global sports events. |
| May 2022 | Undisclosed stage | Waverley Capital (lead); Alex Rodriguez | $30M | $500M | Professional Fighters League (PFL) is a global mixed martial arts (MMA) organization that hosts events across the United States, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, with plans for expansion into Asia, Australia, and Latin America. It features a world-class fighter roster, with 30% ranked in the top 25 of their weight classes by independent rankings, and its events are broadcast live to 170 countries via 26 media partners. In May 2022, PFL completed a $30 million Series E equity financing round led by Waverley Capital, with participation from Alex Rodriguez among others. According to CNBC reporting, this round valued the company at $500 million post-money, an increase from $400 million in 2021. The capital supported PFL's innovative sports league model and growth trajectory as the fastest-growing MMA promotion at the time. The Series E round positioned PFL for continued innovation and expansion in the competitive MMA landscape, differentiating itself through a unique seasonal and tournament format. Waverley Capital's leadership in the round highlighted investor confidence in PFL's premium live-event strategy and global ambitions. Later developments include a 2026 strategic capital raise involving Knighthead Capital Management and 885 Capital, which expanded their ownership stakes to become lead owners, used to retire debt and fund operations. This followed the 2022 Series E and underscores ongoing investor support for PFL's international events, such as those in Dubai, and direct fan engagement strategies. PFL also established a new nine-member board and leadership under CEO John Martin to drive product evolution and global reach. |
| Feb 2021 | Undisclosed stage | Ares Capital (lead); Elysian Park Ventures (lead); Knighthead Capital Management (lead) | $65M | $400M | The Professional Fighters League (PFL), a mixed martial arts (MMA) organization launched in 2018 as a rebranded World Series of Fighting, raised $65 million in financing on February 18, 2021, led by Ares Capital, Elysian Park Ventures, and Knighthead Capital Management. This round brought the league's total investment to $175 million. The funds were earmarked for international expansion, product innovation such as the SmartCage broadcast technology powered by IBM, top talent acquisition, and global audience growth ahead of the 2021 season starting April 23 in Las Vegas. PFL differentiates itself in the MMA market with a unique seasonal format featuring regular seasons, playoffs, and $1 million championship bouts in six weight classes, allowing fighters up to five bouts per year. Ownership includes Washington sports executives like Ted Leonsis (Washington Wizards, Capitals, Mystics) and Mark Lerner (Washington Nationals). The league airs on ESPN2 and ESPN+, with growing U.S. viewership; executives anticipated doubling from 361,000 for the 2019 championship. The 2020 season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, positioning 2021 as a key growth year with new signings like Fabricio Werdum, Rory MacDonald, and Anthony Pettis. PFL positioned itself as the disruptive No. 2 player worldwide in the underserved MMA market, aiming to accelerate momentum through this capital injection. |
| Jan 2020 | Undisclosed stage | SWaN & Legend Venture Partners (lead); Mark Lerner; Ted Leonsis; David Blitzer | $50M | - | Professional Fighters League (PFL) is a mixed martial arts promotion founded by Donn Davis, positioning itself as a challenger to UFC by offering more premium fight events and targeting underserved markets in the MMA space with a global fanbase of 650 million. The league emphasizes execution over ideas, building through partnerships rather than direct competition. PFL has raised significant capital over multiple rounds, totaling $263M across 9-11 rounds as of recent data, with investors including SRJ Sports Investments, Waverley Capital, Alex Rodriguez, and others. A specific Series C round in early 2020 led by SWaN & Legend Venture Partners raised $50M, with participation from early investors like David Blitzer, Mark Lerner, and Ted Leonsis. Partners from SWaN & Legend, such as Fred Schaufeld and Anthony Nader, are also involved in Monumental Sports & Entertainment ownership. Later developments show PFL's growth, with a $500M valuation in May 2022 and $1B valuation achieved later, alongside first-year revenue over $100M in 2024 after seven years of operation. Additional funding included an Unattributed $100M round on August 30, 2023. PFL focuses on global expansion, partnerships for investment, sponsorship, distribution, and fighter recruitment, aiming to scale significantly in the MMA market dominated by UFC valued at around $20B. The company balances current operations with future growth, maintaining openness to new capital amid high-growth challenges. |
