PFL CEO John Martin admits Bellator acquisition and shifting focus have stunted brand growth

PFL CEO John Martin has candidly admitted that a series of strategic missteps — including a rocky Bellator acquisition and inconsistent identity — have prevented the promotion from closing the gap on the UFC, speaking in an interview with Home of Fight.

Martin, who took the role last year, pointed to the PFL’s seven-year history as one marked by constant pivots. The promotion launched in 2017 around a season-based world tournament format, but that focus eroded over time. When the PFL acquired Bellator in 2023, it inherited a roster that did not fit the tournament model, triggering integration problems, an oversized fighter pool, and fighters not competing frequently enough — issues that ultimately forced significant roster cuts.

“The PFL’s seven years old,” Martin said. “But within that seven years, the focus and emphasis of the PFL has changed many number of times. There was a world tournament. Then they bought Bellator, where there were fighters that weren’t suited to fight in a world tournament. There were some problems with the integration of Bellator. The roster was too big, the fighters weren’t fighting often enough, they had to cut the roster. All of that happened before I got here. All of that holds back the power of the brand.”

Martin’s philosophy is clear: the promotion itself must be the draw, not the athletes on its roster. He drew a direct comparison to the UFC, arguing that the strength of that brand transcends any individual fighter — and that the PFL must pursue the same model.

“People ask me all the time, ‘What’s more important? The brand UFC or the individual fighters?’ I think it’s the brand,” he said.

Distribution in the United States has also been flagged as a structural weakness. Martin acknowledged that even when the PFL shared ESPN airtime with the UFC, the promotion struggled to convert that exposure into meaningful brand recognition — raising questions about how effectively the PFL marketed itself during that period.

While the PFL is widely regarded as the second-largest MMA promotion globally, it remains a distant second to the UFC in terms of mainstream visibility and commercial reach. Martin’s comments suggest the organisation is now in a deliberate rebuilding phase, with brand consistency at its core.