PFL CEO John Martin is using his media expertise and MMA passion to grow the league’s global profile as its ESPN deal nears expiry
When three CEOs took to the stage on the first day of SPORTEL Monaco, it wasn’t surprising the session drew one of the event’s biggest crowds. Attendees stepped away from their stands and meeting tables, filling the room in search of insight they could take back to their own businesses.
The panel, titled “Where does the next $1bn come from?”, focused on the future of sports investment. However, it was John Martin, the new CEO of the Professional Fighters League (PFL), who opened the discussion not with talk of sovereign wealth funds or private investors, but of media.
Martin argued sport’s greatest transformation, and its next major opportunity, will be found in media rights. “There’s never been a better time to be in sport,” he told the audience. “But not everyone will win.”
The statement landed like a heavy shot, fitting for a mixed martial arts (MMA) executive, particularly given the PFL’s US broadcast deal with ESPN has just one year remaining. When Insider Sport sat down with Martin the following day, he expanded on the idea.
“We’ve seen massive disruption in video content creation and distribution because of technology,” Martin said. “It used to be a contained distribution system where there were only a certain number of distributors, and they held a lot of power in terms of what dictated how your content got to consumers.
“But with over-the-top, direct-to-consumer types of offerings now, you have a lot more potential distribution partners than ever existed before.’
What’s happening with ESPN?
The shift in sports media has created both challenges and opportunities for leagues like PFL. With the organisation’s US broadcast deal set to expire in 2026, the timing couldn’t be more critical.
John Martin, who took the helm in July 2025, is uniquely positioned to navigate this period of change. Over a thirty-year career at Time Warner, he served as CFO and then CEO of Turner, overseeing CNN, TNT, TBS and Turner Sports.
He is also a lifelong fan of MMA, having trained in karate and Brazilian jiu-jitsu and competed in amateur tournaments.
“MMA represents the biggest opportunity in sports,” he said upon taking the role. “My two greatest passions are leading media companies and MMA, so stepping into the position of PFL CEO is truly a dream role.”
Media strategy isn’t just a comfort zone for Martin,but he sees it as a tool to solve one of PFL’s biggest challenges.
“Our product I believe is considerably better than our brand awareness so it’s up to me as the CEO to bring that brand to a greater attention.”
The ESPN deal offers the first opportunity to do this. While PFL could explore other partners, a path already taken by Formula 1 and UFC, Martin is focused on amplification, as well as revenue.
“It’s not just about money, although money is critically important, but we want to be with partners who are actually going to help us amplify our brand.
“So, one thing that ESPN is currently not doing anything for us on is commitment to consistent scheduling on the linear networks and then and they’re not really marketing and promoting our brand,” he added.
“That’s critically important when you have a brand like ours where we need to increase our awareness.”
MMA is about simplifying and spotlighting
Conor McGregor, Tyson Fury, Muhammad Ali and Mike Tyson are all fighters who split opinion, created conflict and, above all, knew how to sell a fight. However, characters like these are increasingly rare in modern combat sports.
Martin told Insider Sport athletes themselves are central to how the PFL plans to drive brand awareness and global fan engagement. However, to make stars, he believes, the league’s format needs to change.
“I think we are making changes and I’ve already announced initially just the first one. It’s what I felt as a fan and I’ve been an MMA fan for 25 years,” he said.
Under the PFL’s previous format, fighters competed in season-long tournaments across multiple weight classes, with points systems and playoffs determining who advanced to championship bouts. While this structure offered clear sporting meritocracy, Martin admitted it was challenging for audiences to follow.
He explained “the format made it hard for fans to follow and understand what was going on,” noting injuries, scheduling gaps and eight separate weight divisions “played out over months,” which diluted fan engagement and made storytelling challenging.
Martin wants to “go back to simplify things,” with one champion per weight class and major events staged in global hubs. “I think it will make each of our events in 2026 feel bigger,” he said. “That’s part of my vision, which is to manage the PFL more as a global brand.”
Thinking in years, not months
With the PFL’s US broadcast deal still up in the air and huge format changes underway, Martin’s not taking his time.
“I tend to look out first five years and then back into where do you want to be five years from now? There are things we’re going to have to do along the way, but where we’re going to be in 18 months is not where I want to be in five years,” he said.
“In five years, I would like people who understand and care about MMA to widely recognise PFL is a bona fide number two MMA fight promotion with outstanding elite fighters and that we are putting on big global events in many countries across many continents.”
He also wants the PFL to grow into a recognised consumer brand, one fans identify with and wear proudly. Martin envisions supporters “wearing PFL hats and PFL sweatshirts,” and a business delivering “hundreds of millions of dollars of revenue and hundreds of millions of dollars of profit.”
“So it’s an ambitious goal,” he added, “but one that I think is achievable. And that’s why I’m here. So I’m really excited.”
