Major changes are coming to PFL in 2025.
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Damon Martin is a veteran journalist and insider covering combat sports since 2003.
First and foremost, the Bellator brand is coming to an end after PFL acquired the promotion in a deal with Paramount in late 2023. At the time, PFL officials announced plans for Bellator to continue operating as its own entity with separate shows and champions representing the promotion.
That continued throughout 2024, although doubts about the future of Bellator started creeping to the surface after a planned card in London lost its main event just days before the show was scheduled to take place and then a second card in Paris was cancelled.
Now as PFL heads into the New Year, Bellator effectively no longer exists with the fighters who previously competed under that banner now just become PFL athletes.
As of now, PFL officials haven’t made any announcements regarding Bellator or the champions who currently hold titles in that organization. It’s unclear at this time if Bellator champions just become PFL champions but there may be some clarity sooner than later with reigning Bellator lightweight king Usman Nurmagomedov scheduled to defend his title against Paul Hughes on Jan. 25.
The card is being billed as a PFL Champions event with no mention of Bellator in the branding.
Of course this all happens as several prominent Bellator fighters have expressed frustration with the PFL over inactivity. Reigning featherweight champion Patricio Pitbull and bantamweight champion Patchy Mix even went as far as requesting a release from the promotion after sitting out several months without fights.
Multiple people with knowledge of the promotion’s plans confirmed the news to MMA Fighting following an initial report from Ariel Helwani.
In addition to Bellator officially coming to an end, the PFL is also expected to change its format heading into 2025.
Unlike past years where the PFL touted a regular season and playoffs, the new format is expected to just run like a traditional tournament. The PFL tournaments are still expected to exist over multiple weight classes and run throughout the year, but the format is now single elimination like any traditional tournament format.
The prize money for the tournaments is also expected to change with the winner now likely earning $500,000 versus the $1 million prize previously awarded. Changes to the prize money was first reported by Al Zullino on Twitter.
With the next PFL card scheduled for Jan. 25, it’s expected that the promotion will solidify many of these announcements prior to that date along with news about future events and plans for 2025.
UPDATE: PFL co-founder Donn Davis has now confirmed that the Bellator brand is ending with all fighters now competing under the PFL banner.
