John Martin has scored what he calls his “Dream Role” as the New PFL CEO
In 2017, the World Series of Fighting (WSOF) was restructured/ rebranded as the Professional Fighters League (PFL). Donn Davis founded the company, and Peter Murray was appointed the CEO.
Titles say a lot about who is running things, but actions say a lot too.
Davis is the founder. The product has a lot of great fighters, but it’s been hard to get on board with the PFL, especially after the COVID pandemic, when they paused their season format because of the difficulty of putting on events at the time.
With the sports business finally able to resume normally, the PFL came back full swing, with multiple versions of itself in other parts of the globe. Franchises, properties, whatever they’ve been called, are good and bad because it can be confusing. When fans want someone to answer questions about it, they haven’t had someone they can relate to who gives answers they can accept.
While Davis is the founder, when you hear that he doesn’t watch the sport, it’s hard to listen to much else after that.
That’s not to say Davis is bad at what he does.
The PFL would be done if he were, or never even started, like the GFL.
Dana White is officially the CEO and President of the UFC. He’s at post-event press conferences (usually), and when you think of the brand, it’s hard not to attach his name to it. He’s a passionate fight fan. There are clips of him everywhere now reacting to fights at his events, and events he attends, scouting talent.
We don’t get that with Davis, and we didn’t get that with Murray, but we may get that with Martin.
In the press release announcing Martin as the CEO, Davis said, “John Martin is THE ideal CEO to lead the next chapter of growth at PFL. I am thrilled to work closely with John to deliver on the vision to make PFL everything the fans, fighters, and sport of MMA deserve.”
Martin is not just another executive looking to bring in new investors to keep the company afloat; the press release also said he is a passionate fan of the sport and a martial artist.
Holding a black belt in karate and a blue belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Martin said, “My two greatest passions are leading media companies and MMA, so stepping into the position of PFL CEO is truly a dream role for me.”
The release added that Murray will transition to CEO of PFL International, focusing on the growth of PFL’s International Leagues.
But Martin could be what fighters and fans need to get on board 100% with the PFL.
We’ll wait and see, but they needed to have a face that can connect with fans.
So it’s good to have a fan in that role.
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