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Donn Davis, the founder and longtime chairman of the Professional Fighters League, announced his resignation from the role on January 21, 2026, marking a dramatic turning point for the organization he built from scratch eight years ago.

Davis revealed the decision in a statement posted to social media, reflecting on his journey from founding PFL in 2017 to establishing what he described as “the clear #2 MMA company worldwide”. The announcement comes amid significant organizational turbulence, with multiple high-level executives departing and the promotion undergoing major structural changes that have abandoned its founding principles.

“From the moment I founded Professional Fighters League 8 years ago, it has been my life,” Davis wrote in his statement. “Today I’m stepping down as chairman of PFL.”​

PFL Founder and Chairman Donn Davis Resigns Amid Massive Executive Exodus

The resignation follows a wave of executive departures that began in July 2025 when John Martin, former chairman and CEO of Turner Broadcasting, was appointed as PFL’s new chief executive. That move saw founding CEO Peter Murray transition to head PFL International before departing the organization entirely in January 2026. Days later, longtime president Ray Sefo, a holdover from the World Series of Fighting era, also parted ways with the promotion.

Under his leadership, PFL secured significant milestones including a $ 100 million investment from Saudi Arabia’s SRJ Sports Investments in 2023, the acquisition of rival Bellator MMA in November 2023, and the signing of former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou. Davis claimed PFL had grown to 80 of the top 300 world-ranked fighters under exclusive contract, 24 live events per year across four continents, distribution in 190 countries, and 30 million active social media followers.​

Davis himself became a controversial figure within the MMA community. He publicly criticized Frncis Ngannou for missing PFL Africa’s debut event, feuded with UFC commentator Joe Rogan over fighter quality claims, and compared departing two-time PFL champion Kayla Harrison to NBA player Kevin Durant joining a super team. UFC president Dana White frequently dismissed Davis and PFL’s competitive threats, at one point stating Davis only comments on things that worry him.

In his resignation statement, Davis emphasized PFL’s accomplishments while expressing confidence in the organization’s foundation. “PFL global footprint, valuable assets, and market position has never before been achieved in MMA outside of UFC,” he wrote. “I’m confident this foundation should lead to great future success.”​

The statement concluded with a philosophical question: “I’ve loved fighting to build PFL. What do you fight for?”​

PFL’s next event is scheduled for February 7, 2026, at the Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai, featuring lightweight champion Usman Nurmagomedov defending his title against Alfie Davis.

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Ahead of next month’s title fight at Noche UFC, former two-weight champion, Daniel Cormier claims it’s clear as day to see the incumbent, Sean O’Malley is playing “mind games” with his incoming foe, Merab Dvalishvili.

O’Malley, the current undisputed bantamweight gold holder, is slated to headline UFC 306 next month at the Las Vegas Sphere, taking on surging number one ranked contender, Merab Dvalishvili — in his second defense of his divisional crown.

Last time out, Montana striker, O’Malley turned in a dominant unanimous decision win over Marlon Vera — avenging his sole professional defeat in a stunning judging win over the Ecuadorian challenger.

As for Tbilisi native, Dvalishvili most recently added to his lengthy winning spree with a unanimous decision shutout win over former two-division champion and Olympic gold medal winner, Henry Cejudo.

Daniel Cormier breaks down Sean O’Malley – Merab Dvalishvili

And according to Hall of Fame inductee, Cormier, the undisputed gold holder, O’Malley is playing some major “mind games” with Georgian challenger, Merab Dvalishvili ahead of Noche UFC.

“This young man has managed to not only become a champion but to become a star,” Daniel Cormier said on his YouTube channel. “So when (Sean) O’Malley says things like that, I’m pretty sure he’s stewing. But he (Merab Dvalishvili) also has to recognize that these are the games that guys that understand fighting.”

They want to play the mind game with you, that really are like O’Malley or Conor McGregor,” Cormier explained. “Them being able to frustrate you is a win for them. Because if you get frustrated. and you start to make a mistake.”

Vowing to steal the proverbial thunder of super middleweight boxing star, Canelo Alvarez who defends his crown on the same night as his fight at the Sphere against Edgar Berlanga, O’Malley also vowed to land a stunning knockout of Dvalishvili.

“This fight, I’m feeling good as f*ck,” Sean O’Malley said. “I love this matchup. He’s got a ten fight win streak. It’s a big fight. It’s at The Sphere. It’s in competition with boxing, which is just kinda an extra little layer. 

