PFL has unveiled a significant tournament overhaul ahead of its 2025 season.
The unique regular season to playoff system utilized by PFL since 2018 – a format which saw fighters compete twice to earn points in a 10-person standings before the top four would qualify for a post-season bracket – has been officially swapped out with a simpler grand prix-style system, per an announcement made Wednesday.
In 2025, PFL will present eight-person brackets across eight different weight classes, starting the tournaments in early April and wrapping up by August.
The 2025 schedule sees the six PFL divisions utilized last year return, those being women’s flyweight, men’s featherweight, lightweight, welterweight, light heavyweight, and heavyweight.
In addition, the men’s middleweight class will be re-introduced to PFL tournament action for the first time since 2018, and a bantamweight division will be debuted. No fighters have been unveiled thus far.
Each grand final winner will receive a grand prize of $500,000, per a report last week from Uncrowned. The payout is a change from past years, where a PFL champion would have their annual earnings rounded up to $1 million if successful in the grand finals.
PFL’s initial tournament system aimed to translate the schedule format of traditional sports – like basketball or football – into MMA. However, after years of testing out such a concept, the promotion is now opting for a more tested and accepted form of tournament for the sport, something utilized in the past by Bellator, Pride FC, and countless other promotions.
PFL will stick with 10 events for its flagship tour this year, although their tournament plans to wrap up earlier than usual. While many PFL years have started around April and gone on until late November, the 2025 plans include all champs being crowned by August.
This is most likely due to the tournament being three fights in total, one less than what prior PFL seasons required its top fighters to appear in.
It’s been a newsworthy week for PFL, who yesterday announced the end of promoting Bellator-branded events. They also recently cut ties with highly decorated fighter Patricio Pitbull, who spent months begging for his release due to inactivity.
2025 PFL Tournament Schedule
Quarter-Final Events: April 3, 11, 18, and another show To Be Determined
Semi-Final Events: June 12, 20, 27
Grand Final Events: August 1, 15, 21
