The circumstances leading to Budd’s release stem from her scheduled bout against Kayla Harrison at the PFL World Championships, set for November 24, 2023. This matchup was highly anticipated, given Budd’s formidable track record, including notable wins over opponents such as Germaine de Randamie, Arlene Blencowe, Marloes Coenen, Olga Rubin, and Talita Nogueira. However, in a surprising turn of events, Budd was removed from the fight, and subsequently from the PFL roster, for what has been described as a refusal to fulfill her contractual obligations​​​​.

The specifics of these contractual obligations and the reasons for Budd’s refusal to meet them have not been explicitly detailed by the PFL. Peter Murray mentioned that Budd did not sign her bout agreement, which was consistent with her contractual requirements. This lack of compliance led to the PFL’s decision to replace Budd with UFC veteran Aspen Ladd for the fight against Harrison​​​​.

Budd’s response to this situation has been relatively brief but telling. She stated to Cageside Press’ Dylan Rush, “I got pulled from the fight. No injury. Healthy and ready to fight,” indicating her readiness and willingness to participate in the event, despite the PFL’s claims to the contrary​​.

Julia Budd’s tenure in the PFL was a mix of ups and downs. After debuting with the organization in 2021, she made a total of five appearances. Despite a strong start with a win against Kaitlin Young, Budd faced challenges in her subsequent fights, registering two unanimous decision losses and one split decision loss. She did, however, bounce back with a unanimous decision win over Martina Jindrova in her last outing with the PFL before this recent development​​.

The cancellation of Budd’s fight against Harrison marks the second time a scheduled bout between the two has fallen through. A previous matchup was scrapped due to an injury sustained by Budd. With Budd now released from the PFL, the focus shifts to Harrison’s upcoming fight with Aspen Ladd, which promises to be a compelling contest in its own right​​.

As for Budd’s future, the MMA community will undoubtedly be watching closely to see where this skilled and experienced fighter lands next. Her history of impressive performances and resilience in the face of adversity suggests that this is not the end of her story in the world of mixed martial arts.

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In a Wednesday press release, the promotion announced that it will be rolling out a new OTT platform, which will be available on Apple TV, Roku, Fire, Android, and iOS devices.

The app, which is free, will house PFL’s fight library and exclusive, original, and behind the scenes content from the promotion and its fighters.

In a statement, PFL CEO Peter Murray said, “With the launch of our first OTT platform, we’re excited to fulfill the growing global demand for our product by providing fight fans around the world with free access to premium PFL content wherever, whenever and however they want to consume it.”

App users will be able to view all of the PFL’s past fights, but the release also states that “never-before-seen World Series of Fighting matchups” will be available for on-demand viewing. World Series of Fighting (WSOF) was the previous iteration of PFL, prior to the league’s rebrand and reinvention in 2018 into the current Regular Season and Playoff format.

Murray continued by emphasizing PFL’s intention to bring app users closer than ever to the league, focusing on providing storytelling though shoulder programming and other original content.

“Professional Fighters League is a media and content company,” said Murray. “As we continue to grow, innovate, and reimagine MMA, we have placed an emphasis on engaging fans all year long through impactful storytelling and unprecedented access to the sport, our fighters, and the action inside the cage.”

That storytelling will manifest on the app through exclusive interviews with PFL fighters and personalities, as well as “original programming from PFL Studios.”

In the release, the PFL stated, “In addition to event replays, fans will enjoy original storytelling from PFL Studios, a fully integrated global media division of the Professional Fighters League producing original MMA content for all platforms including television, digital and mobile. Murray drew inspiration for PFL Studios from his time with NFL Films and has assembled a top executive team, including Executive Producer and 16-time Emmy winner George Greenberg and Chief Digital Officer Dan Ghosh-Roy, to lead the effort.”

Murray also explained that the promotion views the app as especially useful for PFL fans residing outside of the United States.

“As the app continues to evolve, this will especially be a destination for international fans outside the US,” concluded Murray.

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Mack has previously worked for the UFC, where he helped shape the promotion’s early public relations strategy; and Singapore-based league ONE Championship, where he contributed to ONE’s growing media presence and biggest international headlines.

In a press release issued by the promotion, both PFL CEO Peter Murray and Mack provided comment.

Murray said of the hiring, “As the most innovative and fastest-growing league in the world, the PFL continues to expand to a global scale… Loren Mack brings a wealth of experience and drive to the league; we’re thrilled to have him join the team. He will play a pivotal role in continuing to build the brand in the United States and abroad through impactful storytelling.”

Mack, likewise, was enthusiastic about joining the regular season- and playoff-based PFL.

“With a world-class list of fighters, I look forward to contributing my abilities to an already remarkable group associated with the PFL,” said Mack. “Having been in this profession for over 15 years, I have never seen a bigger opportunity in MMA than with the PFL. They have re-imagined the way we consume live sports content by establishing an innovative format to crown season-long champions and I am looking forward to continuing to help develop the remarkable stories of the athlete roster.”

In February of 2019, PFL inked a broadcast deal with ESPN/ESPN+, bringing its regular-season events and end-of-year tournament to the Worldwide Leader in Sports.

Speaking then of the deal, ESPN EVP of Programming and Scheduling Burke Magnus said, “ESPN is the home of combat sports, and we look forward to delivering thrilling live PFL events and powerful storytelling to fans, across all platforms.”

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The decision, which came after the world surpassed over 2.4 million confirmed cases of the disease, is perhaps the most progressive approach of any major MMA organization to date.

PFL light heavyweight Jordan Young, who only recently signed with the promotion, agrees that the decision to suspend the season was made in the best interests of the fighters.

“I think that [with] the PFL, the tournament was important to them, and I think that if fighter safety really wasn’t a concern, they wouldn’t have suspended the season,” Young told The Body Lock.

To Young, the PFL’s organized and time-sensitive structure affected it uniquely amid a viral pandemic.

