Big changes are coming to Professional Fighters League (PFL) in 2026.
The promotion recently parted ways with CEO Peter Murray, and now it appears longtime president, Ray Sefo, will also be moving on from the “co-leader of MMA.”
“A lot of changes regarding the PFL,” Ariel Helwani said. “We know by now that Peter Murray is out. I can tell you that longtime president Ray Sefo has also parted ways with the company. So he was a mainstay in the World Series of Fighting-PFL days. Also a legendary fighter
and coach, but seemed like he wasn’t being used as much in the face offs or media and whatnot. There are other people behind the scenes that aren’t household names, and I don’t want to put their business out there.”
PFL is currently airing on the ESPN network; however, that deal will be up for renewal at the end of the year. With UFC moving on to Paramount+, the “Worldwide Leader in Sports” can use PFL to fill the holes in its combat sports programming — or get out of the MMA game and pass on cage fighting altogether.
“Ray, obviously, very much a public person, very much a household name,” Helwani continued. “But I do know of several behind-the-scenes important players in the building of PFL, who also parted ways with the company as of last week. So a lot of change, and they’re really going into a very important, a very big year for them with the ESPN rights being up at the end of the year.“
PFL returns to action with “Usman vs. Davis” on Feb. 7 in Dubai.
