PFL Suspends 2020 Season Until Next Year, Fighters to Receive Monthly Stipend

---

Professional Fighters League has elected to suspend its entire 2020 campaign and will reschedule the season for the following year due to concerns regarding the coronavirus pandemic.

The promotion announced the decision in a news release on Monday. PFL also announced that it will pay its fighters a monthly cash stipend to help support them throughout the rest of the coming year. It is currently unclear if the amount will vary from fighter to fighter, or if athletes will be free to compete in promotions that are holding events during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Finally, the organization also expects to produce “new original programming for distribution across ESPN platforms and PFL channels.”

“In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Professional Fighters League has rescheduled our upcoming 2020 season for Spring 2021.  PFL is a global MMA league with athletes from over 25 countries, and our decision is guided by the health and safety of our fighters, fans, partners, and event personnel,” PFL CEO Peter Murray said.

  “The PFL mission is to evolve and grow the sport of MMA, and we look forward to staging our unique sport-season format with regular season, playoff and championship events on ESPN platforms next year,” he continued. “PFL has always been focused on delivering the best made-for-TV MMA product and we will continue to deliver the most innovative fight experience going forward. Fans can also look forward to PFL elevating our roster with new championship caliber fighter signings such as Rory MacDonald. 

  “For the remainder of 2020, the PFL will support our fighters with a monthly cash stipend to help provide some relief during these challenging times. In addition, for sports fans who we know are looking for compelling content, the PFL will deliver new original programming across ESPN and PFL platforms. PFL will continue to be an innovator in the world of sports. 

“Our thoughts are with all those impacted by the COVID-19 coronavirus.” 

PFL was scheduled to begin its 2020 season in May, with fighters in six weight classes competing for a $1 million prize in their respective division at the end of the year. Since rebranding from World Series of Fighting under new ownership, PFL has held full regular season and post season schedules in both 2018 and 2019.