The inaugural PFL Europe season roster features 32 fighters from 14 countries
competing across 4 weight divisions in the PFL SmartCage

PFL Europe features the best mixed martial artists from across Europe including Dakota Ditcheva (7-0),
Simeon Powell (7-0), Ali Taleb (8-0), Connor Hughes (6-0) 

Dom Wooding (9-5), Francesco Nuzzi (9-1) and Frans Mlambo (13-5)

PFL Europe is Europe’s first MMA league with a Regular Season, Playoff and Championship

All PFL Europe events will be live on DAZN and other major international broadcast networks,
with tickets on-sale at Ticketmaster

 

NEW YORK (March 15, 2023) - The Professional Fighters League (PFL), the fastest growing and most innovative sports league, today announced that Dan Hardy has joined the company as Head of Fighter Operations of PFL Europe. As part of his new role, Hardy will play a key part in the wellbeing and development of fighters, as well as identifying local talent and working closely with the global PFL President of Fighter Operations, Ray Sefo, on all matchmaking decisions. Hardy will also act as the voice of PFL Europe broadcasting, providing expert analysis and fight predictions for PFL’s first international league as it prepares for its inaugural season, beginning in Newcastle on March 25. 

Hardy brings nearly two-decades of professional MMA experience to the PFL. During his illustrious career Hardy took on some of the biggest names in the sport and recorded an incredible 25 pro wins, making him widely regarded as one of the finest mixed martial artists that Europe has ever produced. Since his retirement from competition Hardy has become one of the most respected figures in the world of MMA, renowned for his exemplary commentary and razor-sharp fight breakdowns. 

“I’m excited to be taking on the role as Head of Fighter Operations for PFL Europe. This will allow me to bring together the best MMA prospects from around the region, and give each of them an opportunity to establish themselves as world class talent. PFL Europe will bring stability to the opportunities available to European MMA athletes, and I’m honoured to be able to play a role in that process” says Dan Hardy.

“I’m thrilled to welcome Dan Hardy to the Professional Fighters League as the Head of Fighter Operations for PFL Europe ahead of start of our historic inaugural season on March 25 in Newcastle,” said PFL CEO Peter Murray. “PFL Europe is the first of many regional leagues we are creating to identify and develop the next generation of MMA stars as well as grow the sport around the world. Dan’s expertise gathered from his accomplished career and his eye for talent will be invaluable as we begin this exciting chapter in our company’s history.”

PFL Europe is the PFL’s first international league and will showcase the very best MMA athletes across Europe. PFL Europe will hold quarterly events throughout 2023 beginning in Newcastle on March 25. The ground-breaking league will feature 32 of Europe’s top fighters from 14 countries competing across four weight divisions. After four events, four PFL Europe Champions will be crowned with each Champion taking home $100,000. Champions also have a chance to earn a spot on the PFL Global Roster and the $1 million global season prize.

Julia Boyadjieva, General Manager of PFL Europe: "I am delighted to welcome Dan to the Professional Fighters League as we further our commitment to revolutionizing the sport of MMA with PFL Europe. As we continue to expand and stage premium events across the continent, Dan’s vast experience will be invaluable.”

The news of Dan Hardy’s appointment comes hot on the heels of the news that Proper No. Twelve will sponsor all four PFL Europe events across the UK, Germany, France and Ireland including Regular Season, Playoff and Championship. This partnership will allow Proper No. Twelve to continue its rapid rise founded in a close association with the MMA community. The partnership includes event branding, broadcast advertising, fan engagement and consumer promotions.

PFL is the #1 fastest growing company in MMA and the #2 MMA company on a worldwide basis. PFL is the only in MMA with the sports-season format, where individual fighters compete in a regular season, playoffs, and championship each year, making PFL a “win and advance” meritocracy like all other major sports. PFL fighter roster hails from over 20 countries and 25% of PFL fighters are independently ranked in the top 25 of their weight-class. The Company leads in technology and innovation, with its proprietary PFL SmartCage powering real-time betting and next-gen viewing experience. PFL airs live in the U.S. on ESPN and ESPN+ and is broadcast and streamed to 140 countries with 25 leading international media partners.

About Professional Fighters League
Professional Fighters League (PFL) is the fastest growing and most innovative sports league. PFL is the #2 MMA company worldwide on all key metrics and the only with the sports-season format where individual fighters compete in Regular Season, Playoffs, and Championship. The Company has four global live fight franchises: PFL League Season, PFL Challenger Series, PFL PPV Super Fights, and PFL Europe.

PFL airs in the U.S on ESPN and ESPN+ and is broadcast and streamed to 140 countries with 25 international leading media partners, including DAZN, DirectTV, Viaplay, Sky Sports, and MBC. PFL has dozens of major brand sponsors such as Anheuser-Busch, GEICO, Bose, US Marine Corps, and Celsius Energy Drink.

PFL is backed by blue-chip investors including Ares, Luxor Capital, Elysian Park Ventures, Knighthead, Legends, and numerous NBA, MLB, NHL, and MLS team owners.

MMA is the growth sport of this decade, with over 600 million fans worldwide, the youngest audience demo of any sport, and true global revenue streams.

PFLmma.com; Instagram (@PFLmma); Twitter (@PFLMMA); Facebook (/PFLmma)

About DAZN Group:
DAZN is a leading sports platform in Italy, Spain, Germany, Japan, Canada, US and the UK. Its wide range of exclusive content includes top-flight football from the world’s most popular competitions – Bundesliga, English Premier League, JLeague, LaLiga, Serie A, and the UEFA Champions League, in addition to the biggest sports from around the world - Formula 1, NFL, NBA, MotoGP and the UFC. DAZN is a global home for boxing and combat sports through its partnerships with Matchroom Boxing the Professional Fighters League, and a global home for Women’s Football with UEFA Women’s Champions League and Finetwork Liga F. DAZN is adding more and more sport to its platform to create a destination for sports fans. 

DAZN is reimagining the way people enjoy sport. With a single, frictionless platform, sports fans can watch, bet, play, share, socialise, and buy tickets, NFTs and merchandise. Live and on-demand sports content, anywhere, in any language, on any device – only on DAZN. 

DAZN is available on most connected devices including smart TVs, set-top boxes, streaming sticks, smartphones, tablets, PCs and game consoles. DAZN can be accessed on Samsung, LG, Sony and Panasonic Smart TVs and on Games Consoles including Playstation and Xbox. Subscribers also have access to DAZN on their Amazon Fire TV, Amazon Fire TV Stick, Google Chromecast and Apple TV and find the app on their iPhone, iPad, android and mobile.