Exec Confirms End of Bellator MMA: All Content, Fight Events Will Be 'PFL Branded'

ALL fighters now integrated and connected in one powerful roster

One Brand 👊@PFLMMA 👊One Roster

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Professional Fighters League #PFLMMA pic.twitter.com/JcylkqFQSA

— Donn Davis (@DonnDavisPFL) January 14, 2025

The Bellator MMA brand is officially a thing of the past.

Professional Fighters League chairman and founder Donn Davis released a statement clarifying Bellator’s status on Tuesday, announcing that “all fighters [are] now integrated and connected in one powerful roster.” In short, that means the Bellator name will not be associated with any fighters or events under the PFL umbrella.

The full statement posted by Davis on social media is as follows:

Professional Fighters League acquired Bellator MMA one year ago primarily for its great fighter roster. The PFL brand has become synonymous with the “win and advance” format and product innovation. PFL has established itself as a premium brand doing things different to help grow our great sport of MMA.

Going forward all fight events and content will be PFL branded. The Bellator brand carries a rich history that will continue to be respected and appreciated through select feature title bouts. Fans will continue to enjoy the immense Bellator fight library and historic fight content throughout our social, digital, and partner channels. All of our fighters are now integrated and connected in one powerful PFL brand worldwide.

PFL purchased Bellator at the end of 2023 and continued to operate the promotion as a separate entity last year under the Bellator Champions Series name. The shift in philosophy became evident prior to Davis’ announcement when the promotion’s upcoming event on Jan. 25 — headlined by Bellator lightweight champ Usman Nurmagomedov and Paul Hughes — was renamed PFL Champions Series Road to Dubai. The card’s main event remains a title fight, but it’s currently unclear how that will tie in to the rest of the PFL schedule.

While nothing is official at this time, the PFL is also expected to do away with its season format and revise its salary structure, which featured $1 million payouts for championship winners in each weight class. The promotion will reportedly move to grand prix-style tournament with winners receiving $500,000. An official announcement from PFL regarding the changes is expected to come later this week.

As it stands, Bellator’s last official event occurred in London on Sept. 14, 2024 — though it wasn’t labeled as such at the time. The promotion held its debut card on April 3, 2009 at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida, and has presided over than 300 events during a run that lasted more than 15 years.