PFL proprietor Donn Davis responds to fighter claims of mistreatment

PFL co-owner Donn Davis claims the fighters airing grievances about their remedy within the wake of the Bellator acquisition don’t symbolize the bulk.

After PFL acquired the Bellator model in December, a gentle stream of complaints from a few of its fighters turned public. Essentially the most notable and vocal is former Bellator champion Gegard Mousasi, who stated the PFL brass have lower communication along with his workforce below what he believes is the intention to not honor the phrases of his Bellator contract.

Former multi-time Bellator titleholder Douglas Lima has provided comparable frustrations, and present Bellator girls’s featherweight champ Cris Cyborg has been constantly pushing to cage again within the cage as quickly as attainable towards Larissa Pacheco, the two-time PFL girls’s featherweight season winner, who has additionally spoke out on social media.

Davis stated he understood when PFL overtook Bellator’s operations there could be some unexpected points, although he “anticipated extra hiccups” within the course of. He made it clear he’s happy with the place issues stand general with each PFL and Bellator, and added he’s actively working to resolve any excellent points with athletes.

“Sometimes we’ll have a fighter grumble,” Davis stated on the “Weighing In” podcast with John McCarthy and Josh Thomson. “It’s one in every of 205 (fighters we acquired from Bellator). You count on 5 to 10 p.c points on any deal. You’ll be able to’t be good. You could be 90 to 95 p.c. We’ve had a handful of individuals say, ‘Oh, I want it went this manner, I want it went that means.’ I’m delighted. I’m very, very happy with how we handled our fighters. How we deal with our staff. Most of all, the product. We simply accomplished our second (Bellator present) in Paris, which was superior. We didn’t sit on this for six months. We didn’t take a yr off. We didn’t lay off 100 fighters. All of the stuff that at all times occurs in all acquisitions. So I simply couldn’t be extra proud.

“I’ll say two issues: One, what I’m tremendous happy with is the market, and anybody you speak to – fighters, enterprise companions, media, mangers – we’re direct, truthful and cheap. one hundred pc. That’s my 35 years in enterprise. That’s the tradition we’ve constructed right here. So I’ll say, with out commenting out of respect on particular person negotiations and specifics conditions – we’re direct, truthful and cheap with everyone that we cope with. Will everyone’s contract be honored? In fact. Do some individuals have completely different concepts of what works and what doesn’t work? Positive. However we’re truthful and cheap with everyone. Will all 205 fighters (from Bellator) have all the things fall the way in which they need? No.”

Along with the complaints round exercise, Bellator veteran in Sabah Homasi claims he has unpaid medical payments stemming from therapies for an harm sustained in a Bellator battle. It’s usually the onus of the promoter to reimburse fighters below these circumstances. Homasi stated he’s owed cash, with UFC light-weight contender Dustin Poirier spotlighting his challenge.

Davis stated these conditions boil all the way down to the timing of the Bellator deal. He stated it’s the accountability of earlier possession to pay these payments, and his attorneys are at the moment working to make sure all the things is buttoned up.

“That was Paramount not paying,” Davis stated. “We labored to get him paid. All occurred earlier than we purchased it. We’re attempting to remain low-key as a result of that’s who we’re. Paramount didn’t pay. We’re working to get any individual who owes him to pay him. Quite a lot of these fighters and managers don’t even perceive what they don’t perceive. These aren’t our payments. These are the outdated firm’s payments.”

No matter public skepticism seemingly rising about Bellator’s operations behind the scenes, Davis is bullish on the affluent way forward for the model, and reminded that the fallout of the deal remains to be recent as he navigates the trail ahead.

“The acquisition of Bellator didn’t shut till December,” Davis stated. “We had a reimagined product with a full schedule and fighters with two fights for the yr by February. That’s extraordinary. I’ve accomplished dozens of acquisitions that had been both offered or purchased, and I’ve by no means seen it. I’m tremendous happy with the PFL workforce. We’re a small firm. We have now 62 whole staff and this yr we’ll do 30 occasions on 4 continents, having acquired an organization with 205 fighters, and we’re getting everyone two fights on extremely produced, premium stuff on 4 continents.

“I’m not blowing smoke with you guys: I’m shocked. Not shocked. Shocked is after shocked, that we had been in a position to give 96, 97, 98 p.c of fighters two fights this yr, given we closed this deal in December.”