“I think that the PFL is in a little bit of a different scenario than the other promotions because the other promotions, they have their backing and doing things on the schedulers, but their schedules are a little bit more flexible. I know they lock in their venues and dates, and they have their goals quarterly and whatnot, but with the PFL, they have a set date in mind on December 31 where they want to do their tournament finale,” said Young.

“So, we already were on such a tight schedule where you’re looking at two to five fights with only, you know, five to six weeks in between your fights. If you couldn’t do 2-3 months into the summertime because of the virus, then you’d be left with so many fights to cram in such a small amount of months. In my opinion, that’s how I viewed it.”

Young noted that promotion had not informed him of the decision to suspend the season initially and that he found out about the move from the media.

“You know, I was a little taken by surprise, just because I was coming out of a meeting and my phone started ringing. You know, I had different people calling me and I had to get on social media and read it, you know, via an article. I don’t know too many details, so I don’t really have too much of an opinion on it,” said the 25-year-old.

The promotion has yet to tell the fighters how much the monthly stipends will be worth, something Young believes could be a nuanced issue to work out.

“I’m interested to see how they’re going to proceed with it, and what monthly payments will be looking like and things like that. I think it’s a hard thing to judge when not every fighter’s the same. Are you telling me that newcomers to the promotion are gonna get paid the same monthly payment that champions get paid, you know what I’m saying? I’m just interested in how the math will break down.

“If you ask me, I think a fair way to do it would be you take the two playoff fights that we were all guaranteed to have, and you pay us our show money. Not necessarily our money as if we showed up in won, but at least our show money for the dates that we were already agreeing to show up and partake in,” said Young, perhaps by “add[ing] the amount of the to show money, and then you pay it out monthly, like, whatever that number is divided into the monthly stipends.”

However the promotion decides to handle monthly stipends, Young says he believes the promotion will do so in a way that takes care of its fighters and considers stipends during COVID-19 to be essential to the future of the fighters and the sport.

“Like I said, I think that they’re going to do the right thing by us and I’m interested to hear exactly what they think that is. I have my own ideas on what would work and what would be good for me, but I also am not the head of the company, so,” Young began.

“I think it’s to keep the sport alive,” said Young. “In the NFL, the league minimum is, what, $500,000? You look at the number one promotion in MMA, and the champion is getting paid a base of 500,000. So, it’s a vast difference in pay. Fighters, if they’re not getting paid through fighting, then how are they getting paid?”

The 11-1 fighter signed with PFL after a seven-fight tenure in Bellator, citing the PFL’s million-dollar prize and fight frequency as motivating factors. In recent months, Young underwent surgery for a torn labrum in his hip and has been rehabbing following his first career loss, a decision to Contender Series veteran Julius Anglickas.

For Young, the time off may have some silver linings.

“I’m looking at it the best way I can,” he said. “When I signed with the PFL, they put a belief in me and I put a belief in them. They’re saying the 2021 season is going to be a go, so I’m just looking at staying focused and being the best me that I can be physically and mentally so when 2021 hits and that new season hits, I’m going to be in a great position. Let’s say that the 2021 season starts in one year from now – which, I think about a month from now is when the 2020 season was gonna start – you’re given me a little over a year to manifest what it is I want.

“Manifestation is a powerful tool and I plan on using that along with hard work to be in a great position when 2021 comes along.”

The post Contender Jordan Young says PFL “going to do the right thing” with stipends amid suspended season appeared first on The Body Lock.

Breaking: PFL has suspended its entire 2020 season, with plans to pick up its season/playoff format in 2021, on ESPN. Contracted athletes will receive a monthly stipend, per PFL CEO Peter Murray. More to come on @ESPN.

— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) April 20, 2020

ESPN‘s Brett Okamoto reported the news on Twitter, writing that “PFL has suspended its entire 2020 season, with plans to pick up its season/playoff format in 2021.”

PFL, a tournament-based league with a regular season and playoffs approach to the usually season-less sport of MMA, typically begins its season in late spring. The promotion then runs regular-season events to finalize playoff brackets, awarding fighters points to determine their seeding for the year-end tournament.

According to Murray, athletes who are “contracted” by the promotion will be receiving a monthly cash stipend from the promotion in lieu of fighting during the pandemic, the most progressive approach taken by an MMA organization to date. The amount of the monthly stipend is as of yet unknown.

Without live programming, the promotion announced that it would be “creating new original programming for distribution across ESPN platforms and PFL channels” in 2020.

Murray explained the decision in a press release issued by the promotion.

“In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Professional Fighters League has rescheduled our upcoming 2020 season for Spring 2021. PFL is a global MMA league with athletes from over 25 countries, and our decision is guided by the health and safety of our fighters, fans, partners, and event personnel.

The PFL mission is to evolve and grow the sport of MMA, and we look forward to staging our unique sport-season format with Regular Season, Playoff and Championship events on ESPN platforms next year. PFL has always been focused on delivering the best made-for-TV MMA product and we will continue to deliver the most innovative fight experience going forward. Fans can also look forward to PFL elevating our roster with new championship-caliber fighter signings such as Rory MacDonald.

For the remainder of 2020, the PFL will support our fighters with a monthly cash stipend to help provide some relief during these challenging times. In addition, for sports fans who we know are looking for compelling content, the PFL will deliver new original programming across ESPN and PFL platforms.

PFL will continue to be an innovator in the world of sports.

Our thoughts are with all those impacted by the COVID-19 coronavirus.”

PFL’s decision to suspend its season in its entirety comes as the total number of confirmed global cases of COVID-19 surpasses 2,424,000, with over 760,000 cases reported in the United States alone. There have been over 166,000 confirmed international deaths to the disease, with over 40,000 in the U.S.

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Welcome to #PFLmma, @rory_macdonald!

