PFL Founder Insists Promotion Is 'Direct, Fair, & Reasonable' In Light Of Growing Discontent From Benched Bellator Fighters

Donn Davis, founder, chairman, and co-owner of the Professional Fighters League (PFL), has responded to the issues a number of fighters have publicly raised with his promotion.

The PFL attempted to strengthen its standing in mixed martial arts and its pursuit of achieving "co-leader" status alongside the UFC by purchasing the Bellator MMA organization late last year .

The promotion has since staged its first PFL vs. Bellator card, commenced global and regional seasons, and opened up a "reimagined" version of the brand it acquired in the form of the Bellator Champions Series .

While that has brought with it some entertaining cards and fights, things have been far from entirely positive for the PFL in 2024.

In attempting to separate itself from the UFC, PFL higher-ups have frequently claimed to be "fighter first" and an improved home for athletes compared to its rival. This year, though, has seen numerous fighters share their issues with the promotion.

Sabah Homasi has repeatedly bemoaned the lack of payment to cover his medical expenses from a Bellator fight last September. Cris Cyborg has frequently slammed the PFL online for not booking her. Gegard Mousasi and Douglas Lima claim the organization is refusing to honor their contracts because they earn too much money .

Those instances suggest the PFL's purchase has left some Bellator fighters worse off. The promotion's founder, however, has maintained that the PFL is "direct, fair, and reasonable."

Donn Davis Responds To Fighters' Issues With PFL

During a recent appearance on the Weighing In podcast with John McCarthy and Josh Thomson, Davis was asked about the recent claims made by Mousasi and Lima regarding their enforced stay on the sidelines.

Davis refused to comment on individual cases but noted that he's proud of how his promotion approaches interactions with fighters, managers, and so on.

According to the PFL chairman, the organization can't fully cater to every single fighter but does what it can to ensure all athletes are treated "reasonably."

"I would say two things. One: what I'm super proud of is, the market — and anyone you talk to; fighters, business partners, media, managers — we're direct, fair, and reasonable, 100 percent," Davis said. "That's my 35 years in business. That's the culture we've built here. So I will say, without commenting out of respect on individual negotiations or specific situations, we're direct, fair, and reasonable with everybody that we deal with.

"Will everybody's contract be honored? Of course. Do some people have different ideas of what works and doesn't work? Sure. But we're fair and reasonable with everybody," Davis continued. "Will all 205 fighters have everything fall the way they want? No."

When further pushed on whether either Mousasi or Lima will get a fight in 2024, Davis refused to answer.

"I wouldn't comment on any specific situation," he said.

Interestingly, it's not only former Bellator fighters who have taken to public forums to express their discontent with the PFL.

Larissa Pacheco, last year's PFL women's featherweight champion and the promotion's only two-division title winner, has also been left frustrated at her continued wait for a fight.

In contrast to Davis' claim that the PFL is "direct," Pacheco wrote during an exchange with her seemingly likely next opponent that she can't even secure communication from her employer six months on from her most recent fight.

During the same interview with McCarthy and Thomson, Davis also made a negative remark surrounding Kayla Harrison's decision to depart the PFL for the UFC . He branded her a "follower who needs validation."

Prior to Harrison's final PFL fight in November 2023, she had been sidelined for a year, during which she complained about the promotion's refusal to book her return.

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