PFL Leaving ESPN: In Talks With Netflix and FOX, CEO Says ‘They’re Not Doing Anything to Help’

PFL leaving ESPN is now “highly unlikely” to be reversed, according to a report by Adam Stern in Sports Business Journal. CEO John Martin confirmed the promotion is in active talks with Netflix, FOX, and other potential broadcast partners as its current ESPN deal nears its end. His reason: “They’re not doing anything to help promote and make it easy for our viewers and fans.”

What John Martin Actually Said

Martin told Sports Business Journal that PFL exited its exclusive negotiating window with ESPN without a new deal in place. He was direct about why:

“I tend to be very direct, but I think what I’m saying is factually correct: They’re not doing anything to help promote and make it easy for our viewers and fans.”

Martin stopped short of ruling out ESPN entirely — he said he would “never say never” — but the tone of his comments and the fact that PFL walked out of exclusive negotiations without signing makes the direction clear. PFL has been on ESPN since 2019. That relationship appears to be ending.

Why ESPN Lost PFL

The core complaint from PFL is discoverability. ESPN moved significant content behind its app and ESPN+, making it hard for casual fans to find PFL events. There was little promotional support on ESPN’s main channels. Events were tucked away rather than featured.

This matters in context: ESPN is no longer in business with the UFC either. The UFC moved on from ESPN after years of tension, including a PPV outage that infuriated Dana White and UFC brass. ESPN reportedly couldn’t match the UFC’s $1 billion per year target for a new deal. With both the UFC and PFL walking away from ESPN in the same window, the network’s position as the home of MMA is effectively over.

The result for PFL has been visible on the Charlotte card tonight: strong fights, limited promotion, and a broadcast situation that’s been described by MMA Mania as making the product “almost impossible to find.” PFL’s events have delivered — the Charlotte card has good fights — but if nobody can find them, the commercial case falls apart.

Netflix: The Natural Next Home

Netflix is the most logical landing spot for PFL/MVP MMA. The MVP Netflix card in May 2026 drew 12.4 million average viewers and approximately 17 million unique U.S. viewers — the most-watched MMA event in streaming history. Netflix has been explicit about its combat sports strategy: it wants to be the home of marquee events, not a library service.

A PFL/MVP deal with Netflix would give the merged promotion the same platform that made the Paul-Tyson boxing match one of the most-watched events of 2024. It would also directly compete with the UFC’s own reported Netflix ambitions — Dana White has been publicly interested in a Netflix deal for UFC content. Two competing MMA promotions on the same streaming platform would be an unprecedented situation for the sport.

FOX: The Legacy Option

FOX is the other reported option. The UFC ran on FOX from 2011 to 2018 — a seven-year partnership that brought MMA to broadcast television and introduced the sport to millions of casual fans. FOX left MMA when the UFC moved to ESPN. The network still has FS1, FS2, and its main broadcast channel to program.

PFL already has a FOX deal — but it’s for Latin America and Central America only, announced in January 2026. A U.S. FOX deal would be a separate and significantly larger arrangement. FOX has the infrastructure, the sports programming appetite, and a history with MMA that makes a deal plausible.

The complication: FOX is currently managing a complex set of NFL rights negotiations. Its bandwidth for a new major sports deal may be limited in the short term. But MMA doesn’t require the same infrastructure investment as the NFL, and PFL’s event count is manageable for a network looking to fill FS1 programming.

What This Means for MVP MMA After the Merger

The PFL/MVP merger announced July 30 creates a combined entity with 400 fighters and events across multiple formats. The broadcast situation is now the most important business decision the new company faces. The MVP Netflix card proved the streaming model works for marquee events. The question is whether regular-season PFL events — Bryan Battle vs Dalton Rosta in Charlotte — can find a broadcast home that gives them the promotion and discoverability they haven’t had on ESPN.

Jake Paul has been direct about the goal: build a promotion that challenges the UFC. A Netflix deal would give MVP MMA the platform to do that. A FOX deal would give it the broadcast reach. Either would be a significant upgrade over being buried in the ESPN app.

The Fighter Pay Angle

Broadcast rights money is directly connected to fighter pay. The UFC’s $7.7 billion ESPN deal funded the promotion’s ability to pay top fighters at the level they’re currently paid — while keeping entry-level pay at $12,000. A larger broadcast deal for PFL/MVP would give the new promotion more capital to fund its stated $40,000 minimum and 50%+ revenue share. More broadcast money means more fighter money — at least in theory. Whether that filters down to the full roster or stays concentrated at the top is the question every fighter in the sport is watching.

The Bottom Line

PFL is leaving ESPN. The CEO said so publicly. Netflix and FOX are the reported options. The MVP merger gives the new company the star power — Ditcheva, Ngannou, Nurmagomedov, Paul — to justify a major broadcast deal. What they get, and what they’re paid for it, will determine whether MVP MMA is a genuine UFC competitor or a well-funded promotional experiment. The next 90 days will tell us a lot.