Full story via @arielhelwani: https://t.co/FCGfewKeHc pic.twitter.com/BxTSmTc3UY

— PFL (@PFLMMA) December 18, 2019

After plying his trade in the UFC and Bellator for the past decade, the Canadian will now be competing in a third major organization. But it won’t just be a new promotion as well as new fighters MacDonald will be fighting — it will also be a completely new format.

The PFL has a regular season with a points system — of which MacDonald will be competing at welterweight next year — where the top eight fighters enter the playoffs.

The quarterfinals and semifinals then take place on the same night with the final two competing in the PFL Finals on a later date to not only become the division’s champion, but also take home a $1 million prize.

And PFL CEO Peter Murray is excited to see how MacDonald fares in the new format.

“We’re excited that he’s going to compete in the league,” Murray said in a recent appearance on The Luke Thomas Show. “We’ll see how he takes on this new chapter to get through this kind of format. With the regular season, not just wins and losses, a points system, playoffs. We’ll see how Rory takes on the challenge of fighting twice in one night. Having to win to get into a championship. He’ll have to fight five times to make it into the championship.

“So we’re excited that he recognizes the incredible talent that we have in the PFL. There’s no walk in the park — even for an elite athlete, a fighter such as Rory. That’s what we’re excited about. Rory like any other fighter is going to have to earn his way.”

MacDonald is undoubtedly the highest-profile signing the PFL has made since its rebranding in 2018. And given his credentials, it only serves to show that the promotion is going places.

“It validates the PFL that an athlete of his stature and frankly in his prime wants to come over,” Murray added. “Because of all the things that we provide an athlete and the format and everything we’ve been talking about. And obviously a new belt that is meaningful and real in this sport. Of course, it’s a validator.

“That kid, that athlete. Growing up, aspirations of making it, perhaps in their mind, making it in one organization or another organization. But now there’s absolutely a bonified alternative. A global player with a major platform with top talent. I’ve worked at sports with many athletes across different sports and they want three things — [to] compete against the best, on the largest stage, and be champion.”

"It validates the PFL," Peter Murray, @ProFightLeague CEO, discusses the excitement surrounding Rory MacDonald signing with the PFL, and the talent he'll have to face within the league. @lthomasnews #TLTS pic.twitter.com/nLPB0XckGa

— MMA on SiriusXM (@MMAonSiriusXM) December 31, 2019

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In the main event of the company’s final show of the year, two-time Olympic gold medalist Kayla Harrison (6-0), will attempt to capture the vacant women’s lightweight crown. Her opponent is Larissa Pacheco (13-3), a submission maestro and former UFC competitor riding a two-fight streak. Both women squared off with one-another in May of this year, with Harrison walking away with the unanimous decision victory. Despite both athletes being fairly well-rounded, the Olympian undoubtedly has an advantage in the grappling department, which will be her key to victory on December 31.

In what has the potential to be the most exciting bout of the evening, UFC veteran David Michaud (18-5) battles dangerous Hawaiian striker Ray Cooper III (19-7-1) for the welterweight championship. Cooper will be looking to erase last year’s title defeat with another emphatic knockout victory; however, a tough and extremely durable David Michaud stands in his way.

The 31-year-old has pieced together three wins on the trot, including a TKO finish over Handesson Ferreira. If this fight remains on the feet, expect Ray Cooper III to put on a striking clinic and eventually connect with his opponent’s chin, adding another KO victory to his record. Nonetheless, if Michaud can withstand the storm, he should be able to nullify his adversary’s offense with his slick and effective takedowns.

Another intriguing championship bout that can go either way is Loik Radzhabov (13-1-1) vs. reigning lightweight champion Nathan Schulte (19-3-1). Brazilian Natan Schulte has yet to be defeated in the PFL, having won eight of his last nine fights. In 2019, the 27-year-old has competed four times, picking up three submission victories in the process — he boasts a daunting jiu-jitsu game and possesses outstanding rear-naked chokes.

On the other hand, his opponent Loik Radzhabov has compiled a record of 2-1-1 this year, dominating UFC veteran Chris Wade along the way. Both 155lbers have formidable grappling abilities, however, Schulte may have the advantage if the fight hits the mat. This fight will be won on the feet – these two competitors have great takedown defense, therefore whoever does the most damage with their striking should ultimately win the fight.

Full fight card:

• Kayla Harrison (6-0) vs. Larissa Pacheco (13-3) – women’s lightweight title fight
• Ray Cooper III (19-7-1) vs. David Michaud (18-5) – welterweight title fight
• Ali Isaev (8-0) vs. Jared Rosholt (20-7) – heavyweight title fight
• Loik Radzhabov (13-1-1) vs Nathan Schulte (19-3-1) – lightweight title fight
• Lance Palmer (21-3) vs. Alex Gilpin (14-3) – featherweight title fight
• Emiliano Sordi (21-8) vs. Jordan Johnson (12-1-1) – light heavyweight title fight
• Brendan Loughnane (18-3) vs. David Alex Duarte (11-4) – featherweight bout.

The post 2019 PFL Championship Finals Preview appeared first on The Body Lock.

Rory MacDonald (21-6-1) last competed in October, where he was defeated by Douglas Lima in the Bellator Welterweight Grand Prix Final. The 30-year-old was once one of the brightest prospects in mixed martial arts, with many comparing his potential to that of Georges St-Pierre.

While fighting in the UFC, MacDonald compiled a record of 9-4 and was involved in one of the best fights of all time in his 2015 rematch with Robbie Lawler. Despite ultimately coming up short, the Canadian proved yet again that his heart and grittiness cannot be questioned.

His stint in Bellator was not as impressive, as “The Red King” went 3-2-1 since his 2017 debut. He most notably defeated rival Douglas Lima for the welterweight strap in January 2018, but then failed to capture the middleweight title by fighting Gegard Mousasi eight months later.

Thank you to @Rory_MacDonald for the great fights. Best of luck as you continue your MMA career. pic.twitter.com/OMZeg5EB5Z

— Scott Coker (@ScottCoker) December 19, 2019

Rory MacDonald has previously displayed interest in retiring from the fight game. In April, the welterweight fighter even stated in a post-fight interview that he had fallen out of love with the sport, causing many to believe that retirement was on the horizon.

