PFL The state of the PFL

[HuskySamoan]

Agree with you, but still its shocking to me that OKTAGON doubles viewership of PFL on DAZN since its not even their main TV deal. It was one of many... in Germany its RTL+, In Cz/Sk its PPV + PremierSport and other TV channels for other markets - PL, Baltics, etc...

PFL trully must be blackhole for money.

I didnt know either were even on DAZN, could it be possible theyre using the Euro viewer numbers for Oktagon too or is it just all DAZN stats?

 

[Tokoloko]

I didnt know either were even on DAZN, could it be possible theyre using the Euro viewer numbers for Oktagon too or is it just all DAZN stats?

Dont know exactly, but they were on DAZN from moment they tried to expand into UK if if my memory is not fooling me.

This is +- translation of what was said in recent Slovakian interview. -

“Our partnership with DAZN came to an end, and paradoxically, it ended because we pushed for it, since we weren’t happy with how they were handling our product.”

“DAZN invested in the PFL, but that was at the owners’ level. The deal was struck by the now-former PFL CEO with DAZN’s owner and main backer: they’d pump tens of millions into PFL. Suddenly, the entire management got a top-down order to promote PFL everywhere on the platform.”

“PFL was plastered all over the place, while OKTAGON sat at #8 in the lineup. They used terrible thumbnails or posted them way too late. They barely linked to Oktagon events, or did it super late, so it got zero visibility. We were constantly struggling with it and having to nudge them. And then insiders from DAZN told us that after just four OKTAGON events, our numbers were beating PFL’s.”

“We really felt like they were ignoring us brutally, treating us like the fifth wheel. So we decided we didn’t want that partnership and pulled the plug.”

 

[STAY GOLD]

OKTAGON and BRAVE have streamed events on DAZN in the US. They never get promoted by DAZN as DAZN is focused on promoting boxing mostly.

 

[Killer Kadoogan]

PFL is done IMO.

if UFC was smart, they'd cut 80% of their bloat nobodies and just swipe the 1 or 2 people in each division PFL has that can actually fight.

eblen, that new spanish LHW champ, dakota, the french stand up guy who walked out with the mattress, get those types in, cut the fat.

 

[David Street]

I take it all back what I said. I was thinking PFL can only get better now..

Then I see this news:

PFL Dubai gets opening act — and it’s the crazy ‘CarJitsu’ guys fighting inside a compact SUV​

​

​

PFL Dubai gets opening act — and it’s the crazy ‘CarJitsu’ guys fighting inside a compact SUV

CarJitsu grappling matches are coming to the PFL Dubai event on Feb. 7 at Coca-Cola Arena to kick off the MMA show.

www.mmamania.com

​

 

[Doctor Grudge]

Agree with you, but still its shocking to me that OKTAGON doubles viewership of PFL on DAZN since its not even their main TV deal. It was one of many... in Germany its RTL+, In Cz/Sk its PPV + PremierSport and other TV channels for other markets - PL, Baltics, etc...

PFL trully must be blackhole for money.

Oktagon has been a more popular org than PFL for a long time

 

[Tokoloko]

Oktagon has been a more popular org than PFL for a long time

Well then PFL managment and production team is more stupid and useless than i thought. They had all tools to absolutely dominate mma market outside of UFC...

 

[svmr_db]

Canadians will have to find another way to watch, tomorrow's card is not being broadcast here.

 

[MMAddict21]

Canadians will have to find another way to watch, tomorrow's card is not being broadcast here.

Saw that it isn’t being broadcast in Brazil either. What a total fuck up by the PFL.

 

[Doctor Grudge]

Well then PFL managment and production team is more stupid and useless than i thought. They had all tools to absolutely dominate mma market outside of UFC...

I think you're underselling how popular Oktagon is.

Oktagon is successful for similar reasons to why KSW and now Rizin are successful. They picked a market that the UFC wasnt in and grew it for a long time.


