Professional Fighters League boss aims to attract new fans with ‘superfight’ on October 19

One of the biggest battles in recent years for sports fans will take place on October 19 in Saudi Arabia.

It’s easy to think that “Battle of the Giants” could just be the next big MMA card. Organized by the Professional Fighters League, the so-called “superfight” will pit former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou against 2023 PFL heavyweight titleholder Renan Ferreira, also known as “La Problema.” It will also feature a clash between two champions, Cris Cyborg and Larissa Pacheco

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In the PFL, executives see a chance to bring new fans to the sport. “It’s a card like you’ve never seen before. Two of the best men and two of the best women,” says Donn Davis, a former AOL executive who founded and co-owned the MMA league. “We think it’s something that will definitely attract die-hard MMA fans, but if you’re just a sports fan, it’s something you should see.”

At a time when sports may be the last genre of programming that reliably draws large crowds to TV screens, leagues of all stripes are eager to show their potential. The media rights of the PFL’s main rival, the UFC, are controlled by Endeavor’s TKO Group, are up for renewal in 2025, while the PFL’s expires in 2026, according to Davis. ESPN has distribution deals with both MMA leagues in the U.S.

MMA, Davis says, “is a very rare product. There are only two premium companies — the UFC and the PFL.” And while the two leagues operate differently, he says, the PFL believes it can gain an edge and broaden the appeal of the sport. “The UFC is the leader, no doubt about it, but what the PFL is doing is very interesting and very innovative. We believe people will want to watch everything, not an either/or.”

Still, the PFL is very different from the UFC. “We give the fighters control instead of letting the promoter control us,” Davis says, nodding to the PFL, which has a regular season, playoffs and championships. He suggests that the UFC uses a “Don King boxing model,” in which the promoter decides which fights are best and makes them happen. “It’s not athlete-driven,” he says. “In the NBA, Adam Silver doesn’t decide who gets to the playoffs.”

But a regular schedule and rhythm help the league, he argues, especially with sponsors. “We have a season. We’re not a one-time event.”

UFC remains the bigger competitor, Davis says, and typically draws twice the audience of PFL for its big events. PFL typically draws 2 million viewers worldwide and 500,000 in the U.S., he says.

The executive says he likes working with companies that disrupt the industries they’re in. He founded the AOL unit that acquired Netscape, Moviefone and Mapquest from 1998 to 2002, and worked with AOL executives Steve Case and Ted Leonsis at their venture-capital firm Revolution. As UFC gained traction, he said to himself, “This reminds me of when I started working at AOL in 1997.”

He wants to do more. “I’m just trying to grow the sport and conquer the world — all in one day’s work.”

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