“When it comes to Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, who are they talking about?” Sean O’Malley explained. “Are they talking about Canelo? Are they talking about the boxing fight? Or are they talking about the absolute dominating, beautiful, masterful, masterclass performance that I put on Merab and the viral knockout that came with it? Or are they talking about a 36 minutes Canelo boxing fight, that was kinda fire?”

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Ahead of next month’s title fight at Noche UFC, former two-weight champion, Daniel Cormier claims it’s clear as day to see the incumbent, Sean O’Malley is playing “mind games” with his incoming foe, Merab Dvalishvili.

O’Malley, the current undisputed bantamweight gold holder, is slated to headline UFC 306 next month at the Las Vegas Sphere, taking on surging number one ranked contender, Merab Dvalishvili — in his second defense of his divisional crown.

Last time out, Montana striker, O’Malley turned in a dominant unanimous decision win over Marlon Vera — avenging his sole professional defeat in a stunning judging win over the Ecuadorian challenger.

As for Tbilisi native, Dvalishvili most recently added to his lengthy winning spree with a unanimous decision shutout win over former two-division champion and Olympic gold medal winner, Henry Cejudo.

Daniel Cormier breaks down Sean O’Malley – Merab Dvalishvili

And according to Hall of Fame inductee, Cormier, the undisputed gold holder, O’Malley is playing some major “mind games” with Georgian challenger, Merab Dvalishvili ahead of Noche UFC.

“This young man has managed to not only become a champion but to become a star,” Daniel Cormier said on his YouTube channel. “So when (Sean) O’Malley says things like that, I’m pretty sure he’s stewing. But he (Merab Dvalishvili) also has to recognize that these are the games that guys that understand fighting.”

They want to play the mind game with you, that really are like O’Malley or Conor McGregor,” Cormier explained. “Them being able to frustrate you is a win for them. Because if you get frustrated. and you start to make a mistake.”

Vowing to steal the proverbial thunder of super middleweight boxing star, Canelo Alvarez who defends his crown on the same night as his fight at the Sphere against Edgar Berlanga, O’Malley also vowed to land a stunning knockout of Dvalishvili.

“This fight, I’m feeling good as f*ck,” Sean O’Malley said. “I love this matchup. He’s got a ten fight win streak. It’s a big fight. It’s at The Sphere. It’s in competition with boxing, which is just kinda an extra little layer. 

“When it comes to Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, who are they talking about?” Sean O’Malley explained. “Are they talking about Canelo? Are they talking about the boxing fight? Or are they talking about the absolute dominating, beautiful, masterful, masterclass performance that I put on Merab and the viral knockout that came with it? Or are they talking about a 36 minutes Canelo boxing fight, that was kinda fire?”

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UFC commentator Laura Sanko is responding to fans’ comments on YouTube. A compelling thumbnail has sparked some interesting thoughts from fans, and Sanko is certainly enjoying some of them.

Laura Sanko MMA

Prior to her announcing work in the UFC, ‘Fancy’ Laura Sanko was a professional MMA fighter. She had an extensive amateur career. As a pro, she racked up one win via submission before calling it quits for a career in broadcasting. She competed in Atomweight, which is not a division offered in the UFC. She would have been far too small to compete in any of the UFC’s weight classes.

Laura Sanko Reacts

With experience in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Sanko likes to give instructionals on YouTube. Her bicep sliver video has become highly popular due to its curvaceous thumbnail. Sanko said, “The first few comments are from the “Bicep Slicer” video, which has been by far the most popular on my page, thanks to a compelling thumbnail my team picked out.”

Sanko continued:

“If there’s any way I’d like to go out, this is it. God bless this man.” That comment got 2,800 thumbs up, so it seems a lot of you agree!

In another response, she said:

“I love these little demos, so fascinating. Thanks, guys, your efforts are always appreciated.” That’s very kind, but what I really love is the comment right underneath it that says, “Don’t you mean face-sit-nating?” I see what you did there… we’re just going to skip past that.”

Laura Sanko with Nina Drama

Nina Marie Daniele, or Nina Drama, is an influencer who works closely with the UFC. Laura Sanko and Nina Drama did some work together which sparked a viral reaction. Sanko explained, “Video I did with Nina, who is awesome, and I love her. We shot for about 12 hours—no joke—so there’s a lot of footage … I think Nina has brought a levity to MMA media that was missing for a long time. I love her.”

