The MMA landscape is changing, and PFL CEO John Martin is at the helm of what appears to soon be the de facto second-biggest player in the field.
The argument was already there for PFL, but now that an MVP merger has been announced, it seems the promotion has accelerated its momentum and is entering 2027 with its foot on the gas. Martin revealed Thursday that when the calendar flips at the end of this year, the promotion's branding will, too.
"We're going to work to start to integrate the organizations now," Martin told Home of Fight on Thursday. "Our goal is we're going to be fully integrated, and we're going to see the brand change over for the product January 2027. For the rest of this year, we'll be crowning PFL champions. But obviously, we're already
thinking like one company. Things will officially cross over with MVP on Jan. 1."
A lot of questions remain coming out of Thursday's announcement, but perhaps none bigger than that of where fight fans will be able to watch the events. MVP MMA held one event on Netflix in 2026, while PFL's deal with ESPN concludes at the end of the year, and renewal seems unlikely.
"I hope so," Martin said of Netflix. "There's not much I can say on that other than I think, whether it's Netflix or other broadcasters, I think this merger is going to catch a lot of attention. I think for anybody who wants to partner with us, to think through it with us about what are the real opportunities and the type of events we can put on now with the strength of the PFL roster, with the strength of the women's boxing MVP has, with the blockbuster live events that it's been successfully able to put on now – not once, twice, three times – but many times. I'm looking forward to those conversations. I'm really excited."
As for how and why this merger came together, Martin described a situation where he thinks each promotion brings something different to the table. PFL has held events all over the world and has an established roster. Meanwhile, MVP has garnered mass visibility and promotion with Jake Paul and Nakisa Bidarian leading the charge.
"This is a global business," Martin said. "At the PFL, we've successfully put on shows in 14 countries across four continents. This year alone, we'll do 11 different countries. We've actually held events in more international locations than MVP. But of course, they've been on Netflix, so it gets piped globally. So they're global in that perspective. We're global in another perspective. So to bring together those capabilities, I think is a powerful combination."
In terms of what will happen to current PFL champions and their titleholder status, Martin said the details are still being hashed out, but he has a hunch fighters will keep their status from PFL into MVP.
"We'll likely take the rest of this year to fully integrate the companies," Martin said. "My suspicion, although we haven't officially decided or announced, will probably come out Jan. 1 with everything rebranded. Again, we haven't fully decided. But if you're a PFL champion, you'll be an initial champion for MVP, and we'll just keep it going."
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: John Martin reacts to PFL-MVP merger, trickles out more details
