Fans can only name five UFC fighters - When PFL founder Donn Davis claimed UFC undercards did not matter to the viewers

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Donn Davis (right) [Image via @DonnDavisPFL on Twitter]

Donn Davis was very critical of the UFC and suggested that many of the organization's undercard fights lack importance. Davis is the founder of PFL, a rival MMA organization based in America that uses a league-style format instead of a ranking system like the UFC does.

While speaking to Reuters in February 2021, Davis spoke about the lack of household names within the Ultimate Fighting Championship and also the undercard strength during the events:

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"UFC has 500 fighters and fans can only name five of them and those five don’t fight on the ESPN contract, they only fight on pay-per-view. When you tune into the UFC they have bunch of undercard fights that don’t matter. Every fight matters in the PFL."

Davis went on to admit that the PFL is currently the "number two" MMA company, with the Ultimate Fighting Championship taking the top spot. However, the PFL founder seemed hopeful that his organization would one day catch its rival.

It's true that some undercards in the Ultimate Fighting Championship don't have household names on show. Still, it's important to remember that every major name in the organization was once an undercard fighter.

The PFL's use of the league format means that there is more importance in every bout, with fighters earning points for a win and no points for a loss. The organization is yet to create fighters nearly as big as Conor McGregor, with one of their biggest names being Kayla Harrison.

Harrison has won multiple Olympic gold medals while competing in judo but is only a major name within the MMA and Olympic worlds. She is yet to transcend the sport the way McGregor has.

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How many fighters are contracted to the UFC?

As of 2021, the UFC has 689 fighters under contract. However, this is a very flexible number, as fighters often win contracts via Dana White's Contender Series and are also let go after poor runs.

Many of these fighters are not household names, with only a select few earning large amounts of money. The organization often debuts local fighters, especially when travelling around the world for their events. This means the size of the roster is always changing.

In March, Dana White cut 15 fighters from the UFC. Many of them had losing records in the company, with most not being given more than two to three fights to prove themselves.

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However, big names aren't always safe from being cut. Alistair Overeem and Junior dos Santos are two who were recently let go by the organization. The Brazilian is now fighting for Eagle FC, which is owned by Khabib Nurmagomedov. Overeem has a professional MMA record of 47-19 and had won two out of his last three UFC bouts before being cut.

Watch Kleydson Rodrigues earn his contract in the Contender Series here:

Fighters are often at risk of losing their contracts after suffering three defeats in succession. In some cases, like Donald Cerrone, you can lose multiple fights in a row and remain under contract. However, this is normally reserved for losses against high-level opponents or big names.

The numbers are constantly growing and the Contender Series often earns athletes new contracts. So it's clear to see why White has to make mass cuts.

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