What made her shut down the conversation was:

“And then… Lance Thrust 9488: “Who wears the strap-on?” Okay, we’re just going to move on.“

Lastly, Laura Sanko’s chair had some thoughts:

““Hi, Laura’s chair here. I love my job.” Okay, guys, y’all are wild.“

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Jon Jones is the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the world and you’re not going to convince Dana White otherwise.

After another successful episode of Dana White’s Contender Series that saw one of the best fights in DWCS history, the UFC CEO sat down to address members of the media. While the questions started simple enough, much of them surrounding the evening’s action, things quickly took a turn as soon as someone in the room dropped Jon Jones’ name.

“He’s the No. 1 best pound-for-pound fighter in the world and the GOAT, and you all know this,” White said. “Numbers don’t lie.”

MMA journalist Kevin Iole then asked White, “Does he have pictures of you?” which generated laughs around the room.

“Are you guys that f*cking stupid?” White laughed back. “You can’t be that f*cking stupid to think that Jon Jones is not the pound-for-pound best fighter in the world and the GOAT… but maybe you are?”

White stood up from the table seemingly ready to leave, but quickly sat back down to re-engage with everyone and continue discussing his favorite debate topic.

“Question me,” White said. “Who’s better than Jon Jones? Who’s pound-for-pound better than Jon Jones?”

John Morgan, host of The MMA Road Show, jumped in and answered, “At what point does inactivity come into play, right? We all agree there is nobody better than Jon Jones. He is the greatest of all time. There’s no question about it. But at some point, when you’re looking at rankings, they do have to represent what’s happening in the organization at that moment, right at that time, and in the past three years, he’s had one fight.”

White responded by noting that Jon Jones’ inactivity was not a choice. ‘Bones’ was originally scheduled to defend the undisputed heavyweight title against Miocic last November in Madison Square Garden before a pectoral injury forced him to bow out of the bout.

“You talk about inactivity and that he’s only fought one time. Jon Jones was supposed to fight,” White said. “If Jon Jones was sitting on the couch saying, ‘I don’t know when I’m going to fight again,’ then he’s definitely not in the pound-for-pound discussion right now. He was scheduled to fight and he got injured. He’s an active fighter.”

Dana White disputes Islam Makhachev’s Status as the No. 1 P4P fighter in the world

White then brought up current lightweight champion Islam Makhachev, the man who currently sits atop the P4P rankings.

“Islam, many people believe, lost to the guy [Volkanovski] who’s a weight class below him,” White said. “Is that how pound-for-pound works?”

White and Iole continued to go back and forth over their differing definitions of being an “active fighter” before switching gears to the Jones vs. Miocic booking which White all but confirmed will headline the promotion’s pay-per-view event in November.

“Everyone in this room thinks Aspinall is more highly-rated than Stipe, at this point,” Iole said. “Stipe’s reputation is fantastic but he has not won a fight since he beat [Daniel Cormier] – in four years. That also plays into it as partially a factor when you have a guy like Aspinall knocking out Sergei Pavlovich in less than a minute, Curtis Blaydes in less than a minute, etc., etc.”

White didn’t necessarily disagree with what Iole had to say regarding Aspinall but offered up an explanation from his viewpoint, suggesting that ripping away Miocic’s fight with Jones would be disrespectful to the consensus heavyweight GOAT, especially when their previously scheduled clash fell apart through no fault of his own.

“Here’s the flip side to that,” White said. “What do I do? The guy who’s looked at as the greatest heavyweight in the UFC, right? This fight’s set up. Jon Jones gets hurt. It’s not his fault. He has to wait and go back into training camp again. He was training. So do I just yank it away from Stipe and say, ‘Hey, go f*ck yourself and sit on the sidelines for two more years’? If I did that you guys would be like, ‘Oh, you f*cking disrespected the greatest heavyweight ever,’ so would the f*cking fans. So I should just sh*t on Stipe because Jon got hurt, and not make the fight that he was already supposed to fight?’”

Iole pointed out that Miocic could have fought Aspinall instead of sitting on the shelf for another year while waiting for ‘Bones’ to come back.

“This is the fight [Jones and Miocic] both want,” White said. “What do you do? You don’t show the guys their respect. I guarantee you this, if Stipe wins, Stipe is going to retire. This will be Stipe’s last fight. Are you the media telling me I should just tell Stipe to f*ck off and [say], ‘Good luck to you Stipe. Go ride off into the sunset and fight some fires and that’s a wrap for you, buddy,’ because Jon got hurt?  Or do I show this guy the respect that I should show him and give them both the fight that they want? That’s the position I’m in.”

