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Donn Davis, the co-founder of the Professional Fighters League (PFL), has been actively promoting Francis Ngannou's debut fight in the organization against Renan Ferreira as arguably the biggest MMA fight of the year. He also claimed recently that the PFL has solidified its position as the second-largest MMA organization and asserted that the investment in Ngannou is part of a broader strategy to enhance its roster.
PFL is gearing up to make its fifth visit to Riyadh with the PFL Super Fights: Battle of the Giants card, which goes down on Oct. 19. Speaking at the pre-fight media scrum, Davis said that he's not anxious about Ngannou's potential stardom falling flat, contrasting his organization’s fighter-driven model with the UFC's promoter-driven approach.
He noted that, unlike the UFC's heavy investment in specific fighters like Sean O'Malley, the PFL allows fighters to control their destinies. This philosophy means that success comes from performance rather than promotional pressure. He said:
“The question is, are we nervous about Francis? Are we nervous about the outcome? No. Professional Fighters League is different from the other guys. The other guys are a promoter-driven league. They have stakes in certain fighters winning. They put a lot of investments in ‘Suga’ Sean O’Malley winning. They worked to make sure he wins. They invested a lot in marketing hoping he’s the next Conor McGregor — and then he falls flat and they’re disappointed.”
Davis added:
“We’re a fighter-driven league. Fighters control their destiny. If they win, they advance. If they win four times they become league champions and win a million dollars and the belt. I don’t control anything here. I don’t have favorites, I root for them all. That’s what makes the Professional Fighters League so great: fighter driven vs. promoter-driven. It doesn’t matter who wins and loses here to us, we root for them all and support them all equally.”
Check out Donn Davis' comments below (8:50):
Dan Hardy previews the upcoming Francis Ngannou vs. Renan Ferreira clash
Dan Hardy recently analyzed the upcoming clash between Francis Ngannou and Renan Ferreira at the PFL: Battle of the Giants, expressing confidence in 'The Predator's boxing experience. Hardy believes that Ngannou's recent boxing matches, despite a controversial decision loss to Tyson Fury and a knockout loss against Anthony Joshua, have equipped him with valuable skills that will be instrumental in the upcoming fight.
Hardy noted that while Ferreira presents a significant challenge due to his size, he anticipates that Ngannou may leverage his grappling skills to neutralize the challenge. Speaking in an interview with MMA Junkie, Hardy said:
"I would say that he needs to be close to Renan Ferreira to get inside his reach. I don’t know if he wants to waste too much energy grappling with him. I think we will see some wrestling and grappling out of Ngannou. Ferreira’s huge, he’s a sizable individual. Just to take him down and control him is going to be a massive amount of energy expended. So, I think Ngannou being able to stay in the pocket and box is going to be very useful for him in this fight.” [H/t: MMA Junkie]
Check out Dan Hardy's comments below (3:30):