PFL was never in any position to dominate the MMA market. Its only chance was leaving USA early on and focusing on a place that did not have a saturated market for MMA. Pretty much any advantage PFL has is redundant because its demographic will just watch the UFC. Most of PFL's existence overlapped with Bellator also, which made it even more redundant.

PFL was kind of doomed to fail from day one.

 

[Tokoloko]

I think you're underselling how popular Oktagon is.

Oktagon is successful for similar reasons to why KSW and now Rizin are successful. They picked a market that the UFC wasnt in and grew it for a long time.


PFL was never in any position to dominate the MMA market. Its only chance was leaving USA early on and focusing on a place that did not have a saturated market for MMA. Pretty much any advantage PFL has is redundant because its demographic will just watch the UFC. Most of PFL's existence overlapped with Bellator also, which made it even more redundant.

PFL was kind of doomed to fail from day one.

I watched OKTAGON from start basically. If u compare their start to start of PFL - their financies and their background than its absolutely comical. OKTAGON gained "real" resources in last 2-3 years + there are right now subjects which would like to buy-off or atleast part of promotion...but before? I know for example that one guy got reportedly paid +- 100-150 euro for fight on OKTAGON card, and he got injured and lost as bonus...

By what i know OKTAGON never started as "let's pick market that UFC is not in and we will eventually shine". OKTAGON owner was commentator for other Czech promotion which reportedly refused to accept his investment and he got mad and created his own promotion, promotion named OKTAGON. In 2019 the first promotion "bankrupted" due to unreasonable fight purses. Thats when OKTAGON started to sign fighters like Vemola, Muradov, etc...Also if i remember correctly first quote which striked me in +- 2014-2015 (before OKTAGON was even created) was something like - "If Polish people can sold out footbal arenas with KSW, why couldn't we do it here???" and it was from Vemola.

So if you look at "starter" positions PFL should be absolutely infront of OKTAGON, but they failed....which of course proves great work by OKTAGON managment. Tho on otherside u got to see idiocy of PFL managment... like DAZN reportedly gave them xx xxx xxx mil USD and they used it on BS like buying off "bankrupted" promotion Bellator.

BTW PFL never should've "compete" with UFC. They should broadcast on different days and focus on investing into production rather than overpaying some fighters to snatch them from UFC...but thats just my opinion.

 

[Ara tech]

They just made many mistakes on the chessboard.

PFL Africa, PFL MENA, PFL Europe, PFL Oceania, what next, PFL antartica.

To expand fast everywhere is not a bad idea, but you need to be profitable everywhere.

Africa and Middle east are markets, that are small, even if they are developing and expanding their sizes every year. Asia also has a huge potential.

PFL has no vision, rather than overpaying Nganou who is not the grateful kind, while also not being profitable with spoiling him, the only thing Nganou gave to PFL was advertisement, that was not a goal but only a consequence, an indirect effect.

The PFL Africa projet has no amibition nor wisdom, go to Africa, select 12 stable countries who do not know civil war and terrorism, chaos, law of the jungle, build 20 gyms, make 20 academies, bring foreign coaches, establish curicullum, make small local tournaments, get the best, market your tournaments cleverly by social media, attract local celebrities, digital or not, bring sponsors to events, make small but decent and relevant cashprize, with small money, this could had been made, you could even had made a TV reality show a la blue lock, to build icon.

Africa for example has a market, but to be profitable there, you need one to acquire/build a good product, second to market/sell it well. To create small local scenes will not make millions, but you would still refund what you had invested, and you will be very profitable in the future with icons.

Local scenes even if small could make a lot of money, look a thos much senegal wrestlers are paid, by competing against each others, not even against foreigners, and in events that are not broadcasted internationally.

