PFL Partners with Multiple International Promotions to Bolster 2020 Roster

Professional Fighters League is scouring the globe to improve its roster.

The promotion confirmed to ESPN that it has partnered with promotions from United Arab Emirates, Russia, Germany, Brazil and Australia to eventually add five new fighters to its roster for the upcoming season.

Each organization will host a four-fighter tournament, and the winner of each respective bracket will receive a spot on the PFL’s 2020 season. One tournament date has been confirmed, as UAE Warriors in Abu Dhabi has scheduled its event for March 20. The dates for the other tournaments have yet to be determined.

The UAE Warriors event will feature fighters from the featherweight division. Lightweight, light heavyweight and women’s lightweight are also expected to be included in future tournaments, although the weight classes could change.

"We're excited to accelerate growth outside of the United States through the International Qualifier Series, a global fight twice in one-night tournament designed to identify and recruit the best MMA fighters from five priority markets around the world," PFL CEO Peter Murray said. "We look forward to working with UAE Warriors in the Middle East, a region with an affinity for combat sports and an impressive crop of high-caliber fighters.

"This is a unique challenge, and we'll see if these athletes have what it takes to fight for the PFL and compete for a title and million-dollar prize.”

The International Qualifier Series will serve as part of PFL’s “preseason.” PFL is the only MMA organization to hold a season format, where athletes qualify for a playoff and then vie for a $1 million prize in their respective weight class. Murray recently said that he expects PFL will change its roster by 50 percent from the 2019 campaign. The preseason is likely to play a major role in any changes to the PFL roster.