How does the Professional Fighters League work? MMA’s winner-take-all $1m regular and playoff season explained
THE Professional Fighters League is MMA’s only seasonal format which consists of qualification and knockout stages.
Stars in six weight divisions will first have two regular season bouts where points are scored for your method of victory.
The top four then progress into the playoffs, which consists of a semis and final format.
Winners in each division eventually bag the jackpot $1million cash prize.
Here, SunSport breaks down how MMA’s only league format works.
Regular season
The top four in each weight division will qualify to the semi-finals through the points they earned in their first two bouts.
The scoring goes as follows.
- Six points for a first-round finish
- Five points for a second-round finish
- Four points for a third-round finish
- Three points for a decision win
- One point for a draw
- No points given for a loss
- No points earned for fighters who miss weight
READ MORE IN SPORT
Playoffs
The top four in each weight class progress into the playoffs, where two fights stand in the way of the $1m cheque.
Firstly, a semi-final bout over three rounds will determine the last two in each weight division.
If a semifinal ends in a draw, the three judges will each be asked to choose the fighter who they think had the most complete body of work for the entirety of the fight.
The fighter chosen most often will advance but the process is subject to commission approval.
If the commission does not approve the above process, the tiebreaker will go to the fighter who won the 1st round on the judges’ scorecards.
If the 1st round was ruled a draw, then the process will be repeated for the 2nd round, and so on.
It eventually sets up a five-round finale fight, where the winner earns the PFL’s $1m cash prize.
Most read in MMA
Where to watch?
In the US, PFL events are televised live on ESPN+ and ESPN.
In the UK, the American MMA league recently signed an exclusive deal with sports streaming service DAZN.