#136: Donn Davis – Founder PFL (Professional Fighters League)

PFL is the #1 fastest-growing sports league ($1B+ valuation) quickly rising to challenge the UFC and is coming off a $100M investment from Saudi’s SRJ Investments.

Donn Davis first entered sports as the Chief Legal Counsel of the Chicago Cubs in the 1990s. He would go on to hold several prominent roles across media, sports, and entertainment (including a senior executive at AOL) before founding the PFL in 2018.

PFL disrupted MMA with the sports-season format and now operates 4 fight franchises worldwide: PFL League Season, PFL PPV Super Fights, PFL International Leagues, and Bellator.

Chapters:
(01:00) The Rise of the PFL: Competing with the UFC
(04:19) Building a Sports League: Challenges and Strategies
(07:58) Investing in Sports Insights
(12:04) The Vision for PFL: Becoming a Co-Leader in MMA
(18:30) Leveraging Technology in Sports
(20:03) A Day in the Life: Managing a Non-Linear Schedule
(23:26) Global Trends Shaping the Future of Sports
(26:09) The Role of Private Equity in Sports
(28:14) How to get free PFL tickets

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