The Professional Fighters League (PFL) which debuted in Africa, joining PFL Europe and PFL MENA as part of PFL’s network of regional leagues that is evolving into the Champions League of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), has given fighters in Africa the chance to win prizes as substantial as $1 million.
The CEO PFL, Peter Murray, disclosed this at the unveiling ceremony in Lagos, yesterday, saying PFL is expanding into Africa with substantial investments planned over the next 12 month.
Murray averred that the platform is aimed at making an impact on the Africa continent and in the global stage for Africa fighters with its grand launching in the Africa continent.
“The PFL is excited to announce PFL Africa, the third international fight franchise as we continue on our path to becoming the Champions League of MMA,” he stated.
According to Murray, the PFL tagged: ‘the Champions League of Africa’ will begin in the second quarter of next year, 2025 as the organisers are poised to empower African athletes and supply the resources needed to optimise their potential.
“Africa is home to some of the greatest fighters in the world, including our league chairman Francis Ngannou, and some of the greatest fans in the sport. PFL Africa aims to serve the great fans with premium content while strengthening the PFL global footprint in what has for too long been an underserved market. Alongside our great investment and broadcast partners we cannot wait to kick off PFL Africa league action in 2025,” the CEO affirmed.
PFL Africa will introduce an engaging sport-season format with a Regular Season, Playoffs, and Championship featuring top African fighters with all events, for the first time hosted in Africa.
In a groundbreaking partnership, Helios Sports & Entertainment Group has invested and will hold a stake in the promotion, of which MMA superstar Francis Ngannou will serve as Chairman of the league.
Chairman, PFL Africa, Francis Ngannou, added, “I am excited and honored to serve as Chairman of PFL Africa, a league that will shape the very foundation of African MMA. As we have seen there is a great wealth of talent in Africa just waiting to be given a global stage. I am so very proud to give back to my homeland and to provide great content to a region with such a passionate and diverse fanbase.”
In the same vein, the co-founder and managing partner of Helios Investment Partners, Tope Lawani said, African talent has had disproportionate success on the global MMA stage and MMA currently has a scarcity of events despite significant demand, creating a huge opportunity for growth as young Africans consume more digital content on their devices.
“We are looking forward to partnering with the PFL, a world-class organization, and with Francis Ngannou, who is a manifestation of the success of African talent on a global stage. This marks HSEG’s fourth investment following our successful partnership with the NBA in Africa. We see several areas of direct synergies between PFL Africa and HSEG’s existing unique portfolio and we are excited by the opportunities such collaboration can bring to the continent,” Lawani added.
Some of the expected fighters include Kunle Lawal, Sadibou Sy, Shido Boris, Maxwell Djnatou Nana, and Wasi Adeshina.
In his remarks, Lawal said, “I left Nigeria some years ago for Scotland. Part of the reason is because there’s not much opportunity in Nigeria. But now that PFL has come into Nigeria, it’s going to give a lot of young kids the opportunity to make it somewhere big in the future. There’s going to be a lot of rising stars and a lot of people coming back to Africa to perform on their soil. For me, it is indeed a dream come true. I left my country to follow my goals, and now I have a chance to achieve my goal in my own country. I am very grateful for this opportunity.”
A female fighter named Julie Ukah, who trains and lives in Nigeria but competes abroad, showed her happiness by stating that PFL’s coming to Africa and Nigeria was a wonderful thing. “It has always been my goal to inspire young girls to be confident in themselves no matter where they end up. Thus, I’m glad the PFL is debuted in Africa and I believe that achieving this goal jointly is a great idea,” she posited.
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