Speaking to Ariel Helwani of ESPN, MacDonald revealed that his deal with PFL is more lucrative than any other deal he has signed before. With the potential to take home the $1 million PFL grand prize in 2020, MacDonald may find that as a welcome form of motivation in 2020.

The post Former Bellator champion Rory MacDonald signs with the PFL appeared first on The Body Lock.

One of the more notable names at 170 pounds is Ray Cooper III, a powerful striker from Hawaii who has punched his ticket to the championship finals for the second year running. He has compiled a record of 2-1-1 in 2019 and most recently fought twice in one night.

In his first fight of the year, Cooper was scheduled to face his cousin Zane Kamaka. However, there had been bad blood brewing between the two for quite some time, and business would be handled inside the cage.

“At the beginning of the season I had to challenge one of my cousins,” Cooper said to theScore’s James Lynch. “That was a little whirlwind, but I got past that.”

The Hawaiian submitted his cousin late in the first round after overcoming early adversity.

After a successful first fight, Cooper was matched against savvy UFC veteran John Howard. Unfortunately for “Bradda Boy,” he was knocked out in the second round.

“In the second fight, I took a loss to John Howard, which showed anything can happen. He’s a big puncher, and I went in there with the attitude that I’m not afraid of his power. I just left my hand out, and he caught me, he just caught me back. I felt like I was winning the fight.”

Despite tasting defeat a few months ago, Cooper is adamant that it will not affect him in the build-up to his championship opportunity; a win on December 31 will most definitely change his life.

“That was my first loss by knockout. It’s always in the back of minds that you could get knocked out, and what if you do get knocked out, but truly its nothing. I just got caught. I’ve lost before, so I just pushed it to the side. That’s just one loss; it doesn’t matter. I just keep looking forward to the future and focus on my future fights.”

2020 Olympics

Ray Cooper III was eager to return to action after his first-round defeat to John Howard, fighting twice in one night to secure his spot in the PFL finals.

It wouldn’t be a PFL season without highlight-reel finishes, and the 26-year-old was hungry to pick up one of his own. In October, in his second fight of the night, Cooper knocked Chris Curtis back into retirement, cementing his stake as one of the company’s best at 170 pounds.

“I got to challenge Chris (Curtis), who was supposed to fight at the beginning of the season,” Cooper said to James Lynch.

“Chris is an awesome boxer and was talking a little bit of trash, but that’s the fight game, and that’s how it goes. It was a good fight, and all in all I knew he couldn’t handle my power if I was to connect.”

On December 31, Cooper will face PFL newcomer David Michaud for the vacant welterweight title as well as the $1 million prize that’s up for grabs.

“He fought in the UFC and has been fighting for a while,” Cooper said. “I don’t think he’s fought this much in a year. So I think his body’s probably not doing too good because he cuts a lot of weight. He always looks drained at the weigh-ins. So I think I’ve got an advantage with that.”

“I don’t think he’s going to come forward, but I’m going to come forward to him. We’re going to through some shots, and I’m going to land sooner or later. I’m faster than him, my wrestling is superior to his, so it’s going to be a good fight. All in all, I’m going to dominate him.”

PFL’s championship payday is a massive amount for any MMA fighter, but Cooper already knows what he will do with the money if triumphant on December 31.

“[I would] just take care of my family and get ready for the next tournament,” he said.

“One dream of mine was to enter the Olympics and win. 2020’s coming up so we’ll see. That’s one of the things I really want to do.”

The post Ray Cooper III dreams of competing in 2020 Olympics appeared first on The Body Lock.

Questions and concerns about a level playing field and an incestuous relationship have long plagued Abdelaziz and the PFL, which rebranded from World Series of Fighting (WSOF) in 2018. Such qualms have been raised again in recent months by numerous other prominent MMA managers, prompting many to take a closer look at the past ties between Abdelaziz and WSOF.

In addition to his large roster presence, many allege that Ali Abdelaziz also benefits from an extraordinarily close relationship to the PFL, in part, some may posit, due to his sizable stable of clients that make up the backbone of the promotion.

Allegations of the PFL letting Abdelaziz do as he wishes are bolstered by recent events, specifically an altercation that took place on Friday at PFL 7 between Abdelaziz and fellow prominent MMA manager Ibrahim Kawa.

According to ESPN, who reported on the altercation following the initial reporting of MMAJunkie, Kawa stated that Abdelaziz struck him after purportedly saying, “I need to talk to you.” Kawa’s client, former UFC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis, corroborated Kawa’s statement, telling ESPN that Abdelaziz slapped Kawa “like a b—-” and “was gone in 15 seconds.”

A police statement issued by a spokesperson confirmed, “LVMPD officers were on scene and temporarily detained one of the subjects during the investigation… That subject was cooperative. He was issued a citation and released. No enforcement action was taken regarding the second subject, who was also cooperative. There were no significant injuries.”

As of yet, no action has been taken by the PFL regarding Abdelaziz in the aftermath of the altercation, with PFL executive vice president and general counsel Jim Bramson telling ESPN that they are planning “to look into [the situation]” while letting law enforcement do its job.

This is not the first time that Abdelaziz has been involved in an altercation at a PFL event.

At PFL 1, which took place in June of 2018, Abdelaziz and his client, UFC welterweight king Kamaru Usman, were involved in a massive brawl in the crowd. Usman, in an interview on The MMA Hour, attributed the brawl to racist remarks and drunken misconduct on the part of several fans.

Just two weeks later, at PFL 2, another incident allegedly occurred involving Abdelaziz.

According to Russell, Abdelaziz and his associate, fellow Dominance MMA manager Rivzan Magomedov, “barged into” a hotel room of someone purported to be a rival manager and proceeded to allegedly “intimidate and batter” that person. Again, no action was taken by the PFL against Abdelaziz.

