PFL slapped with $15 million-plus lawsuit for "breach of contract" days before massive Francis Ngannou fight
Just days before the highly anticipated Francis Ngannou vs. Renan Ferreira heavyweight clash, the PFL has been slapped with a $15 million lawsuit by former Bellator middleweight champion Gegard Mousasi. He initiated legal action against the promotion over several issues, including an alleged breach of contract.
Per reports, Mousasi has named PFL co-founder Donn Davis, PFL CEO Peter Murray, and matchmaker Mike Kogan in his lawsuit and has accused them of "breach of contract, breach of the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing, unjust enrichment, and a claim for relief for Monopsonization" in his suit.
It's worth noting that Mousasi's legal action was taken against Bellator, which directly affects the PFL as the promotion's new owner. The claims stem from Mousasi seemingly not receiving his guaranteed $800,000 ($850,000 with bonus money) after his first four fights in the promotion.
After his first four outings, PFL allegedly sidelined Mousasi in order to not pay him his purse money as contracted by Bellator and delayed booking him for a fight. He also alleges that his situation got worse after PFL took over Bellator in November 2023 due to a complete breakdown in communication between him and the new management.
After several attempts to resolve the matter, 'The Dreamcatcher' was released earlier this year in May after he threatened legal action. Per MMA Fighting, He's now seeking "compensatory, consequential and/or equitable monetary damages in an amount to be determined at trial, but not less than $15 million" apart from punitive damages and attorney fees.
When Gegard Mousasi accused PFL of ghosting him like "an ex-girlfriend"
As mentioned, Gegard Mousasi has a bone to pick with the PFL and has initiated legal action against the promotion for allegedly sidelining him. In an interview earlier this year, Mousasi slammed the PFL-Bellator merger and accused the new promotion of asking him to take a pay cut if he wanted to continue fighting.
Speaking to MMA Junkie, Mousasi lashed out at the PFL for treating him like an "ex-girlfriend" and said:
"Eventually, now they [PFL] come and say, 'Well, you make too much money', so they're trying the fighters' payment...Every promotion has its own thing.
"UFC would give me every three-four months a fight, but they wouldn't pay me enough. Bellator, they paid me more, but I would fight a lot less. Now with PFL, they don't even give me a fight. This is the worst, I think. They don't even talk to you. It's like an ex-girlfriend or something."