Scot cooker should had simply picked someone else than Nganou, giving him blue prints to follow. Besides the UFC, only ACA/KSW/Okyagon and Rizin are standing with solide pillars. PFL is in the orange, One in the red and that's it. What proved that PFL is in the orange, they reduced the 1 million dollar tournament to 500K dollars, reduced the volume of their events, made many of their fighters not active.

It's just not looking good. If PFL would develop Africa, not just it's PFL Africa, but building local scenes, it would had been able to refund itself and to make small but relevant profit, if PFL would develop Middle east MMA, it will get sponsors by oil money, who would appreciate a western organization giving opportunities to their local citizens.

Scot failed.

 

[Doctor Grudge]

They just made many mistakes on the chessboard.

PFL Africa, PFL MENA, PFL Europe, PFL Oceania, what next, PFL antartica.

To expand fast everywhere is not a bad idea, but you need to be profitable everywhere.

Africa and Middle east are markets, that are small, even if they are developing and expanding their sizes every year. Asia also has a huge potential.

PFL has no vision, rather than overpaying Nganou who is not the grateful kind, while also not being profitable with spoiling him, the only thing Nganou gave to PFL was advertisement, that was not a goal but only a consequence, an indirect effect.

The PFL Africa projet has no amibition nor wisdom, go to Africa, select 12 stable countries who do not know civil war and terrorism, chaos, law of the jungle, build 20 gyms, make 20 academies, bring foreign coaches, establish curicullum, make small local tournaments, get the best, market your tournaments cleverly by social media, attract local celebrities, digital or not, bring sponsors to events, make small but decent and relevant cashprize, with small money, this could had been made, you could even had made a TV reality show a la blue lock, to build icon.

Africa for example has a market, but to be profitable there, you need one to acquire/build a good product, second to market/sell it well. To create small local scenes will not make millions, but you would still refund what you had invested, and you will be very profitable in the future with icons.

Local scenes even if small could make a lot of money, look a thos much senegal wrestlers are paid, by competing against each others, not even against foreigners, and in events that are not broadcasted internationally.

Scot cooker should had simply picked someone else than Nganou, giving him blue prints to follow. Besides the UFC, only ACA/KSW/Okyagon and Rizin are standing with solide pillars. PFL is in the orange, One in the red and that's it. What proved that PFL is in the orange, they reduced the 1 million dollar tournament to 500K dollars, reduced the volume of their events, made many of their fighters not active.

It's just not looking good. If PFL would develop Africa, not just it's PFL Africa, but building local scenes, it would had been able to refund itself and to make small but relevant profit, if PFL would develop Middle east MMA, it will get sponsors by oil money, who would appreciate a western organization giving opportunities to their local citizens.

Scot failed.

While that would be a good way to build up Africa, no major company has done anything like that, and certainly PFL would not be one that has the resources to build multiple countries MMA infrastructure up from the ground like that. That is way too difficult for PFL to do.

Are you talking about Scott Coker? He is not part of PFL.

 

[DougieJones]

They just made many mistakes on the chessboard.

PFL Africa, PFL MENA, PFL Europe, PFL Oceania, what next, PFL antartica.

To expand fast everywhere is not a bad idea, but you need to be profitable everywhere.

Africa and Middle east are markets, that are small, even if they are developing and expanding their sizes every year. Asia also has a huge potential.

PFL has no vision, rather than overpaying Nganou who is not the grateful kind, while also not being profitable with spoiling him, the only thing Nganou gave to PFL was advertisement, that was not a goal but only a consequence, an indirect effect.

The PFL Africa projet has no amibition nor wisdom, go to Africa, select 12 stable countries who do not know civil war and terrorism, chaos, law of the jungle, build 20 gyms, make 20 academies, bring foreign coaches, establish curicullum, make small local tournaments, get the best, market your tournaments cleverly by social media, attract local celebrities, digital or not, bring sponsors to events, make small but decent and relevant cashprize, with small money, this could had been made, you could even had made a TV reality show a la blue lock, to build icon.

