CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – APRIL 11: John Martin, Chief Executive Officer of the Professional Fighters League speaks to the media after PFL Chicago at Wintrust Arena on April 11, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Geoff Stellfox/Getty Images)
Getty Images
I caught up with PFL CEO John Martin and discussed the promotion’s immediate plans, ideas of a collaboration with Nakisa Bidarian and Jake Paul with MVP MMA and more. It was an enlightening conversation with some exciting concepts discussed.
Why Is 2026 The Most Important Year In PFL History?
Martin opened by reframing the “most important year” line that has trailed him through every press cycle this winter. For him, the urgency isn’t slogan-deep — it’s tied to the ESPN deal running down and the competitive landscape getting busier all at once.
“It’s really critical that we establish ourselves at a growing level, even more so than what we’ve done before,” Martin told me. “I’m pleased to report, you know, we’ve got a lot of hard work ahead of us. But so far, there’s some early indications that it’s working. Ticket sales are up, ratings are up at ESPN.”
He framed the moment around the field expanding around the PFL. “The global MMA landscape, on the one hand is really hot. And that’s good. But I want to make sure that PFL is strongly cemented as one of the leaders, the number two global promotion in the world,” Martin said. “We’re in discussions with U.S. broadcasters, so that we may have a new broadcast partner next year. I think it’s critical for us this year.”
The arrival of MVP MMA and the announcement of Scott Coker’s new global league for 2027 were both name-checked. The path Martin sees isn’t conflict — it’s making sure the PFL holds the second-largest seat at the table before anyone else takes it.
Why Is The PFL Building Around American Stars Now?
I asked Martin whether the U.S. push was about more than the broadcasting deal — specifically about filling the void of American MMA stars at the top of the sport. His answer kept the ambition global, but the slate is unmistakably American-heavy.
“The ambition that we have at the PFL is truly a global one,” Martin said. “But there has been, I would say, a bit of a trough in terms of American talent or American stars relative to what it was in the past. So we’re looking hard all over the world.”
He rattled off the names. “Johnny Eblen had a dominant victory in Pittsburgh and will be fighting soon to revenge his loss to Costello van Steenis. A.J. McKee is going to headline our card in San Diego at the end of June. And Archie Colgan is going to be fighting Usman Nurmagomedov.”
He also flagged a non-American he expects to break out globally. “If you look at Patrick Habirora, that guy is going to be a global star,” Martin said. “He’s walking the runway in Paris Fashion Week, and that’s one week. The next week he’s in the cage fighting and he’s a superstar. He’s undefeated.”
What Is The PFL Doing Better Than The UFC?
Martin pushed back gently when I asked him to name the one thing the PFL is doing better than anyone else in MMA, but landed on quality density and presentation.
“If you look at the UFC, they’re doing a lot more events than us,” Martin said. “Every one of our events probably has a higher level of quality across the card than some of the Fight Night cards. We’re doing fewer events — we’re going to do 16 global events this year, and about eight regional development events.”
His swagger play is presentation. “I want the fans to see that it’s a little different swagger than the UFC. We’re putting them on in really interesting cities and interesting venues. We’ve now introduced like real walkouts. The last two European shows, we’ve had some live music accompanying the main event walkout, just trying to delight the people that come and spend the time and the money to buy tickets.”
He was honest about the ceiling. “Our biggest limitation at the moment is we don’t have the brand that UFC has. And we don’t have the full distribution that UFC has. And even MVP having the distribution of Netflix is unparalleled. We’re on ESPN, they’re not doing a whole lot to promote us.”
Why Did The PFL Move Away From The Tournament Format?
Martin made the decision to drop the U.S. tournament format himself, but said the inputs came from everywhere. He referenced six months of his own fan-side viewing before he took the job, ESPN’s view as the broadcaster, and fighter feedback.
“The tournament became really physically grueling,” Martin said. “We were losing a number of competitors, even those who were winning and advancing — they’d get injured, they couldn’t continue in the tournament.”
He pointed to the Madrid event with Costello van Steenis headlining. “First time a premium MMA organization did a big event in the country of Spain. Having a local fighter there to be celebrated and show the emotion and the fan support — if you have a tournament, you lose that.”
The unexpected payoff has been with the fighters. “The fighter feedback was something I didn’t expect. The fighters are much happier now by and large,” Martin said.
Would Martin Co-Promote A Netflix Super Show With MVP?
Earlier in the week, MVP co-founder Nakisa Bidarian told me he was 100% open to a co-promotion with the PFL. I put the same question to Martin.
“If it makes sense for the PFL, I absolutely would be interested in doing it,” Martin said. “It’s not lost on either Nakisa or me that what MVP does, certain things we would struggle with doing because we don’t have the Netflix platform. And I think they do an outstanding job of grabbing attention. Of course, they have Jake Paul at the forefront — he’s not only a promoter, but also a talent.”
The pitch Martin made to me was about leverage. “What we have, which is really important, if you want to scale and be a legitimate global competitor in mixed martial arts, is we have the roster. So Nakisa and I — I think we’ve been asked publicly by different folks, and I think both of our answers are the same.”
He framed it as an organizing principle, not a one-off. “What I tell internally to all our people is that, look, we’re not the UFC, we’re not number one. We’ve got to be willing to try to do some things that maybe would be unorthodox,” Martin said. “I think it’d be fun to try some different things and showcase our fighters.”
That’s the key for the PFL and any MMA promotion outside of the UFC. The road to the promised land runs through fighter stardom and it is the promotion’s responsibility to build and buff its stars.
What Is The PFL Long Island Card Looking Like?
The conversation closed on the upcoming PFL New York event, July 31 at UBS Arena on Long Island, which Martin teed up as the punctuation mark on a three-week U.S. run.
“Featured in the main event is going to be Usman Nurmagomedov,” Martin said. “He’s our lightweight champ. I’ve said this before, and I really, really believe this — he’s top five in the world. I think he could be in a conversation to literally say he’s among, if not the best, lightweight in the world.”
The challenger has Martin equally engaged. “Archie Colgan is also undefeated. He’s an NCAA Division One All-American wrestler. He’s got outstanding wrestling chops, but he’s also a great striker. I think this is going to be a really interesting test of guys who can wrestle, who can stand up and bang.”
Martin also pointed to Dakota Ditcheva’s co-main return against Denise Kielholtz after nearly a year out with two hand injuries. “She’s 15-0, she’s arguably one of the faces of the PFL, and she’s in a lot of people’s conversation as the top female fighter pound-for-pound in the world right now.”
The biggest takeaway from the conversation, beyond the open door on a Netflix super show, was Martin’s tone. He’s running the PFL like a media operator who knows the next 12 months could decide whether the promotion gets to the global No. 2 seat.
With rising stars and a wide-open approach to entertainment and business, the PFL is at the table.
