The Professional Fighters League (PFL) has partnered with SRJ Sports Investments, a branch under the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund, to bring the pay-per-view super fight series to Saudi Arabia in 2024; SRJ Sports Investments now owns a minority stake in PFL, invests in a new regional league, PFL MENA, and aims to grow sports in the Middle East and North Africa regions.
The Professional Fighters League (PFL) has entered into a partnership with SRJ Sports Investments, which was recently established under the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund. This new funding aims to sign new talent and move the highly anticipated pay-per-view super fight series to be held in Saudi Arabia starting from 2024. SRJ Sports Investments now owns a minority stake in the mixed martial arts promotion, making them an investor in a new regional league named PFL MENA. This league aims to organize events and cultivate talent in the Middle East and North Africa regions, with a goal to launch in 2024.
A significant aspect of this partnership is that PFL officials have announced that the upcoming super fight series, to be aired on pay-per-view, will be hosted in Saudi Arabia. PFL founder, Donn Davis, believes this investment continues PFL’s worldwide growth. He stated, “PFL’s mission is to become the global co-leader in MMA with our fighter-first mission and disruptive sport-season format. This investment by SRJ continues the monumental growth that PFL has experienced throughout the world, and there is no better partner in global sports than SRJ.”
SRJ Sports Investment, established in early August, planned to target assets that could expand various sports in the MENA region. They announced their intention to focus on acquiring and creating new sports events intellectual property (IP), securing the commercial rights for sports competitions, and hosting major global events in Saudi Arabia. SRJ made its first investment with PFL. SRJ chairman, Bander Bin Mogren, highlighted, “Today marks a new milestone for SRJ as we make our inaugural investment. SRJ is shaping a new era of sports in Saudi Arabia and accelerating the growth of the domestic sports economy.”
PFL has already highlighted the super fight series, planned to launch in 2024, alongside plans to host fighters like Francis Ngannou in his first match after leaving the UFC, and social media influencer-turned-boxer, Jake Paul, who is expected to make his MMA debut next year. Under the terms of the new deal, these fights will all take place in Saudi Arabia. The investment also aims to groom the local and regional talent pool in martial arts, promote gender equality in the sport and offer unprecedented opportunities to Saudi Arabia and the larger MENA region.