NEW YORK – June 26, 2024 - The Professional Fighters League (PFL), the fastest growing and most innovative sports league, today announced Damian Willoughby will join the organization as Head of Global Partnerships. Willoughby will be based out of the PFL London office and report to the organizations Chief Executive Officer Peter Murray. In his role Willoughby will lead commercial growth for PFL franchises including PFL PPV Super Fight Division, Bellator, PFL Global Season, PFL Europe, PFL MENA and new international leagues, across sponsorship, ad-sales and betting revenue streams. PFL will launch additional international leagues in key regions such as Africa, Australia, Latin America and Asia.

Willoughby joins PFL, as an accomplished global football commercial executive with years of experience in generating billions in sponsorship revenue, creating innovative brand partnerships and developing high performing teams around the world. He has led brand, revenue and fan growth for leading EPL clubs including City Football Group, Chelsea and Rangers FC. Willoughby founded Accretive Sports, serving as Chief Executive Officer, a UK based sports marketing agency, successfully navigating the global sporting landscape for rights holders, properties, brands and sports technology companies. Prior to founding Accretive Sports Limited, Willoughby served as Vice President of Partnerships for Electronic Arts.

“We are pleased to announce the addition of Damian Willoughby as Head of PFL Global Partnerships,” said Professional Fighters League CEO Peter Murray. “Damian’s proven success in sports and expertise in creating innovative global partnerships within the world of football will enable the PFL to activate our Champions League of MMA platform and premium global events for blue chip brands seeking to engage 650 million passionate MMA fans around the world.”

“I am excited to join The Professional Fighters League and lead its next phase of global commercial growth partnering with premium brands,” said Willoughby. “MMA is the growth sport of this decade and PFL as a disruptor is delivering the very best of MMA year-round across its major content franchises distributed to over 160 countries.”

PFL is the only organization in MMA with the sports-season format, where individual fighters compete in a Regular Season, Playoffs, and Championship each year. The combined roster of PFL and Bellator boasts 30% of its fighters independently world-ranked in the top 25 of their respective weight-class. PFL has an expansive global vision for the sport and is building the “Champions League of MMA” with PFL Europe, PFL MENA, and more international leagues in development. PFL leads in technology and innovation, with its proprietary PFL SmartCage, powering fight analytics, real-time betting, AI scoring, and a next-generation viewing experience. PFL is available on ESPN/ESPN+ in the U.S., DAZN in Canada and Europe and broadcast and streamed in 160 countries with 20 premium media distribution partners.

ABOUT PROFESSIONAL FIGHTERS LEAGUE
Professional Fighters League (PFL) is a global powerhouse in MMA and the fastest-growing sports league world-wide. PFL has five live fight franchises, offering year-round content: PFL League Season, PFL PPV Super Fights, PFL Challenger Series, PFL International Leagues, and Bellator. Founded in 2018, PFL is backed by major blue-chip investors including SRJ, Ares, Knighthead, Luxor Capital, Waverley Capital, Elysian Park Ventures, and numerous NBA, MLB, NHL, and MLS team owners. MMA is the growth sport business of this decade, with 650 million fans worldwide, the youngest audience demographic, and true global revenue streams. PFLmma.com; Instagram (@PFLmma); Twitter (@PFLMMA); Facebook (/PFLmma).