Professional Fighters League (PFL) founder and chairman Donn Davis sits down with Josh Lipton on Asking for a Trend to discuss how the company stacks up against its competitors in the mixed martial arts (MMA) space.

“Most people know the UFC. They're the clear leader today. That's a promoter-driven organization. You know Dana White is the next generation of Don King. He chooses who is ranked one and who's ranked two. The promoter decides who to fight. PFL [is] completely different. I don't decide anything. I'm like Adam Silver in the NBA. It's all driven by the athletes."

He continues, saying "the PFL is a sports season format, just like the NBA or the NFL. Regular season, playoffs, and championship. Athlete-driven in the PFL. If you win, you advance. If you lose, we see you next year.” Davis explains, saying this “meritocracy and transparency” is what has “propelled [PFL’s] explosive growth.”

Davis says PFL has the “same quality athletes” as UFC, with athletes turning to the league for control of their careers and better pay. “Whether it's you, or me, or the fighters, we want to go as far as we can go in our career. In the PFL, they're not under anybody's thumb. They win, they advance. They win four times, more money... We're not holding them back. We're not in control. They are.”

He says PFL “started six and a half years ago is not because I was an MMA fan,” but due to the investment opportunity given the global popularity of MMA and the opportunity to run frequent fights for these fans.

“MMA is global along with soccer. They're the really only two global sports. So 80% of those 650 million fans [are] not in the United States, they're outside. Which is why we've started PFL Europe, PFL Africa, PFL Mid East to serve those fans where they live.” Davis adds he expects to add “PFL Asia, PFL Latin America, and PFL India in the future.”

PFL acquired Bellator MMA in a move that UFC CEO Dana White criticized. Davis says, “Dana doesn't say anything unless he's bothered,” explaining the acquisition “was basically us consolidating all the great fighters that aren't in UFC.”

When asked about the possibility of an initial public offering (IPO) down the line for PFL, Davis says “I'm working to build a company for fans and fighters. That will take care of itself.”

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This post was written by Naomi Buchanan.