New Stitch Duran MMA Interview: Professional Fighters League to Offer Millions in Prize Money
By Robert Brizel, Real Combat Media MMA Correspondent
In a new Real Combat Media interview exclusive, famed cutman Jacob ‘Stitch’ Duran was interviewed ringside at The Fillmore into Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on Saturday evening, March 30, 2018, after flying in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to participate in seven weeks of filming for the new Rocky Balboa full length motion picture Creed II.
Stitch Duran made reference to the World Series of Fighting transition to its new name and Mixed Martial Arts organization, the Professional Fighters League. based in Washington, D.C. Its live events and competitions will be shown on NBCSN in the United States, on TSN2 Canada, Claro Sports Latin America, SportsMax in Caribbean countries, Esporte Interactivo Brazil, and on the Kisw Kswe, Facebook, and Facebook Watch worldwide.
Professional Fighters League Background Information
In 2017, a group of investors from Reston, Virginia, called MMAX Investment Partners, acquired a controlling stake in the WSOF, preceding its identity and name change to the PFL. In April 2017, the organization was formally renamed the Professional Fighters League (PFL) with the intent to hold a season-ending tournament annually, after a regular season series of fights. The fighters emerging with the best records would advance to a single-elimination tournament, where they will be crowned Professional Fighters League champion. The new PFL tournament format begins in June 2018.
On January 29, 2018, the League announced it had reached a multi-platform distribution deal for the inaugural 2018 season with NBC Sports Group and Facebook. Within the United States. NBC Sports Group will establish a live Thursday night PFL franchise, presenting seven regular-season live events in prime time exclusively on NBCSN beginning June 7, 2018, through the end of August 2018. Events televised by NBCSN will also stream on NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports App. All regular season events will have encore telecasts on NBCSN later the same night. Outside the United States, Facebook will stream up to six hours of live coverage for each event. Facebook will also open each event with a live 30-minute pre-fight show and close with a live 30-minute post-fight show. In the United States, fans can watch the first three hours of undercard coverage of each event on Facebook prior to the NBCSN presentation of the main bouts.
The PFL claims it is the first organization to present MMA as a league format, which includes a regular season, playoffs, and championship. Individual fighters will compete in a win-and-advance post-season format. The 2018 PFL season consists of seven regular-season events, a bracket-style playoff, and a $10 million postseason prize pool. The premiere season begins with 72 athletes, with 12 in each of the six different weight-classes. One fighter in each division will earn the title of champion.
The PFL postseason will be held each October on consecutive Saturday nights, with a win-or-go-home elimination format. The season-ending event will feature championship fights in each of the six weight classes on New Year’s Eve in prime time. The six champions will earn one million dollars each in prize money. The PFL will follow the Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts as implemented by the Nevada State Athletic Commission.
Robert Brizel: “Tell me about the new Professional Fighters League. How did it get its new name?”
Stitch Duran: “I don’t know how they got their new name. They are starting a new eight- man tournament. They are going to have a tournament in every (MMA) weight division. At the end of the tournament, the winners will get a million bucks (each).”
Robert Brizel: “That’s some nice prize money coming up!”
Stitch Duran: “Big time!”
Robert Brizel: “And they call it the PFL?”
Stitch Duran: “The Professional Fighting League.”
Robert Brizel: “Back in the UFL times, their (the UFC) advertisers were helping the UFC clean up. The little man (in the UFC) wasn’t able to get the private endorsements. Right?”
Stitch Duran: “Well, yeah. We were doing fine (in the UFC) until the Reebok deal came in.”
Robert Brizel: “It kicked the little sponsors out.”
Stitch Duran: “Yeah. It kicked them all out, and I was among them. It wasn’t good for the fighters or the cornermen.”
Robert Brizel: “Was the UFC deal heavily connected to the Las Vegas casinos?”
Stitch Duran: “No, I don’t think the UFC’s deal with Reebok had anything to do with the casinos at all. It just benefited them.”
Robert Brizel: “Stitch, thank you for talking with Real Combat Media, and best wishes in your seven weeks of filming now in Philadelphia in the new Rocky Balboa movie Creed II.”
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