Before removing himself from the situation, White flashed a smile and once again reminded the room that Jon Jones is the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world.

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After jumping up seven spots to take his place in the middleweight top five, Caio Borralho believes a fight against former two-time titleholder Israel Adesanya should be next.

On Saturday night, ‘The Natural’ extended his unbeaten streak to 16 and surged up towards the top of the 185-pound rankings with an exceptional performance against Jared Cannonier in the UFC Vegas 96 headliner.

With the win, Borralho now finds himself surrounded by some seriously talented company, including fellow top-fivers Nassourdine Imavov, Robert Whittaker, Israel Adesanya, and Sean Strickland.

Already looking ahead to his next challenge inside the Octagon, Borralho thinks that a scrap with ‘The Last Stylebender’ could be his best route to an eventual title fight with reigning middleweight world champion Dricus Du Plessis.

“I think Adesanya might be the best fight for me right now,” Borralho told Laerte Viana. “If I had to choose one more before the title, I think it would be Adesanya and then the title.”

Caio Borralho suggests lack of focus may be the cause of Adesanya’s recent struggles

However, Borralho isn’t sure that he’d get the same ‘Stylebender’ he watched dominate the division for so many years.

After winning 12-straight at middleweight, Adesanya has lost two of his last three, including back-to-back losses against Sean Strickland and Du Plessis. Now 35 years old, it’s not unreasonable to think that father time is beginning to catch up with the City Kickboxing star.

Still, Borralho knows that even if the ‘Stylebender’ has lost a step, he’s still a dangerous man to trifle with inside the Octagon.

“Maybe [Adesanya’s] not the same focused guy he was before, but he’s still the same guy with the same technique, skill and dominance,”

Is Caio Borralho vs. Israel Adesanya the fight to make following last weekend’s fight card at The APEX?

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Going to bat for his compatriot, former two-division UFC champion, Conor McGregor has urged promotional boss, Dana White to ink Roscommon veteran, Danni McCormack to a deal with the organization off the back of her impressive unanimous decision in on ‘Road to UFC’ over the course of the weekend.

McGregor, a former two-weight champion at the lightweight and featherweight limits under the banner of the organization, has been sidelined from action since he headlined UFC 264 back in 2021, fracturing his left tibia and fibula in an opening round doctor’s stoppage TKO loss against Dustin Poirier.

And ruled from a slated comeback at UFC 303 back in June during International Fight Week, just weeks ahead of a welterweight matchup with veteran contender, Michael Chandler, McGregor fractured a toe on the same leg as his prior injury.

Conor McGregor backs Danni McCormack to land UFC contract

However, going to bat for his fellow Straight Blast Gym staple this week on social media, McGregor uged UFC head-honcho, White to pen the former Invicta FC strawweight champion, McCormack to a multi fight deal — off the back of her decision win over Yan Qihui last weekend on the ‘Road to’ format.

“THIS IS A PROMO!,” Conor McGregor posted on his official X account in reference to Danni McCormack’s post-fight interview. “In at the drop of a hat to beat and maul the much bigger girl. Finishing with a call out from the UFC’s current strawweight champion who is from the same region as her just beating opponent. Magic! IRISH GOER WAR CRY! @danawhite announce signing brother this is…”

“We’ll f*cking mow them down, @danawhite! EIRE!!!!” Conor McGregor posted.

A former Invicta FC strawweight champion, McCormack landed a unanimous decision win over Valesca Machado back in March of last year, before successfully defending her crown with a third round rear-naked choke win over Karolina Wojcik under the banner of the Shannon Knapp-led organization.

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MMA veteran Vince Morales has spent a ton of time training with Merab Dvalishvili at Syndicate MMA. Both will be fighting for world titles very soon.

Vince Morales Training with Merab Dvalishvili

At United Fight League 5, ‘Vandetta’ Vince Morales will face Hunter Azure with the bantamweight world title on the line, this match is booked for August 30. To help get ready, ‘The Machine’ Merab Dvalishvili has been working with Morales to sharpen their respective skills. Dvalishvili is set to take on Sean O’Malley for the UFC bantamweight title at UFC 306 in just a few weeks.