| Apr 2019 | Undisclosed stage | Jimmy Iovine (lead); Mark Burnett; Ted Leonsis; Kevin Hart | $30M | - | The Professional Fighters League raised $30 million in a Series C funding round in April 2019, bringing on new investors including Beats Electronics co-founder Jimmy Iovine. Existing backers such as Washington Capitals and Wizards owner Ted Leonsis, television producer Mark Burnett and actor Kevin Hart deepened their investments. The league said the money would help pay for data and analytics, sign more fighters and expand its global audience. The round followed more than $28 million raised in August 2018, and the league also signed ESPN as its media distribution partner for the 2019 and 2020 seasons. The PFL was created in 2017 when a group of Washington-area investors bought the World Series of Fighting and relaunched it with a sports-season format of regular season, playoffs and a championship. It awards $1 million to the champion of each weight class and held its first season in 2018. The Series C was later extended, with a $50 million close led by SWaN & Legend announced in January 2020. |
| Aug 2018 | Series B | Red Swan Ventures; Tony Robbins; Temerity Capital Partners; Brandon Beck; Elysian Park Ventures; Mark Burnett; Debra Cafaro; Kevin Hart; Mark Leschly | $28M | - | The Professional Fighters League (PFL), founded by venture capitalist Donn Davis in 2017 and launched in 2018, restructured the former World Series of Fighting into a unique MMA league with a sports-season format featuring regular seasons, playoffs, and championships across six weight classes. On August 8, 2018, PFL announced a $28 million Series B equity investment from sports, entertainment, and business figures including Kevin Hart, Mark Burnett, Tony Robbins, Ted Leonsis, Brandon Beck, and others such as Debra Cafaro, Elysian Park Ventures, Mark Leschly, Red Swan Ventures, and Temerity Capital Partners. The funding supported PFL's inaugural 2018 season, which included 72 elite fighters competing in regular season events in June, July, and August, playoffs in October, and a New Year's Eve championship with a $10 million total prize pool, broadcast on NBC Sports Network and streamed on Facebook Watch. The league differentiated itself with a proprietary scoring system encouraging early finishes (75% of fights ending in knockout or submission) and aimed to create compelling fighter narratives through its tournament structure. Mark Burnett planned to develop additional programming like a 'Challengers Series' for aspiring fighters, leveraging his MGM Television role. PFL's 2018 season marked its debut at Madison Square Garden's Hulu Theater, establishing it as a challenger to UFC with innovative formatting. |
Who has invested in Professional Fighters League?
20 investors have backed Professional Fighters League across its funding rounds, including Elysian Park Ventures, Ted Leonsis, Kevin Hart, Knighthead Capital Management, Mark Burnett and Red Swan Ventures.
Lead investors include Knighthead Capital Management, 885 Capital, SURJ Sports Investment, Waverley Capital, Ares Capital and 3 other investors.
Professional Fighters League Investors
| Investor | HQ | Rounds | Role | First check |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Lead | Feb 2021 | ||
| 2 | Lead | Aug 2018 | ||
| 2 | Participant | Aug 2018 | ||
| 2 | Participant | Apr 2019 | ||
| 2 | Participant | Aug 2018 | ||
| 1 | Lead | Jan 2020 | ||
| 1 | Participant | Aug 2018 | ||
| 1 | Lead | Feb 2021 | ||
| 1 | Participant | Jan 2020 | ||
| 1 | Participant | Aug 2018 | ||
| 1 | Participant | Aug 2018 | ||
| 1 | Participant | Aug 2018 | ||
| 1 | Lead | Apr 2019 | ||
This data is available for Pro users. Sign up to see all 20 Professional Fighters League investors. Start Free Trial | ||||
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Start Free TrialAcquisitions by Professional Fighters League
Professional Fighters League has acquired 2 companies to date.
Last acquisition by Professional Fighters League was on July 29th 2026. Professional Fighters League acquired Most Valuable Promotions for undisclosed valuation.
