PFL’s Unique Format Allows For Rapid Growth Of International Fan Base

Most professional sports leagues have used the concept of crowning their respective champions through a regular season and playoff format. But the world of mixed martial arts differed from that style until the Professional Fighters League came around.

By pairing world-class athletes into a tournament that saw them battle through each other to reach the ultimate prize in sports – a million-dollar check – the PFL has presented the nearly half-billion MMA followers around the world with an excellent way to follow the action.

Fighters test themselves in a round-robin regular season much like that in the NFL, MLB, NBA, and major soccer promotions to advance into the playoffs. From there, a single-elimination bracket is created with only one winner advancing.

The fight fans are able to watch and see just who their favorite has up next and who they could be paired with in the future. That makes for an excellent way to discuss the pending bouts on social media, bringing a whole new era into the sport.

Social media allows for those from every region to interact with not only each other but the fighters they follow. PFL has taken note of this, putting together award-winning features on the various platforms including Instagram and Facebook.

In 2019, the PFL Network featured a plus-300 percent growth in year-over-year engagement on Instagram and a 2000-percent greater interaction rate between fight fans, fighters, and the promotion in general on Facebook through this year.

PFL is making it a priority to find the best of the best, and that includes Indian MMA athletes. The country has long been a hot-spot for some of the elite wrestlers in the world, and that is sure to continue into the cage.

Those same fans are also familiar with the unique format of the PFL, which is also similar to many of the big wrestling tournaments conducted.

As a way to extend the PFL reach into the part of the world, the promotion recently signed a television deal with Eurosport India. The Discovery-owned broadcast distributor will be the first to air MMA, and the PFL will be presented through a wide variety of content including classic fights, live-action, and original programming from PFL Studios.