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UFC Hall of Famer Daniel Cormier has some opinions about the PFL, particularly 0n the recent statements of founder Donn Davis. Long story short, the former double-champ isn’t sold on the idea that there is a ‘co-leader’ in terms of being a top MMA promotion in the world today.
PFL’s Donn Davis made huge claims after recent Bellator purchase
Following the PFL’s recent purchase of Bellator, founder Donn Davis expressed confidence in being able to compete better with the UFC, which is still widely considered the most prominent organization in the sport.
“Pay-per-view cards, we couldn’t compete with them right now,” Davis said recently on the MMA Hour. “We’re only gonna have two, they have 12.
“But if you say, ‘I’m turning on the TV on ESPN on Saturday night, or I’m gonna tune in Friday night to watch Bellator International Series or PFL,’ our cards are gonna be better.
“Because what they put on this year was ranked 70 and what we’re gonna put on next year is ranked 40.”
Davis, who also claimed that the PFL’s prospected meteoric rise ‘worried’ UFC CEO Dana White, says his organization is on the same top spot.
“Everybody knows Dana well enough that he only dismisses things that worry him or else he just doesn’t comment,” Davis said.
“He didn’t comment on the PFL for four years because he wasn’t worried. He’s commented on the PFL a lot in the last six months. He’s worried.
“UFC ain’t the NFL. We’re not the XFL,” he added. “But he wants you to think that. And it’s just a matter of time before that starts to get more well known and we’re not No. 2, we’re co-leader, and he doesn’t want that. That’s what’s going on.”
UFC ‘company man’ Daniel Cormier responds
During his reunion with Ariel Helwani this past week on the MMA Hour, Cormier responded to Donn Davis’ comments.
“I don’t know how you’re going to be the co-leader,” he said. “You’re not going to be the co-leader. I’m sorry.
“The UFC is the standard. They’ve got too big a head start. The level of fighters is just too high and it’s a well-oiled machine.”
Cormier, who is employed by the organization as a commentator, didn’t deny his loyalty. But he went on to present his facts.
“People will say, ‘Oh, this guy is a company man!’ Yes. They write me checks, a lot. [Laughs]
“But here’s the deal, the UFC has developed a product that is so far ahead of everything else, it’s crazy. From the production side, to the personnel and staff side, to the fighters, there’s nothing that compares. It’s not close, and it’s not going to be close.”
‘DC’ went on to compare his pre-UFC experience as a Strikeforce fighter.
“It’s just not the truth. When I was in Strikeforce in the beginning, I remember we would be on CBS, and I would just rush to find the ratings to see how it did.
“I had to know how it did, because you wanted to feel like it was catching up, or you were on that level, because you knew, back then, UFC numbers were crazy.
“Pay-Per-View numbers they were doing back then were crazy. You were like, ‘Man, if Strikeforce can do 5 million views on cable, that’s a big number.
“And it was not ever really that. But you always looked for some sort of metric that put you on the same level as the UFC, and there’s really just not any. From crowd attendance to gates to PPVs, there’s just not a metric that’s going to show that you’re on that level.”
The UFC’s stance on the Bellator-PFL merger
Dana White didn’t respond to Davis’ ‘worry’ claims, but he did have his opinions about the merger before it happened.
“Why on God’s green f–ng Earth would anybody buy Bellator?” White said in September. “So what we were just talking about with business and making the right moves and making the right decisions, there’s been lots of bad ones — Bellator would be one of the f–ng biggest.
“Why anybody would buy Bellator is beside me, but sit back and see how this plays out. I’m excited.”
From its end, the UFC has a different hurdle to deal with. In August, the antitrust lawsuit filed against the company was granted class certification. The development gives plaintiff status to the 1,200 fighters on the roster who fought during the class period between 2010 to 2017.
Bloody Elbow has since revealed the unsealed lawsuit documents pertaining to fighter payouts of some of the biggest names like Conor McGregor, Jon Jones, Ronda Rousey, and the Diaz brothers.
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