Merab Dvalishvili is known for his relentless pace in the octagon. Against Petr Yan and Henry Cejudo, Dvalishvili lived up to his moniker ‘The Machine’ as he never stopped working for takedowns and was constantly aggressive.

Vince Morales spoke to LowKick MMA in an exclusive interview and explained what it’s like training with Merab Dvalishvili as they both prep for world title matches. He said:

“[He is] Exactly what you would expect after watching him fight—nonstop. He laughs a little more than he does in the fight. He’s a goer. We get a lot of good work in together. He’s one of my favorite training partners. We know it’s going to be a tough day, and we get in there and scrap. Thankfully, I only have him for three rounds at a time.

“I don’t know how he does it. I think it’s all mental. His mind is set on effort, and being tired doesn’t deter him. He gets tired, gets excited, and handles it. Everything he does is full of effort and intent. Even if he doesn’t get a takedown or throws the best punch, he meant to do it and put in full effort. That makes all the difference.”

Morales has remained unbeaten and put together an impressive four-fight win streak since stepping away from the UFC. With multiple world titles on the line, the Syndicate MMA gym is entering the gold season. Vince Morales added:

“We’re gearing up for the Syndicate Gold Rush. On August 30th, I’ve got Hunter Azure for the title, and then we’ve got Marab for the belt. Khalil is fighting Alex Pereira. So yeah, the Syndicate Gold Rush begins next week.”

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Conor McGregor yearns to be free.

It’s been more than three years since we’ve seen ‘Mystic Mac’ grace the Octagon. His drought was scheduled to end on June 29th in Las Vegas, but McGregor ultimately bowed out of his UFC 303 headliner with Michael Chandler due to, of all things, a broken pinky toe.

Since then, McGregor has been lobbying for a date in December, but even more than that it looks like McGregor wants to be free from the shackles of his UFC contract.

Recently, the former two-division titleholder took to social media with a four-word post that had everyone speculating about its meaning.

“When I get free,” McGregor wrote on X.

McGregor also posted a training clip on Instagram with the hashtag #FreeTheMac.

Conor McGregor’s Comments come days after speculation over UFC 310 headliner

Interestingly, McGregor’s comments come days after newly minted welterweight world champion Belal Muhammad revealed that his first title defense could headline UFC 310 in December, the date McGregor desperately wanted for his rescheduled scrap with Chandler.

It’s possible that Muhammad versus either Shavkat Rakhmonov or Kamaru Usman—the two fighters heavily favored to get the first crack—could be situated as the co-main event under a McGregor vs. Chandler headliner, though no such thing has happened since 2016 when Conor McGregor vs. Nate Diaz main evented UFC 196.

The co-main event that night was Miesha Tate’s win over Holly Holm to capture the women’s bantamweight title.

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Taking in the action at notable boxing events in Saudi Arabia over the last couple of years, professional footballing icon, Cristiano Ronaldo has provided his opinion on the ever-evolving question: MMA or Boxing?

Ronaldo, a former footballing star for Real Madrid and Manchester United — twice, currently plays his trade in Saudi Arabia, featuring with Pro League side Al Nassr — netting 50 goals for the side since his unceremonious second exit from Old Trafford two years ago.

Cristiano Ronaldo picks MMA over boxing as his preferred combat sport

And spotted side-by-side alongside former two-division UFC champion, Conor McGregor sat ringside at Francis Ngannou’s boxing match debut with former WBC heavyweight titleholder, Tyson Fury last year in a controversial decision — Cristiano Ronaldo has shared his thoughts on which combat sports he finds better: MMA or Boxing?

Picking mixed martial arts as his preferred combat sports over boxing — despite appearing at Oleksandr Usyk’s title unification clash with the above-mentioned, Fury alongside Saudi adviser, Turki Alalshikh — the veteran Portuguese striker appears to have his preference set on mixed martial arts over combat exclusively in the squared circle.

Along with his pick of MMA over boxing, Ronaldo claims he would also rather watch the NBA over the NFL, tennis over golf, Formula 1 over it’s motorcycle MOTOGP partner — Ronaldo could not separate between tennis megastars, Novak Djokovic, or Spaniard ace, Rafael Nadal.

When it comes to professional wrestlers, the European Championships winner also sided with The Rock instead of veteran Hulk Hogan, and picked Chicago Bulls icon, Michael Jordan over Golden State Warriors shooter, Stephen Curry.

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