Professional Fighters League, home to Rory MacDonald, opens up fight library

The Professional Fighters League, home to Canadian welterweight star Rory (Red King) McDonald, is opening up its fight library.

The mixed martial arts promotion has unveiled an app with free fight content.

The PFL announced in April that it was pushing back its 2020 season to next spring because of the global pandemic, promising original MMA content via its newly formed PFL Studios. Fighters on its roster were offered a monthly stipend during the hiatus.

“As we continue to grow, innovate, and reimagine MMA, we have placed an emphasis on engaging fans all year-long through impactful storytelling and unprecedented access to the sport, our fighters, and the action inside the cage,” PFL CEO Peter Murray said in a statement.

“As the app continues to evolve, this will especially be a destination for international fans outside the US.”

MacDonald offered a look at his life via “Red King Rundown,” a six-part digital series.

Unlike other MMA organizations, the PFL is based around a campaign rather than individual fight cards. A regular season is followed by playoffs and a championship featuring fighters squaring off for a title and US$1-million purse.

In 2019, the regular season featured cards in May, June, July and August. The top eight fighters in each weight class advanced to the single-elimination playoffs in October with two then advancing to the New Year’s Eve finals.

MacDonald joined the PFL in December from Bellator, where he won and lost the welterweight title. He was a top 170-pound contender in the UFC prior to that, losing a memorable title bout with (Ruthless) Robbie Lawler at UFC 189 in July 2015.

Murray has called MacDonald “a game-changer for the PFL.”

The PFL roster also includes Montreal lightweight Olivier (The Canadian Gangster) Aubin-Mercier. Victoria’s Sarah Kaufman came within one win of making the women’s lightweight final last year. 

The PFL was formed as the World Series of Fighting in 2012, changing its name to the PFL in 2017.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 5, 2020.

The Canadian Press