PFL Chairman Donn Davis: Dana White is ‘worried’ after Bellator sale
The PFL is looking to push the UFC and become the world’s premier combat sports promotion. The organization’s purchase of Bellator MMA made that far more realistic. PFL Chairman Donn Davis even believes the acquisition has UFC CEO Dana White worried.
Davis expressed his opinion on “The MMA Hour” with Ariel Helwani.
“Everybody knows Dana (White) well enough that he only dismissed things that worry him,” Davis said. “Or else he just doesn’t comment. He didn’t comment on the PFL for four years because he wasn’t worried. He’s commented on the PFL a lot the last six months. Worried.”
The PFL roster is now one of the best rosters that has attempted to compete with the UFC. The combination of PFL and Bellator MMA creates a deep roster with highly talented fighters.
Davis explained that the quality of the PFL roster is what would make White worry about the competitor.
“What specifically worried him about Bellator is the metrics we put on the press release,” Davis said. “Thirty percent of that roster ranked in the top 25, per Fight Matrix ranking. This is not Dana gets to rank his own guys. Donn is ranking his own guys. As you know, there is only one group that ranks all fighters, Fight Matrix, independently. Thirty percent of the UFC roster is your top-25 ranked and now our combined company of PFL and Bellator is thirty percent the same.”
Davis explained that the quality of the roster would help the PFL host shows that could outmatch the UFC. This is because the PFL has its PFL League Season, PFL PPV Super Fight League, PFL International Leagues, PFL Challenger Series and Bellator MMA.
The difference in quality between UFC and PFL is tough to compare. This is mainly because the two organizations are structured differently. The UFC hosts over 40 events a year and the PFL does not. The best PFL fighters also fight more often because the season structure forces them to compete two to four times a year.
Davis claimed that his promotion is now the co-leader of combat sports alongside the UFC. Now, let’s see if MMA fans agree. That is what will determine if they can hold a larger market share in the MMA industry.
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