The PFL and ESPN have extended their media rights deal with the promotion set to kick off its next season this April.
A press release was issued on Tuesday stating that the two sides have reached a multi-year renewal that will see expanded coverage for the upcoming season with more events broadcast on linear ESPN and ESPN+.
The 2022 season will begin on Wednesday, April 20th with the company noting that seven events will be broadcast on both ESPN and ESPN+ with additional coverage on ESPN2.
From PFL CEO Peter Murray:
After two successful years of providing fans with premium MMA content alongside ESPN, PFL is proud to extend and expand our agreement. As MMA continues to evolve as a sport and rights property, our differentiated product and unique approach will help shape its path forward and in 2022 fans can expect more events, matchups between the world’s best fighters and innovative content than ever before.
Originally being run as the World Series of Fighting, the promotion was restructured in 2017 and rebranded as the Professional Fighters League (PFL) with a seasonal format that provided a $1 million prize for each tournament winner of the respective weight classes.
The model is a point-based one where fighters earn points throughout the season for a victory and additional points depending on which round they can earn a stoppage including a maximum of six points for a first-round finish.
Last year’s tournament winners included Bruno Cappelozza (heavyweight), Antonio Carlos Junior (light-heavyweight), Ray Cooper III (welterweight), Raush Manfio (lightweight), Kayla Harrison (women’s lightweight), and Movlid Khaybulaev (featherweight).