In fact, Russell reported that the “PFL [was] allegedly trying to convince the victim not to press [charges],” which he argues “enables” Abdelaziz to “keep acting like he does with threats, intimidation, and violence.”

In light of numerous altercations, alleged acts of violence, and outright misconduct, the PFL’s repeated decision to not take disciplinary action against Abdelaziz warrants scrutiny. Given the outsized role Abdelaziz has in supplying the PFL’s roster – including many of the promotion’s highest-profile fighters – PFL’s laissez-faire approach lends itself to the idea of a conflict of interest.

Ali Abdelaziz and his controversial WSOF past

In late 2015, a lawsuit levied against MMAWC – the parent company of WSOF – by Chinese LLC WSOF Asia, brought a variety of issues, including allegations of “defamation, breach of contract, dire financial straits and violations of the Nevada Athletic Commission’s (NAC) code for MMA promoters,” per Bloody Elbow‘s Paul Gift, to the forefront of the MMA news cycle.

While the lawsuit largely focused on internal power struggles, ownership stakes, licensing rights, and other operational complaints, Abdelaziz’s role with the promotion – and the conflict of interest and violation of Nevada State Athletic Commission (NAC) rules it presented – was also a subject of interest.

The NAC defines such a conflict in statute 467.130, which states, “An unarmed combatant may not have a promoter or any of its members, stockholders, officials, matchmakers or assistant matchmakers: 1. Act directly or indirectly as his or her manager; or 2. Hold any financial interest in the unarmed combatant’s management or earnings from contests or exhibitions.”

The statute is intended to ward off any potential conflicts of interests that might stem from such an arrangement. In theory, a promoter who doubles as a fighter’s manager might take advantage of a fighter to create a favorable bout, contract, or situation for a promotion, or, as the lawsuit alleges Abdelaziz did, the opposite.

This statute is a common refrain in combat sports; for example, the Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act, which to date governs solely boxing (ie. not MMA), also has a stipulation to this effect. The Ali Act states, to enact a “firewall between promoters and managers.”

To do so, the provision states, “(1) In general – It is unlawful for (A) a promoter to have a direct or indirect financial interest in the management of a boxer; or (B) a manager (i) to have a direct or indirect financial interest in the promotion of a boxer; or (ii) to be employed by or receive compensation or other benefits from a promoter, except for amounts received as consideration under the manager’s contract with the boxer.”

As cited by Gift, the lawsuit initially focused on Abdelaziz and the conflicting duality of his roles as both a manager and a promotion official because two of the stakeholders involved in the promotional power struggle disagreed over whether or not to cut ties with Abdelaziz.

According to the lawsuit, investor Vincent Hesser clashed with MMAWC member Bruce Deifik on myriad issues, including Abdelaziz. Hesser reportedly wanted to rid the promotion Abdelaziz, but Deifik refused to do so.

At the time of the lawsuit, Gift notes, “Abdel Aziz’s wife [was] listed as the managing member of Dominance and his sister [was] believed to be its Vice President.” However, Abdelaziz purportedly had a “relationship to and control of an entity named Dominance, LLC. Dominance, LLC manages mixed martial arts fighters.”

John Nash of Bloody Elbow, in an article published subsequently to Gift’s, was able to cite multiple sources identifying Abdelaziz as both a WSOF employee and a manager.

Nash cited an interview with Ariel Helwani, then of MMAFighting; and a now-unlisted interview posted to WSOF’s website to illustrate Abdelaziz’s official role within the promotion, as his name did not appear on the promoter’s license obtained by Bloody Elbow at the time (below).

The Body Lock was able to locate a tweet issued by the official PFL account – which was once the official WSOF account – that referenced Abdelaziz as an “SVP,” a common abbreviation of Senior Vice President (right).

The YouTube video linked in the video has been removed from the website.

Additionally, in a December 2015 interview with MMAJunkie, then-WSOF CEO Carlos Silva stated that Abdelaziz was “a big help here” and would “continue to help us as he has with sales and business development.”

Nash also cited numerous articles and social media posts that identified Abdelaziz as a manager to fighters.

“Abdelaziz has also been identified as the manager for several UFC fighters, including Frankie Edgar, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Rafael Dos Anjos, and Fabricio Werdum All of these fighters are listed as clients on Dominance’s website,” wrote Nash (Nash’s citations included).

With Abdelaziz’s roles at WSOF and Dominance MMA Management publicly announced by the parties involved, it appeared as though he was in violation of the NAC statute.

The lawsuit alleged several instances in which Abdelaziz took advantage of his position, claiming Abdelaziz “set up fights using fighters managed by Dominance LLC. Mr. Aziz set up these fights on terms favorable to Dominance, LLC managed fighters and detrimental to the interests of WSOF.”

In addition to the aforementioned allegation, the lawsuit claimed, “Plaintiff is informed and believes Dominance also arranged sponsorships for its fighters. On several occasions the sponsors for fighters managed by Dominance and those of WSOF were in conflict. When such conflicts arose, Mr. Abdeziz [sic] always favored the sponsors of Dominance over WSOF sponsors to the detriment of WSOF.”

The complaint also claimed that Abdelaziz booked fights in the interest of Dominance MMA fighters, not WSOF.

“Moreover, Aziz refused to make fights that were in the best interest of MMAWC and WSOF. Rather than choosing the fights that would generate the most fan interest and thus revenue for WSOF, Aziz set matches that favored his fighters and his pocket. Aziz also often refused to set fights for fighters that were not managed by him. A promising fighter and champion, Jessica Aguliar was under contract with WSOF, and Aziz did not arrange fights for her required under WSOF’s contractual obligations. Ms. Aguilar was not one of Mr. Aziz’s fighters,” the lawsuit alleged.

The NAC, in response to the allegations of the lawsuit, looked into the relationship between WSOF and Abdelaziz. On November 30, 2015, Shaun Al-Shatti (then of MMAFighting) reported that NAC Executive Director Bob Bennett would meet with Abdelaziz to discuss “operational and administrative concerns.”

