Exclusive: Peter Murray discusses PFL expansion within the next two years: "We already have laid ground work"
PFL CEO Peter Murray recently discussed what the future of the promotion will look like and expects plenty of expansion within the next two years. He disclosed locations that will serve as an extension of the promotion, which could make for an exciting time in the sport.
The promotion has already had expansion on an international level as they operate PFL Europe and PFL MENA, and have already announced that PFL Africa will premiere in 2025. Murray indicated that there will be continued growth as the promotion creates its identity as a true sports league with regular seasons in each region in addition to their one-off Super Fights and Bellator events.
During an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda MMA, the PFL CEO noted that there are already plans for continued expansion as they build towards the Champions League of MMA, similar to those seen in soccer. Murray mentioned that Australia is expected to be first and will continue expanding in Latin America and Asia in what will be revolutionary for MMA:
"We will have PFL Australia, which will also bring in New Zealand...Following that will be PFL LATAM and PFL Asia. We already have laid ground work on that and putting those pieces together before we make our announcements, but that's all being implemented, so we're already executing aspects of the Champions League of MMA...the next two years is nothing short of transformational in the sport of MMA." [18:16 - 18:55]
Check out the full exclusive interview with Peter Murray below:
Peter Murray discusses parallels between the PFL global season and the Champions League soccer
In addition to disclosing what the future expansion will look like for the promotion, Peter Murray discussed the parallel between the PFL global season and Champions League soccer.
For instance, the top-ranked European soccer clubs in their respective league earn a berth in the UEFA Champions League to determine the best club in Europe. During the aforementioned interview, Murray mentioned that the regional PFL season winners advance to the global season, which brings a similar element to MMA:
"There's definintely some parralels [to global soccer] here in this sport and what we're building...Each year, we'll have regional champions ascend to that global season and we're creating opportunity and pathways for fighters that did not exist and we're playing our part to not only advance and grow the sport but give fighters opportunities." [19:15 - 20:07]
Check out Peter Murray's announcement for PFL Africa below: