The Professional Fighters League (PFL) recently teamed up with DAZN to develop PFL Europe, scheduled to launch in 2023, a press release reported.
The joint venture will be considered the first regional league to ever be created by a global MMA provider.
"PFL Europe is the beginning of the Champions League of MMA from PFL," CEO of PFL, Peter Murray, said. "We are excited to have DAZN as our strategic media rights distribution partner in Europe for all of the fight franchises - PFL Global League, PFL Challenger Series, PFL Europe and PFL PPV Super Fight Division."
Under the terms of the agreement, DAZN will become a founding partner of PFL Europe, which offers content related to European MMA fighting events. In addition to PFL Europe, the companies have also agreed upon a multiyear media rights agreement to make PFL global events exclusively accessible in various major global markets, particularly based in Europe.
Starting next year, DAZN will also house PFL global events across 53 international markets including the United Kingdom, Ireland and Spain. The organization will also promote and distribute PFL PPV Super Fight Division events in global markets outside the United States and Canada.
"DAZN is fast becoming the preferred partner for rights holders for the simple reason that we can provide a truly global solution, access to fanbases across the world,” Shay Segev, DAZN Group CEO, said. “We have a strong track record investing in and accelerating the growth of sports. We are also more agile and innovative than traditional broadcasters and, like the PFL, we want to stay relevant to today's consumer. With DAZN, fans can either watch in the traditional linear way or enjoy a more immersive and interactive entertainment experience with greater gamification and bolt-on products and services."
Serving as the second largest MMA company on a global scale, PFL’s live event coverage spans in 160 countries on leading distribution platforms.
“PFL is the first and only MMA league with a true sports-season format where elite fighters from around the world compete in a regular season, playoffs and championship,” a recent press release states. “The four competitors in each division who earn the most points in the regular season advance to the win-or-go-home playoffs, followed by the biggest night in MMA – the PFL World Championship – with each winner going home with the $1 million prize.”