PFL chairman Donn Davis explains why he released Patricio Pitbull, addresses Bellator fighter grievances

PFL isn’t seeking to preserve fighters underneath contract in opposition to their will.

Earlier this week, PFL made waves saying main modifications to their group however Bellator featherweight champion Patricio Pitbull remained disgruntled after calling out the promotion out and requesting his launch. In response, PFL Founder and Chairman Donn Davis honored Pitbull’s request, giving him his unconditional launch from the promotion. It’s a choice Davis defined whereas talking to Mike Heck throughout a City Corridor session with MMA Preventing.

“Full respect for Pitbull,” Davis mentioned. “No one’s finished extra for Bellator, the corporate we acquired than he did. You even noticed that in our social media submit. Most fights, most wins, greatest model of a fighter in Bellator historical past. Complete respect, level one.

“Complete respect, level two, we needed him right here. So we had been making an attempt to work out a approach for him to be right here. Had he requested his launch for a number of months? No. We had been engaged on a approach for him to be right here for a number of months. However for a number of weeks had he mentioned, ‘I don’t suppose it’s going to work out and I wish to go’? Sure. So why did, finally, I do it? As a result of he didn’t wish to be right here.

“That is about alternative. PFL is about alternative. Alternative for followers who need extra MMA or totally different MMA. Alternative for fighters who desire a totally different approach and a unique method from a unique firm. It’s alternative, that’s all. We wish individuals who need that chance. He mentioned, ‘Look, I wouldn’t go wherever apart from the UFC. However can I’ve that chance?’ We mentioned positive, finished. Nothing greater than that.”

Nevertheless, Pitbull says this isn’t precisely how issues performed out. After Davis’s interview, Pitbull one once more went on Twitter to answer the PFL Chairman, giving his aspect of issues.

“Hello [Donn Davis], let’s preserve issues true all the way in which. You by no means formally supplied me the combat with [Aaron] Pico, and I by no means mentioned no. Pete [Murray] informed my administration that Pico was the primary alternative however he is perhaps hitting free company and if that’s the case you’d discover another person. Additionally…

“You by no means mentioned ‘combat for us this one time and we’ll allow you to go.’ You mentioned my 15 years in Bellator supplied worth for them and now you needed me to supply worth for PFL. And Pete mentioned you’d train each authorized proper you guys needed to forestall me from going to the competitors.”

PFL acquired Bellator in 2023, with designs on changing into the “co-leader” in MMA together with the UFC, however its first yr with Bellator fighters underneath contract was rocky. Although there have been just a few marquee occasions, Pitbull was not the one high-profile Bellator fighter to take subject with PFL.

Bellator champions Patchy Combine and Corey Anderson, amongst others, have spoken out concerning the lack of fights supplied by their new promotion. However Davis says typically issues are a bit of extra sophisticated than they could appear.

“Most of those conditions are grey, they’re not black and white,” Davis mentioned. “So concerning Patchy, concerning some other fighter, we all the time wish to resolve the scenario. We all the time wish to be joyful. Fighters all the time need 10 fights a yr and each combat to be $10 million. We think about all fighters collectively.

“Bear in mind, my job is PFL. My job is to placed on 30 nice occasions a yr. My job is to handle 250 fighters for essentially the most success for the 250 fighters. That’s my job. In reality, that’s what followers type of pay me to do, or else PFL received’t achieve success. 30 occasions, 250 fighters, business success, and the most effective and most nice fights we will. That’s the job of the chairman of PFL. In order that’s what I attempt to do every hour of every day.

“The fighter’s job is to advocate for themselves. Prime greenback, most fights, what they need at present. These are the dynamics. That’s all the time what’s occurring. … However particularly, we would like each fighter right here who desires to be right here.”

And if a fighter doesn’t? Pitbull was granted his launch, however what if extra Bellator fighters ask to be let go to allow them to pursue greener pastures within the UFC?

Properly, Davis actually hopes it doesn’t come to that however stands by what he mentioned.

“I imagine sure [Patchy Mix will stay with PFL this year],” Davis mentioned. “I believe Patchy goes to be joyful, I believe Corey Anderson goes to be joyful, I believe fighters are going to be very, very joyful. However as soon as once more, in the event that they’re not, we’re going to assist them get the answer they need that’s not right here. This isn’t MMA jail camp, that is alternative camp. So if fighters don’t wish to be right here they usually imagine they will do higher elsewhere, it doesn’t assist us to have them right here. It doesn’t assist us. We’ve a pipeline of unimaginable fighters. …

“Patchy is a star. We love him. I need him right here. Another fighter, we would like him right here. Am I tremendous assured that this noise is a blip and this noise will go away? I’m. However may there be one other fighter that’s sad and needs to go? There is perhaps and we’ll accommodate that.”