The Big Lead

PFL ditches season format for March Madness-style 'PFL World Tournaments'

Win or go home, survive and advance – the PFL is bringing tournament MMA back to the world stage.

By Simon Head

Pedro Carvalho walks out to the cage before his PFL match against Kai Kamaka on Friday, June 28, 2024, at Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls.
Pedro Carvalho walks out to the cage before his PFL match against Kai Kamaka on Friday, June 28, 2024, at Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls. / Samantha Laurey / Argus Leader / USA TODAY NETWORK
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The Professional Fighters League has made two big moves to streamline its product ahead of a big year for the promotion in 2025.

The PFL announced Tuesday that their use of the Bellator MMA brand they acquired in November 2023 will come to an end, with the previously-named Bellator Champions Series events set to be branded PFL Road to Dubai Champions Series moving forward.

And on Wednesday the organization announced another major change, as they confirmed what had been widely expected since the conclusion of the 2024 PFL season – their season format will now be a thing of the past.

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The format, which featured a two-fight "regular season" before playoffs and a championship event, saw champions crowned across multiple weight classes, with the winners earning championship belts and checks for $1 million each.

That changes for 2025, with the season format being replaced by a simpler, easier-to-follow bracket-based tournament. The PFL World Tournament will see eight fighters in each weight class seeded, then placed into tournament brackets more akin to NCAA's March Madness.

"The PFL World Tournament is continued innovation by PFL, and we are thrilled to present to global MMA fans an even more exciting product," said PFL CEO, Peter Murray.

"One shot, single elimination, nothing more exciting in all of sports."

The action takes place over three tournament rounds, with the winners of the first round earning spots in the semifinals before the victors at the final four stage progress to the tournament final for their weight class. Tournament winners will win a $500,000 bonus on top of their individual show and win money from each bout in the tournament.

Eight weight classes will be featured, with tournaments planned for the men's heavyweight, light heavyweight, middleweight, welterweight, lightweight, featherweight and bantamweight divisions, plus the women's flyweight division.

2025 PFL World Tournament brackets
PFL MMA

Tournament action will be scheduled across multiple events through the year, with the whole competition set to last five months. The opening round will take place across three events in April, with the playoffs set for June and the finals in August.

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