Dana White knows it’s never a good sign when some of the most prominent fighters on a roster start complaining with concerns over the future of the company.
That’s exactly what’s happening at the PFL lately with several notable athletes representing Bellator issued statements about continued inactivity, cancelled shows and a lack of communication with the organization. The issues only escalated further after Bellator featherweight champion Patricio Pitbull and bantamweight champion Patchy Mix actually went as far as requesting a release from the organization.
Mix hasn’t fought since May and his previously scheduled matchup against Leandro Higo was actually scrapped when the entire Bellator Paris card was cancelled in November. As for Pitbull, he last competed in May and later revealed that was supposed to represent Bellator and return at the RIZIN New Year’s Eve card in December but those plans were later scrapped with the Brazilian expressing his continued frustrations with the PFL.
“Listen, the last couple months we’ve been talking a lot about the PFL,” White said at the UFC 310 post-fight press conference. “They’re cancelling a lot of shows. I know that a lot of guys that are supposed to fight aren’t fighting. You guys know what the f*ck’s going on.
“When you see that start to happen, you’re running out of money. Things aren’t looking good. You’re going to have people that want to jump ship.”
Pitbull and Mix were also joined by Bellator light heavyweight champion Corey Anderson, who hasn’t fought since he won the vacant title back in March.
When the complaints first surfaced and Pitbull became the first fighter to request his release, MMA Fighting reached out to PFL for comment but the promotion never responded.
PFL purchased Bellator along with all of the company’s assets in deal that closed in late 2023. While both organizations operate under the same umbrella, PFL opted to keep Bellator up and running as a separate promotion with numerous cards planned throughout 2024.
Concerns were first raised with the Bellator Paris card being cancelled in November and now numerous fighters are speaking out publicly about problems with company. Add to that, former Bellator middleweight champion Gegard Mousasi actually went as far as filing a lawsuit against the PFL after he was released from the organization after he also complained about inactivity as well as his claim that he was asked to take a reduced salary if he wanted to get booked for a fight sooner than later.
White understands why the athletes are so upset right now, especially with many of them still in the prime of their careers.
“These guys want to fight,” White said. “You have a very limited time of opportunity when you’re a professional athlete and even less when you’re a fighter.
“I’m sure you’re going to see a lot of that, and we’ll see how this plays out over the next several months going into [2025].”