Latest Acquisitions by Professional Fighters League
| Description | Most Valuable Promotions is an event management company that stages sports and entertainment gatherings featuring professional athletes and performers. | Bellator MMA was an American mixed martial arts promotion founded in 2008 by Bjorn Rebney, taking its name from the Latin word for warrior. It held its first event in 2009, went on to stage 313 numbered events and was considered the second-largest MMA promotion in the United States. Under Rebney its cards were built around single-elimination tournaments; Viacom, later Paramount Global, bought majority ownership in December 2011 and carried the events on its networks, including MTV2 and Spike, and Strikeforce founder Scott Coker replaced Rebney in 2014 and moved to single-fight cards and grand-prix tournaments. The business rested on media rights and events, with distribution deals over the years with DAZN, CBS Sports Network, Showtime, the BBC and Globo's Combate channel, and it staged its first pay-per-view, Bellator 120, in May 2014. After Showtime closed its sports division, the Professional Fighters League acquired Bellator in November 2023 and in March 2024 moved its cards to Max under a Warner Bros. Discovery rights deal. In January 2025 PFL executives announced that Bellator would cease operations and that its roster would be merged into the PFL. |
| HQ Country | - | |
| HQ City | - | Chicago, IL |
| Deal Date | 29 Jul 2026 | 20 Nov 2023 |
| Valuation | undisclosed | undisclosed |
| EV/Revenue | ||
| EV/EBITDA | ||
This data is available for Pro users. Sign up to see all Professional Fighters League acquisitions and their M&A valuation multiples. Start Free Trial | ||
Professional Fighters League Competitors
Professional Fighters League competitors include listed companies like Parken Sport and Ollamani, and private ones like Suning Sports, TMRW Sports, Unrivaled and Kunlun Fight.
| Company | HQ | Status | Revenue | EBITDA | Valuation | Revenue Multiple |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Private | - | - | $2.6B | - | ||
| Private | - | - | $500M | - | ||
| Private | $27M | - | $650M | - | ||
| Publicly listed | $282M | $84M | $365M | - | ||
| Publicly listed | $348M | $36M | $684M | 1.9x | ||
| Private | - | - | $350M | - |
Professional Fighters League Public Comps
Professional Fighters League is no longer listed, but its public comps include Maoyan Entertainment, Fiera Milano, Beijing Jingxi, FS Development Investment, Borussia Dortmund, Parken Sport, Falcons Beyond Global, Avex, ZO Future Group and Ollamani.
| Last FY | EV/Revenue | EV/EBITDA | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | EBITDA | Last FY | LTM | 2027E | Last FY | LTM | 2027E | |
| $695M | $125M | 0.1x | 0.1x | 0.3x | 0.5x | |||
| $426M | $146M | 1.8x | 1.8x | 5.3x | 6.1x | |||
| $50M | ($43M) | 8.8x | - | (10.1x) | - | |||
| $153M | ($17M) | 4.0x | - | (37.0x) | - | |||
| $516M | $103M | 0.8x | 0.7x | 3.8x | 3.4x | |||
| $282M | $84M | 1.9x | - | 6.3x | - | |||
| $15M | $10M | 24.3x | - | 36.1x | - | |||
| $926M | $40M | 0.1x | 0.1x | 3.2x | - | |||
This data is available for Pro users. Sign up to see all Professional Fighters League competitors and their valuation data. Start Free Trial | ||||||||
Common questions about Professional Fighters League
| When was Professional Fighters League founded? | Professional Fighters League was founded in 2017. |
| Where is Professional Fighters League headquartered? | Professional Fighters League is headquartered in New York City, NY, United States. |
| Is Professional Fighters League publicly listed? | No, Professional Fighters League was acquired by Russ Ramsey, Mark Leschly, Ted Leonsis and 2 other investors in April 2017. |
| Who acquired Professional Fighters League? | Professional Fighters League was acquired by Russ Ramsey, Mark Leschly, Ted Leonsis, Mark Lerner and Glenn Youngkin in April 2017. |
| What is Professional Fighters League's valuation? | Professional Fighters League was last valued at $500M in its undisclosed-stage round in August 2023. |
| How much funding has Professional Fighters League raised? | Professional Fighters League has raised $303M across 7 funding rounds. |
| What was Professional Fighters League's last funding round? | Professional Fighters League's last funding round was a undisclosed-stage round in January 2026, led by Knighthead Capital Management and 885 Capital. |
| Who are Professional Fighters League's investors? | Professional Fighters League's investors include Knighthead Capital Management, Elysian Park Ventures, Mark Burnett, Ted Leonsis, Kevin Hart, SWaN & Legend Venture Partners, Red Swan Ventures, Ares Capital, Mark Lerner, Tony Robbins and 10 others. |
| Which companies are comparable to Professional Fighters League? | Companies comparable to Professional Fighters League include Suning Sports, TMRW Sports, Unrivaled, Parken Sport, Ollamani and Kunlun Fight. |
| How many companies has Professional Fighters League acquired? | Professional Fighters League has acquired 2 companies, including Most Valuable Promotions and Bellator MMA. |
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