Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.
The Professional Fighters League (PFL) has altered its season format for 2025, restructuring its tournaments, prize money and rules.
Historically, the PFL has held a regular season or ‘group stage’, with fighters earning different amounts of points and a chance to advance to the semi-finals, followed by a final offering a $1m payday. Another major factor in the MMA promotion was its ban on the use of elbow strikes.
For the 2025 season, however, the PFL’s tournaments will kickstart with a quarter-final round, meaning a loss will eliminate a fighter immediately. Also, the prize money for a winning finalist will be $500,000. Furthermore, elbows will be legal.
The quarter-final or ‘first-round’ bouts will be contested across three five-minute rounds, as will the semi-finals, while the finals will be scheduled for five five-minute rounds.
These structures, rules and prize money will apply to all eight divisions in the PFL: heavyweight, light-heavyweight, middleweight, welterweight, lightweight, featherweight, bantamweight and women’s flyweight.
First-round bouts will take place on 3 April, 11 April and 18 April – with an extra date to be confirmed. The semi-finals are then set for 12 June, 20 June and 27 June, and the championship finals are scheduled for 1 August, 15 August and 21 August.
