Donn Davis says PFL event will cost more than UFC Sphere event
Either PFL co-founder Donn Davis is a great poker player, or he is just not very creative.
Davis, who has mostly been a behind-the-scenes type figurehead for the Professional Fighters League over the years has been taking on a new persona in recent months. The company’s new-found frontman has used calendar year 2024 as one of attacks against the UFC, in particular CEO Dana White.
The UFC Sphere event (UFC 306) seemed to be a great success for the UFC, taking in the largest live gate in the company’s history. While costs are suggested to have exceeded $20 million, the feedback thus far seems to be that it was a step in the right direct for White and company.
The PFL will hold their “Batte of the Giants: Brace for Impact” pay-per-view event on Oct. 19, and well….. Davis had take aim at last weekend’s UFC Sphere event.
“I think you have the most interesting men’s fight, and the most interesting women’s fight [of the year],” Davis recently told the New York Post. “So, first of all, I believe this is the biggest event possible in MMA because of the co-mains, this year in 2024, and that makes it, certainly, the biggest thing for PFL. The UFC is the bigger company, but we’re putting on the bigger event. So, this is a big deal for us. Our No. 1 metric is putting on the highest quality MMA fight for fans in the world. We want to show fans that we can put on just as good, or better of a product than anyone else in the world. That’s metric No. 1.
“Metric No. 2, we want to do OK financially, just OK financially. The cost of this fight is astronomical. Dana White talks about his $20 million Sphere event, this is more. Fighters make more, the card here has more big fights coming. This cost to us is more than his cost to the Sphere.”
Following Tuesday night’s Contender Series fight card, White was asked about the comments made by Donn Davis.
“I didn’t even know who he was until you said it,” White responded. “Sounds like a good idea. Good for him. Good luck, hope it all works out.”
