PFL CEO Donn Davis takes a swipe at UFC, says PFL pays better and fighters have more control: “You’re not under somebody’s thumb”
PFL CEO Donn Davis has been riding high as of late following the exciting announcements made by the American promotion over the last few months and recently took a swipe at the UFC for the control that they have over their fighters.
During his appearance on the Front Office Sports podcast, Davis highlighted the differences in the ways in which his promotion treats fighters as opposed to how the UFC operates. He mentioned that the promotion has done an excellent job of providing another platform for fighters to compete at the highest level:
"We do everything they do and we do some things better. One, we pay better and two, you're in control in the PFL. You're not under somebody's thumb. What you do inside the cage controls your future."
Furthermore, Davis mentioned Dana White and took a jibe at him by insinuating that he dictates who becomes a star in the UFC and which fighters gain the most opportunities. He mentioned that his promotion boasts a more organized approach to scouting for new talent and compared it to Major League Baseball's method, saying:
"They like to just have like Dana [White] pick out people that he thinks fight well. We have a much more systematic and a much more global system than just one guy. We scout about 10, 000 fighters around the world... Obviously, the very biggest talent in the world fights in the PFL global league, but that's only 72 fighters a year." [h/t MMA Fighting]
It remains to be seen whether the new signings and global expansion will result in the PFL closing the gap between the UFC and other top MMA promotions in the future.
PFL CEO Donn Davis believes his promotion can compete with the UFC
The PFL has made a number of significant moves as it relates to its global distribution and overall product. Keeping that in mind, the promotion's CEO Donn Davis believes that his team has created a viable option for elite MMA fighters.
During the aforementioned appearance, Davis noted that his promotion has received considerable praise for their long-term vision and for running the promotion like a professional sports league with regular season standings and playoffs. Davis added that he now believes that his promotion can compete with the UFC:
"The last five years a lot of people said we love that product, we love that vision - will have enough money to go up against that big dog UFC?"...Well, now we do." [h/t MMA Fighting]