Prior to the meeting, the NAC was presented with a WSOF request to expand its WSOF 26 fight card from 9 to 10 bouts – from 18 to 20 fighters – a move that necessitated commission approval.

In a video of the hearing posted by the MMA Report, Bennett ruled against the motion, citing the same “administrative and some operational concerns.”

When asked if the ruling on the number of bouts on the card was “really more based on the issues that you have with the promoter and some of the operations of that promoter or resource issues around this date,” Bennett replied, “It’s more about the operational and administrative concerns.”

Following intense media and NAC scrutiny, WSOF was forced to re-evaluate its relationship with Abdelaziz.

On December 16, 2015, veteran investigative journalist Mike Russell – who has done extensive research into and reporting on the past of Ali Abdelaziz – tweeted that WSOF had “terminated” Abdelaziz, though Silva refuted that claim in the previously cited interview with MMAJunkie.

Silva, instead, claimed that WSOF and Ali had “made a decision together” for the manager and the promotion to “part ways amicably.”

According to MMAJunkie’s Steven Marrocco, “Silva said [earlier that month that] Abdelaziz would continue to work with WSOF in a consultant role, advising the promotion on sales and business development. But shortly after WSOF’s meeting with the NSAC, he said, the promotion had concerns about Abdelaziz’s new role. In the interest of avoiding perceptions of any conflict of interest, it was decided a clean break was the better option.”

Months later, in April of 2016, no action had been taken by the NAC in regard to punishment for Abdelaziz over the perceived infractions he had apparently committed. In an interview with Bloody Elbow, Bennett argued that as for any such issues, the NAC had “resolved them, it was beneficial to both parties, and Ali is no longer working with World Series of Fighting.”

Bloody Elbow’s Gift, in his conversations with Bennett for the piece, said that when he argued that from his perspective, “it seemed clear there were rules violations and I was a little shocked to see no discipline whatsoever, Bennett points out that the NAC is a government agency. ‘We don’t have an investigative branch,’ he says.”

But with Bennett’s iteration that the matter was resolved “resolved appropriately and legally,” controversy tapered out to a significant degree.

However, in November of 2017, another lawsuit would rock WSOF, which was then in the midst of its metamorphosis into what is now the PFL. The lawsuit, filed by WSOF treasurer Shawn Wright and two other parties, was described by Gift (this time writing for Forbes) as “alleging breach of contract and civil RICO, among 10 total causes of action.”

In the lawsuit, a section was again devoted to Abdelaziz. The lawsuit alleged Abdelaziz was involved in cases of “deceit, fraud, misrepresentation, and connections to Islamic terrorism against US citizens,” the latter likely stemming from the aforementioned work of Russell.

Gift also notes that the lawsuit covers “alleged Abdelaziz money skimming from WSOF sponsors such as Auto Shopper and Deifik and Silva’s failure to terminate Abdelaziz after Wright allegedly brought his concerns to their attention.”

The complaint also claims that Deifik and Silva “continued to use Abdelaziz throughout 2016,” a state of affairs that would seem at odds with the promotion’s formally announced break with Abdelaziz following NAC scrutiny. According to the complaint, Gift states, “Ray Sefo was enlisted to falsely state he had always been the WSOF’s matchmaker.”

Today, Ali Abdelaziz has no formal relationship with the PFL, instead, he officially presides over his ever-growing stable of fighters at Dominance MMA Management. However, concerns over ties between the two parties have continued to linger as the PFL’s tournament-based format has artificially limited the number of roster spots with meaningful earning opportunities.

PFL Season 1 and Abdelaziz’s outsized roster presence

During PFL’s first full-length season, 2018, the promotion put on 11 events. Over the course of the year, 92 individual fighters competed under the PFL banner, though just 68 fighters were part of the promotion’s original roster.

28 of those 92 were managed by Dominance MMA Management, thus Ali Abdelaziz, according to a report from The Body Lock’s Ryan Thomas in January. Meaning, Abdelaziz managed roughly a third (30.4%) of the entire PFL roster going into the regular season.

Given that fighters appeared multiple times for the promotion – as per usual – Thomas calculated the number of Abdelaziz-managed fighters who competed relative to the number of total bouts in PFL’s first season. Dominance MMA fighters competed 43 times in 42 bouts out of a possible 76, with one bout featuring two of Abdelaziz’s clients, per Thomas. That amounts to 55.3% of regular season PFL bouts featuring Abdelaziz clients.

With such a vast number of clients competing in the regular season, Abdelaziz possessed an uncharacteristically high probability that his outsized roster presence would carry over into the playoffs, PFL’s unique promotional staple, where the largest purses – including a million-dollar grand prize for divisional winners – are available.

The probabilities worked out in Abdelaziz’s favor, with Thomas reporting that 17 of Abdelaziz’s 28 rostered fighters reached the playoff rounds in their respective divisions. Of a possible 48 fighters competing in the playoffs (with six weight divisions of eight competitors), that equates to roughly 36%, or over one-third.

As one might expect, those favorable numbers saw a high number of Abdelaziz clients reach the Finals, as five of a possible twelve finalists were managed by Dominance MMA, giving Abdelaziz a minimum 50% chance of managing the fighter with the million-dollar-winning purse across four of six weight classes.

Four Abdelaziz clients, Lance Palmer and Steven Siler; and Natan Schulte and Rashid Magomedov, respectively, even went head-to-head in the featherweight finals, giving Abdelaziz a 100% chance of managing the winning fighter, a scenario Sherdog’s Jordan Breen labeled, “as clear of a conflict of interest as you get.”

Four of Abdelaziz’s five clients – Philipe Lins (heavyweight), Natan Schulte (lightweight), Lance Palmer (featherweight), and Magomed Magomedkerimov (welterweight) – took home inaugural PFL titles and million-dollar prizes, winning four of the six possible weight divisions’ titles.

