Bellator featherweight champion Patricio Pitbull has recently addressed comments made by PFL founder Donn Davis.
As many fans have likely noticed over the last few weeks, Bellator fighters aren’t happy. Last fall, the PFL and Donn Davis acquired the longtime Viacom brand, vowing to honor the roster’s contracts. However, they soon announced a new streaming deal with HBO Max and revealed an ambitious schedule for 2024.
Despite these promises, many of the scheduled events failed to materialize. Fighters like Patricio Pitbull found themselves largely sidelined for the year, having fought only once. Others, including Gegard Mousasi, didn’t compete at all and requested their release from the organization. Mousasi eventually got his release, and names such as Patchy Mix are also hoping to follow suit.
Earlier this week, PFL founder Donn Davis took to social media to discuss the discontent among fighters. While he didn’t address any specific individuals, he pointed out that upon acquiring Bellator, there were no events scheduled for 2024. Davis expressed that the PFL has done its best to support its new roster and aims to organize even more events next year.
Earlier, Davis affirmed on Twitter that the PFL has a history of providing all fighters with two fights per year. He stated that when they took over Bellator, the promotion had no fight events planned for their fighters in 2024, and the PFL stepped in to assist them as best as they could.
In a series of tweets, Pitbull expressed his frustration, highlighting that many Bellator fighters had not fought at all and that some, including himself, had only fought once. He criticized the PFL for cutting over 70% of the roster and for not honoring the promise of two fights in 2024, leading many to renegotiate their contracts.
Pitbull remarked that while he hopes the PFL can provide everyone with two fights this year, he worries that it might come at the cost of additional cuts. He also expressed a desire to leave the organization swiftly and proposed to meet with Donn Davis that week to finalize his release, expressing a clear intent to join the UFC instead.
In response to this situation, Pitbull, the 37-year-old champion, reiterated his dissatisfaction with the PFL’s handling of the roster cuts and the lack of fights. Although he hopes the company will fulfill its promise for next year, he is eager to move on from the organization.
As of now, Donn Davis has not publicly responded to Pitbull’s demands. The Bellator featherweight champion has only competed once in 2024, securing a third-round knockout victory over Jeremy Kennedy in March.
What do you think about the comments made by Bellator champion Patricio Pitbull? Are you interested in seeing the Brazilian fighter depart from the PFL?
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