New PFL CEO John Martin opens up on changes coming to the brand: ‘We have been listening to the fans’

As the PFL enters Friday’s loaded “Road to Dubai Champions Series” card, which features a must-see rematch between unbeaten lightweight champion Usman Nurmagomedov and Irish upstart Paul Hughes, recent changes to the brand have sparked a noticeable level of optimism regarding the promotion’s future. 

PFL began what many critics called a “make or break 2025” by slightly altering its format and rule set in an effort to listen to the demands of its fanbase. The result has been a fairly strong year as PFL has been praised for not only the quality of its in-cage product but its ability to draw electric live crowds internationally. 

That doesn’t mean justifiable whispers of criticism disappeared completely, however. 

The largest issues with PFL still surrounded its unnecessarily confusing tournament structure and the lack of identified champions due to an overabundance of title belts being awarded across multiple sub-brands that made it impossible for a casual (or even hard-core) fan to know who the true faces of the brand actually were. 

Enter new CEO John Martin, a life-long combat sports fan and former CEO of Turner Broadcasting, whose July hiring sparked a series of necessary changes that could prove to be the turning point in PFL’s hope of changing public perception as it enters the final year of its broadcasting deal with ESPN.

Martin’s hiring allowed PFL to shift CEO Peter Murray into the lead role of shepherding the promotion’s international leagues. More importantly, it seemed to allow PFL chairman and co-founder and chairman Donn Davis to take a step back from his previous role as public spokesman and media liaison (akin to that of UFC CEO and president Dana White).

Seemingly gone are the boasts that PFL is already the co-MMA leader with UFC or that it’s competing, right now, on a direct, head-to-head basis. That doesn’t mean Martin doesn’t hold many of the same ambitions to eventually end up there.  

“I’m not naive, we are in the same business, by and large, as the UFC. I would be naive to say we are not going to compete and I am very competitive,” Martin told CBS Sports last week. “If you’re in a growing category and that leader is helping to grow the category, as long as it isn’t going to be a winner-take-all in that category, a No. 2 can grow and thrive. So, our goal is to continue to grow with the category and start to close that distance with UFC. 

“As we grow, and as we get more fans and more eyeballs and do a better job of engaging them, that’s where my media background can be a help in storytelling. How do you build stars and how do you tell unique stories? There has never been easier ways to do that now through technology. And then, over time, you have money to invest in geographic territories to find even better fighting talent and success builds upon success.” 

Martin brings an engaging mix of humility and thoughtfulness to the job. With a sleeve of tattoos on both arms and a 25-year background in martial arts training, which includes a black belt in karate and training in jiu-jitsu, Muay Thai and Aikido, it also quickly becomes clear that, at his core, he’s a true fan of the product. 

The biggest move made by Martin in his honeymoon period on the job was almost certainly the September announcement that PFL was dropping its seasonal champion format (and limiting the awarding of ceremonial title belts like “super fight champion”) in favor of a more traditional system of one champion per division.  

“Part of the reason why I decided to move quickly to communicate the simplification is because we have been listening to the fans,” Martin said. “It was my predisposition coming in, being a fight fan since I was five years old, there is a tried and true method in that there is beauty in simplicity. Everyone knows who the champion is and everyone knows who the contenders are. And then there’s matchmaking and storytelling, there’s grudge matches and you can build energy and momentum. In some of our formats, it was tough to do that.” 

PFL once rallied around its unique identity that was more akin to pro team sports than that of traditional fight promotion. There was a regular season tournament with playoffs and a championship. But what fans seemed to truly want, overall, was less process and better quality of fights and it became difficult for PFL to build stars when its own format prevented it from regularly promoting its most valuable assets in fights with legit stakes.

The quality of PFL’s roster was never really in question, especially after it acquired the roster of Bellator MMA in 2024 to merge with its own. But PFL did a poor job — beyond the confusion of keeping Bellator titles in circulation — of actually using the new talent it had acquired by incorporating the best Bellator fighters into its most meaningful cards, which led to PFL allowing big names like Aaron Pico, Patchy Mix and Patricio Pitbull to gain their release (allowing UFC to instantly sign all three). 

“Some of the formats were not bad, there was real rationale for them and we may still use some tournament formats in certain areas, particularly in the international leagues, where it may make sense,” Martin said. “But people want to see the best fights and seeing the best fighters fighting the best opponents. That’s what I want to bring to the PFL. I’d like to showcase some of the best talent that we have in the PFL in the United States and introduce a lot of American MMA fans to fighters that they may not have had the exposure to. 

“We listen to the fans and I’m pleased to say that the response to the announcement has been overwhelmingly positive and that’s reassuring.”

So, does that mean PFL is considering dropping its heavy reliance upon tournaments altogether in exchange for a streamlined and more traditional promotional approach in 2026?  

“I think without making a definitive announcement, I would say we are in discussions with our partner, ESPN, about bringing the best fights to the fans and not necessarily being encumbered in a season format,” Martin said. “We have had some very positive responses from ESPN but we have to talk to them and see what they are willing to commit to us in terms of time scheduling and promotion. I look forward to working with them. They are a fantastic brand.”

As far as major assets are concerned, PFL has a few of them. 

Nurmagomedov and Hughes authored the greatest fight in promotional history in January and will rematch on Friday. Then there’s 27-year-old British striker Dakota Ditcheva, the 2024 PFL women’s flyweight tournament champion, who has all the makings to be a global breakout star. 

And don’t forget about Francis Ngannou, the former UFC heavyweight champion and part-time boxer who has fought just once in PFL since his much-hyped 2023 signing even though the 39-year-old’s name was noticeably absent from the announcement of an inaugural PFL heavyweight title fight in December featuring Vadim Nemkov and Renan Ferreira (who Ngannou knocked out last October).

Martin said he plans to meet with Ngannou this weekend in Dubai to gauge his fighting future. 

“Francis is, no doubt, one of the biggest stars in the sport,” Martin said. “[It] didn’t feel right to approach him with [the Nemkov-Fereira] fight. I want to hear from him what he wants to do. He has other interests, he has done boxing, and I want to know if he really wants to fight in MMA again. He, also, a lot of people may not realize, has been a real ambassador. He has been the chairman of PFL Africa, which we recently launched, and he has been doing a lot with that and has been very engaged. 

“We are very appreciative of what he is bringing to the PFL African brand and also to the global brand. So, he’s a star and I just need to sit with him to figure out what is best for him and the PFL.”

For the record, Martin’s tone in relation to Ngannou was noticeably different than that of Davis, who previously criticized Ngannou publicly for not attending PFL Africa’s debut card. 

Moving forward, Martin hopes to continue his focus upon building PFL’s footprint within the United States.

“I like what PFL has done by pushing the envelope internationally and I’d like to continue to do that and expand and grow internationally but, I want to amplify the brand in the U.S., where I think it hasn’t been as strong,” Martin said. “This is our last year in 2026 with ESPN, so I also think it’s a key year for us to work together. I watched ESPN really, really help build the UFC brand over the last several years so it could be a big, big help for us. 

“If the fans are delighted, I am doing my job and we will win. We will grow this company into a huge, global MMA juggernaut. That’s why I’m here. I’m an ambitious guy. I’m not here because I just want to caretake this company that has a cool foundation. If you asked me my ultimate goal and position, I would like to lead PFL to be an undisputed, massive and global sports league. It’s one step at a time, we are not going to do that overnight but there is a great foundation to work from and I’m excited to do that.”