new york June 26, 2024 – The Professional Fighters League (PFL), the fastest growing and most innovative sports league, today announced that Damien Willoughby will join the organization as Head of Global Partnerships. Willoughby will be based in the PFL London office and report to the organization's Chief Executive Officer, Peter Murray. Willoughby will lead the commercial growth of PFL franchises, including the PFL PPV Superfight Division, Bellator, PFL Global Season, PFL Europe, PFLMENA and new international leagues across sponsorship, advertising sales and wagering revenue streams. PFL will launch additional international leagues in key territories such as Africa, Australia, Latin America and Asia.
Willoughby joins the PFL as an accomplished global football commercial executive with years of experience generating billions of dollars in sponsorship revenue, forging innovative brand partnerships and developing high-performing teams around the world. He has led brand, revenue and fan growth for some of the Premier League's leading clubs, including City Football Group, Chelsea and Rangers FC. Willoughby also founded Accretive Sports, a UK-based sports marketing company, where he served as Chief Executive Officer, successfully navigating the global sports landscape for rights holders, properties, brands and sports technology companies. Prior to founding Accretive Sports Limited, Willoughby served as Vice President of Partnerships at Electronic Arts.
“We are delighted to have Damien Willoughby step up to the role of Head of PFL Global Partnerships,” said Professional Fighters League CEO Peter Murray. “Damien's track record in sports and expertise in building innovative global partnerships in the football world will enable PFL to power our Champions League of MMA platform and premium global events for leading brands looking to capture the attention of 650 million passionate MMA fans around the world.”
“I am excited to join the Professional Fighters League and partner with their premium brand to lead the next phase of global commercial growth,” said Willoughby. “MMA has been the growth sport of the decade and PFL is disrupting, delivering the best of MMA year-round through a leading content franchise distributed to more than 160 countries.”
PFL is the only MMA organization with a sport-season format, with individual fighters competing each year in a regular season, playoffs and championship. PFL and Bellator's combined rosters have 30% of fighters ranked in the top 25 in the world in their respective weight classes. PFL has an expansive global vision for the sport, building a “Champions League of MMA” with PFL Europe, PFL MENA and more international leagues in development. PFL leads the way in technology and innovation with enhanced fight analysis, real-time betting, AI scoring and a next-generation viewing experience with its proprietary PFL SmartCage. PFL is available on ESPN/ESPN+ in the U.S., DAZN in Canada and Europe, and broadcast and stream in 160 countries through 20 premium media distribution partners.
About the Professional Fighters League
The Professional Fighters League (PFL) is a global powerhouse in mixed martial arts (MMA) and the fastest growing sports league in the world. PFL has five live fight franchises: PFL League Season, PFL PPV Super Fights, PFL Challenger Series, PFL International League and Bellator, delivering content year-round. Founded in 2018, PFL is backed by leading blue chip investors including SRJ, Ares, Knighthead, Luxor Capital, Waverly Capital, Elysian Park Ventures, and numerous NBA, MLB, NHL and MLS team owners. With 650 million fans worldwide, the youngest audience and truly global revenue streams, mixed martial arts is the growing sports business of the decade. Follow us on PFLmma.com, Instagram (@PFLmma), Twitter (@PFLMMA) and Facebook (/PFLmma).
