Professional Fighters League announced an exclusive partnership with Channel 4 in the UK. Under the agreement, Channel 4 will broadcast PFL’s Challenger Series, Regular Season, Playoffs, and World Championship in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. Channel 4 will also air original content produced by both PFL Studios and 4Studios.
This partnership will help to popularise such British fighters as Brendan Loughnane, who made his way to the 2021 Playoffs by degrading both Sheymon Moraes and Tyler Diamond. Also, UK and Ireland fans will see Stuart Austin, Myles Price, and Stevie Ray in action during the 2022 Regular season. Simeon Powell will make his debut in the upcoming PFL Challenger Series.
PFL lands in the UK on @channel4… and we brought backup
pic.twitter.com/JYaEFrQkLx
— PFL (@PFLMMA) February 8, 2022
PFL CEO, Peter Murray spoke on the topic of cooperation with Channel 4:
The Professional Fighters League is thrilled to announce our media partnership with Channel 4 in the United Kingdom and Ireland. MMA fans in the UK and Ireland will now have unprecedented access to year-round live MMA events featuring star PFL fighters competing in a unique sports season format. Our partnership with Channel 4 illustrates MMA has further evolved into a mainstream sport and PFL is the fastest growing and most innovative league in the world.
PFL SVP of International, Jame Frewin also spoke on the matter:
The Professional Fighters League partnership with Channel 4 is a pivotal moment for the PFL as UK & Ireland are priority markets with an underserved fanbase. PFL is committed to continuing to reimagine and grow the sport of MMA around the world.
Joe Blake-Turner, Channel 4 Commissioning Editor for Sport, issued the following statement:
We’re delighted to be partnering with the PFL and bringing top-quality MMA to British fight fans. The PFL is innovative, ambitious, and exciting – a great fit for our expanding portfolio of sports.
But this media partnership is not the only PFL’s commitment to the UK MMA market. The promotion has created the inaugural PFL Scholarship to support talented, but underprivileged MMA fighters. It will cover costs of training and gym subscriptions for five UK – based athletes over a one-year period. Great Britain Top Team was named a partner to help identify five individuals who will receive the opportunity to train under the tutelage of UK MMA legends Ashleigh Grimshaw and Brad Pickett on a daily basis.
Featured Image courtesy of PFLMMA Twitter
