The Professional Fighters League (PFL) has made the big decision to cancel its fights for the remainder of the year, but it will be making the effort to pay its fighters during the time off.
Unlike other major fight promotions, the PFL holds a regular season and playoffs, which build up to a New Year’s Eve finale that sees the victor go home with $1,000,000. The first event of this year’s season was scheduled to take place on May 21.
The organization will, however, be paying its athletes a monthly stipend while events aren’t happening, though the exact amount hasn’t been publicly disclosed.
The CEO of the company, Peter Murray, released a statement on the situation:
“In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Professional Fighters League has rescheduled our upcoming 2020 season for Spring 2021. PFL is a global MMA league with athletes from over 25 countries, and our decision is guided by the health and safety of our fighters, fans, partners, and event personnel.
The PFL mission is to evolve and grow the sport of MMA, and we look forward to staging our unique sport-season format with Regular Season, Playoff and Championship events on ESPN platforms next year. PFL has always been focused on delivering the best made-for-TV MMA product and we will continue to deliver the most innovative fight experience going forward. Fans can also look forward to PFL elevating our roster with new championship caliber fighter signings such as Rory MacDonald.
For the remainder of 2020, the PFL will support our fighters with a monthly cash stipend to help provide some relief during these challenging times. In addition, for sports fans who we know are looking for compelling content, the PFL will deliver new original programming across ESPN and PFL platforms.
PFL will continue to be an innovator in the world of sports.
Our thoughts are with all those impacted by the COVID-19 coronavirus.”