In addition to having a vast number of clients represented in the initial roster of the PFL – which in turn skewed the odds for Dominance MMA clients to reach the cash-rich playoffs – Abdelaziz clients also received perhaps a disproportionate amount of favorable card placement.

According to Thomas, Abdelaziz clients featured in 25 of the 42 main card bouts over the regular season, totaling 59.5% of main card fights. Abdelaziz also managed fighters in nine of eleven co-main events (81.8%) and six of eleven main events (54.5%), per Thomas’ reporting.

While numerous factors (eg. talent, marketability, etc.) can all affect both roster spots and card placement – not to mention advancement in tournaments – the significant numbers outlined by Thomas could be considered troubling in light of Abdelaziz’s past ties to WSOF and PFL’s executives and infrastructure.

PFL Season 2 and more of the same

*UPDATE: October 13, 7:33 PM ET* – The Body Lock was informed by a reliable media source that three additional PFL fighters are also managed by Ali Abdelaziz. These three fighters have been included in the following totals below.

Following the PFL’s first season, many other managers, pundits, and media members voiced concerns at the sheer number of Abdelaziz clients represented on the PFL roster and in its playoffs. Thomas’ reporting was cited by multiple outlets in follow-up stories to that effect, including The Athletic’s Ben Fowlkes’ look at meritocracy in the PFL and MMAFighting’s (then MMAJunkie’s) Steven Marrocco’s intensive report on other managers’ displeasure.

After becoming aware of the rumblings, PFL executives took the time to reach out to myriad MMA managers to address their concerns regarding Abdelaziz and perceived bias.

According to Marrocco, the PFL’s outreach efforts were driven by a “want to attract top talent for the promotion’s third season by sourcing fighters from a wider variety of reps.” Several of those who attended the meetings believed they served as an unstated admission of “an unfair advantage given to Dominance MMA Management.”

In PFL’s second season, however, much of the same occurred.

An investigation by The Body Lock found that over the course of the regular season, Abdelaziz managed at least 22 fighters on the PFL roster. That number was determined through the scouring of the Dominance MMA Management website, the social media accounts of Abdelaziz and Dominance colleague Rivzan Magomedov, and the social media accounts of PFL fighters in question.

It is possible that Dominance MMA represents more than 22 fighters on the PFL roster, as Dominance’s website appears to have not been recently updated and social media postings have been limited, but The Body Lock was only able to explicitly confirm 22 through the use of the aforementioned channels.

For instance, as Marrocco noted in his piece, “Abdelaziz is said to have a direct or indirect interest in 50 percent of the fighters that have been recruited, according to one estimate within the promotion.”

The PFL’s official website lists 69 unique fighters on its 2019 roster, which means Abdelaziz’s minimum of 21* represented fighters totaled 30.43% of the entire regular season. (Note*: Abdelaziz also manages PFL lightweight Ramsey Nijem, who despite not competing during the 2019 regular season will compete in the 2019 PFL playoffs – ironically facing #1 seed Natan Schulte, another Abdelaziz client – bringing his known total to 22, thus 31.88% of the listed roster).

During the course of the 2019 season, the PFL promoted six events. Abdelaziz represented multiple fighters on each of those events, with a minimum of three fighters per card. For four of the six events, Abdelaziz managed at least six fighters – in at least six individual bouts – on the card.

Perhaps most notably, Abdelaziz-managed fighters appeared in the main event of a PFL regular season card all but once (PFL 6), with Abdelaziz clients Olympic gold medalist Kayla Harrison, 2018 PFL light heavyweight finalist Vinny Magalhaes, 2018 PFL featherweight champion Lance Palmer, 2018 PFL welterweight champion Magomed Magomedkerimov, and 2018 PFL lightweight semi-finalist Chris Wade all securing at minimum one main event slot this season.

In total, Abdelaziz managed a fighter in the main event of a PFL regular-season event 83.33% of the time.

Likewise, Abdelaziz managed a fighter competing in the co-main event of all but one (PFL 3) of PFL’s six regular-season events in 2019, with all of the above fighters also competing in co-main events in addition to their main event billing. Abdelaziz managed a fighter in the co-main event of a PFL regular-season event 83.33% of the time, as well.

Abdelaziz represented at least 5 of the 13 featherweights (38.46%), 5 of the 12 men’s lightweights (41.67%), 3 of the 12 welterweights (25%), 6 of the 12 light heavyweights (50%), 1 of the 12 heavyweights (8.33%), and 1 of the 8 women’s lightweights (12.5%) on the PFL roster.

As one might expect, Abdelaziz’s large stable of fighters made their way into the playoffs for a second straight season.

Abdelaziz will manage at least three of the eight featherweights during the playoffs, Lance Palmer (the #1 seed and reigning champion), Movlid Khaybulaev (the #2 seed and a breakout star of 2019), and Canada’s Jeremy Kennedy (#6 seed). As such, Abdelaziz will have a 37.5% chance of managing the million-dollar-winning client without taking into account seeding and talent factors when determining probability.

In the men’s lightweight division, Dominance MMA will manage at minimum five of the eight playoff competitors, giving the management firm an unweighted 62.5% chance of securing a tournament victory at year’s end. Abdelaziz manages the #1 (Schulte), #2 (Islam Mamedov), #3 (Chris Wade), #5 (Rashid Magomedov), and #8 (Ramsey Nijem) seeds, and Schulte and Nijem will face one another in the opening round of the bracket.

Of Abdelaziz’s confirmed three PFL welterweights, Handesson Ferreira, João Zeferino, and Magomedkerimov, Magomedkerimov will be the only confirmed Dominance fighter in the 2019 bracket. The #2 seed will mark a 12.5% winning probability for Abdelaziz in the bracket without considering other factors.

