
The Professional Fighters League (PFL), the US-based mixed martial arts (MMA) series, has signed a multi-year rights deal with Starzplay, the subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) service in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).
The agreement covers all PFL franchises, including the PFL World Tournament, Champions Series, PFL Europe, PFL MENA, and PFL Africa, and will debut with the 2025 PFL World Tournament launch on April 3.
PFL MENA will also be free to watch on Starzplay for fans in the region from the Season 2 quarterfinals on May 9 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Pete Murray, chief executive of PFL, said: "This multi-year partnership marks a significant milestone in our mission to expand the PFL's global footprint and deliver premium combat sports content to audiences worldwide.
"The Middle East is a key market for the PFL and now, fight fans across the region can watch and support their favorite MENA fighters in all PFL events."
Danny Bates, chief operating officer and co-founder of Starzplay, added: "Our partnership with the Professional Fighters League further strengthens our sports content portfolio, bringing the excitement of world-class MMA to Starzplay.
“With more people seeking diverse sports offerings today, this collaboration allows us to deliver premium MMA content to our subscribers across the MENA region, connecting them with the best in regional and international MMA talent."
The partnership adds to Starzplay’s MMA offering, following the 2024 multi-year exclusive broadcast rights deal with the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) mixed martial arts promotion.
PFL MENA was launched in April 2024, with the competition being PFL’s second international league after PFL Europe.
The league is backed by SRJ Sports Investments, the sports-focused investment vehicle launched in 2023 by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, which put $100 million into PFL MENA as well as PFL’s 'Super Fight' pay-per-view (PPV) division.