Africa for example has a market, but to be profitable there, you need one to acquire/build a good product, second to market/sell it well. To create small local scenes will not make millions, but you would still refund what you had invested, and you will be very profitable in the future with icons.

Local scenes even if small could make a lot of money, look a thos much senegal wrestlers are paid, by competing against each others, not even against foreigners, and in events that are not broadcasted internationally.

Scot cooker should had simply picked someone else than Nganou, giving him blue prints to follow. Besides the UFC, only ACA/KSW/Okyagon and Rizin are standing with solide pillars. PFL is in the orange, One in the red and that's it. What proved that PFL is in the orange, they reduced the 1 million dollar tournament to 500K dollars, reduced the volume of their events, made many of their fighters not active.

It's just not looking good. If PFL would develop Africa, not just it's PFL Africa, but building local scenes, it would had been able to refund itself and to make small but relevant profit, if PFL would develop Middle east MMA, it will get sponsors by oil money, who would appreciate a western organization giving opportunities to their local citizens.

Scot failed.

Nope, major MMA companies should just ignore Africa (for the most part). Do you know how much money and time it would take to build gyms and grow an MMA culture? The cost of investment is nowhere even close to even being close to justifying the return (especially because there is ZERO guarantee the fighters produced by these gyms will sign with said org over others). That's not even mentioning the instability and total uncertainty of the future of most of these countries that could torpedo any and all investments in the blink of an eye.

 

[wwkirk]

Nope, major MMA companies should just ignore Africa (for the most part). Do you know how much money and time it would take to build gyms and grow an MMA culture? The cost of investment is nowhere even close to even being close to justifying the return (especially because there is ZERO guarantee the fighters produced by these gyms will sign with said org over others). That's not even mentioning the instability and total uncertainty of the future of most of these countries that could torpedo any and all investments in the blink of an eye.

I agree. I think any MMA person or organization that wants to be pro-Africa, for the time being should focus on grants, scholarships, etc. for particular athletes to live and train elsewhere. The continent itself ain't ready.

 

[cws80us]

• They had somewhat of a niche with the tournament format and 1 million dollar prize. That allowed them to attract some decent names like Rory and Pettis, albeit when they were well past prime. They then cut the prize to 500k, and now I guess they've mostly gotten rid of the tournament format altogether.
• They bought Bellator but then basically did nothing with it. They had the 1 event to unify the titles, then released most of the bigger names before dissolving it altogether. What was the point in buying it if not to either continue running it as a separate organization or to get the top talent to bolster the PFL roster? They did neither, so in end it was just another boondoggle.
• They made a big splash signing Ngannou and Jake Paul to big contracts then got 1 fight out of Ngannou and 0 fights out of Paul. Ended up being much ado about nothing.

In the end they seem like just another failed MMA organization that threw around a lot of money, tried to make a big splash, but was never fiscally sound, overly ambitious, and poorly run.

 

[Doctor Grudge]

• They had somewhat of a niche with the tournament format and 1 million dollar prize. That allowed them to attract some decent names like Rory and Pettis, albeit when they were well past prime. They then cut the prize to 500k, and now I guess they've mostly gotten rid of the tournament format altogether.
• They bought Bellator but then basically did nothing with it. They had the 1 event to unify the titles, then released most of the bigger names before dissolving it altogether. What was the point in buying it if not to either continue running it as a separate organization or to get the top talent to bolster the PFL roster? They did neither, so in end it was just another boondoggle.
• They made a big splash signing Ngannou and Jake Paul to big contracts then got 1 fight out of Ngannou and 0 fights out of Paul. Ended up being much ado about nothing.

In the end they seem like just another failed MMA organization that threw around a lot of money, tried to make a big splash, but was never fiscally sound, overly ambitious, and poorly run.

I am pretty sure they bought Bellator to acquire their broadcasting deals in Europe (for example, PFL got onto BBC after Bellator was acquired).