Dominance MMA will represent at least five of eight light heavyweight playoff hopefuls, with 62.5% of the bracket managed by the firm. Abdelaziz will manage the #2 (Maxim Grishin), #3 (Magalhaes), #4 (Bozigit Ataev), #6 (Rashid Yusupov), and #7 (Jordan Johnson) seeds in the weight division.

Abdelaziz clients #3 Magalhaes and #6 Yusupov, and #2 Grinshin and #7 Johnson, will face off against one another in the opening round of the bracket, giving Abdelaziz a 100% chance of having at least two fighters advancing to the next round, given that both fighters in both bouts are his clients.

Abdelaziz appears to manage just one of the heavyweight and women’s lightweight hopefuls, representing #5 seed Ali Isaev in the 8-man heavyweight tournament (12.5% probability) and Harrison in the 4-woman lightweight tournament (25% probability).

In total, Abdelaziz represents at least 16 of 44 playoff contestants (36.36%) this year.

Following the first playoff event of the season, PFL 7, Abdelaziz’s Harrison and Magomedkerimov both won their opening round matchups, with Harrison submitting late notice replacement Bobbi Jo Danziel and Magomedkerimov defeating former foe Chris Curtis, respectively.

However, only Harrison advanced in the tournament because Magomedkerimov withdrew due to illness following his victory. Harrison will now compete in the tournament finals of the women’s lightweight bracket for the million-dollar prize, as just four women entered the fray at the beginning of the playoffs.

That will give Abdelaziz a 50% chance of managing the tournament and prize money-winning women’s lightweight – though Harrison’s status as the prohibitive favorite and her existing win over future foe Larissa Pacheco have led many to believe her odds are far greater than 50% – while dropping his percentage to 0% in the welterweight division with Magomedkerimov’s loss.

Why these numbers might be cause for concern

As indicated in the introduction to this article, the reason for speculation, concerns, and questions over Ali Abdelaziz’s large PFL roster presence stem from his controversial and condemned relationship with WSOF, the previous incarnation of the tournament-based PFL.

Given Abdelaziz’s close ties to WSOF-turned-PFL executives, including official matchmaker, PFL President, and “brother” Ray Sefo, the vast number of Abdelaziz clients that receive PFL roster slots and prominent card placements could represent a conflict of interest – even despite Abdelaziz’s official 2015 break with the promotion.

As Breen noted in his aforementioned article, “The potential for managers to influence illegitimate outcomes is obvious if they control the majority of a talent pool, or worse, both parties in a specific fight.” Though Abdelaziz does not manage a majority of the PFL roster, he does manage more than any other manager. Additionally, Abdelaziz manages a near-majority of fighters in two weight classes overall and an outright majority in two playoff brackets.

Abdelaziz fighters have and will compete (Thomas cites five matchups in 2018) against one another as a result of PFL matchmaking and the tournament structure, with the Schulte vs. Nijem opening round match as a stark reminder of such a possibility.

When a manager controls both combatants in a bout, the potential for corrupt and/or manipulative actions soars. In a 1983 profile of the infamous Don King, a prominent and controversial boxing manager, the New York Times outlined such issues. As journalist Michael Katz wrote:

“In this corner, a Don King fighter. In that corner, a Don King fighter. Frequently, they are both managed by the promoter’s adopted son, Carl.

Guess who wins? To an increasing number of angry and envious rivals, this common matchup is an introduction to monopoly. No promoter since Jim Norris’s mob-backed International Boxing Club was broken up by the Federal Government in 1957 has gained as much control of the sport as Don King now has.

‘There is no competition except among Don King fighters,’ complained Mort Sharnik, the boxing adviser for CBS. ”It is the appearance that makes people uneasy. It may be good business, but it’s bad sport.'”

Now, as Breen noted, “It doesn’t matter whether or not anything nefarious actually happens in reality, either; even the appearance of impropriety is a major issue.” The appearance of impropriety, or of favoritism, is an issue in and of itself.

Clearly, other managers feel that way, per Marrocco’s recent interviews with some of the sport’s most visible managers. In an allegation refuted by Sefo, Brazilian manager Alex Davis claims “Abdelaziz has acted unethically in support of his goals. He claims he’s attempted to place his fighters in the PFL and gotten no response, only to have Abdelaziz or Dominance company reps approach them promising a contract if they sign a management deal,” per Marrocco.

Sefo has defended his and the PFL’s relationship with Abdelaziz, saying that Dominance MMA is a consistent supplier of talent and claiming other management teams will bring up fighters to PFL only to withdraw their names when another, perhaps better, offer comes in from another promotion. Speaking to Marrocco, Sefo said, “‘They give me numbers, we negotiate, and it gets done… They don’t use me to go somewhere else.'”

Though intended to be a defense of Abdelaziz, this remark from Sefo could, to those inclined, act as an indictment. As writers like Nash, Gift, and others frequently posit, the relationship between a promoter and manager should be inherently adversarial, with one side angling to secure as much money for a fighter as possible and the other looking to pay out as little as possible.

Many times, this consists of managers listening to offers from multiple promotions, playing one against the other in search of the best possible deal – a scenario Sefo outlined in his characterization of other managers. With Abdelaziz, however, who cited his “good relationships with all promoters” and “support to the PFL for the last five, six years” as his reasons for his success as a manager representing PFL fighters, Sefo implies that such hardball tactics are used less.

In essence, Abdelaziz’s large roster presence within a promotion that once employed him, coupled with that promotion’s disproportionate usage of his clients in high-profile positions on events, creates a perception of favoritism labeled by MMA manager Daniel Rubenstein as “very glaringly obvious.”

With so many Abdelaziz clients on the roster – even at times facing off against one another – multiple opportunities for promotional and/or managerial malpractice arise. At best, this is the mark of a promotion somehow unable to source talent from outside one managerial firm with either an ignorance or an unwillingness to take the necessary steps to quell apparent conflicts of interest.

At worst?

The post Ali Abdelaziz and the PFL’s extraordinarily controversial past and present appeared first on The Body Lock.