As part of its efforts to be the “preeminent MMA league” in the Middle East, the Professional Fighters League (PFL) has announced Jerome Mazet as its General Manager of MENA.
Mazet joins from the Etihad Arena where he led commercial and marketing operations for all partnership agreements for the Abu Dhabi-based multi-purpose arena.
The new PFL MENA GM also served as the Head of Sponsorship for Flash Entertainment working on the FIFA Club World Cup and AFC Asian Cup. Mazet also held a Global Marketing Director role at Trina Solar.
“There is an incredible demand for a premium MMA product in the Middle East and PFL MENA will become a game-changer for fighters, fans and partners across the region,” said Mazet.
“I’m excited to be joining the industry co-leader as we work to revolutionise and professionalise the sport across the globe.”
Expected to launch this year, PFL MENA will showcase MMA events in the region to become a part of the promotions wider Global Regular Season to become MMA’s version of the UEFA Champions League.
PFL MENA, the second international league next to PFL Europe, aims to bring together the biggest talents across the Middle East and Northern Africa as they compete to earn their entry into the Global Regular Season.
PFL CEO Peter Murray, added: “We welcome Jerome Mazet as General Manager of PFL MENA as we prepare to launch our second international expansion league in 2024.
“The Middle East is now the fight capital of the world and we’re excited about the opportunity to lead the professionalisation of the sport of MMA across the region.”
The MMA promotion’s expansion in the region was significantly bolstered from the investment of SRJ Sports Investments, which will enable more opportunities and experiences for PFL athletes and fans.
Keeping momentum on global growth is clearly a high-priority for the PFL in 2024, building on a transformative Q4 2023 which saw the promotion acquire well-established tournament Bellator.