"They don't watch the sport" - Ex-UFC star issues unfiltered take on PFL, dismisses promotion's top brass' ability "to get the job done"

A former UFC fighter has just taken a swing at the PFL, alleging that the promotion's most powerful executives know next to nothing about MMA as a sport. The fighter in question is Josh Thomson, who has long since parlayed his past as an MMA fighter into a successful analyst career.

In a recent interview with the MMA Junkie, he dismissed the PFL's viability as an MMA promotion, which he blames mostly on the decision-making of its owners. According to Thomson, the aforementioned MMA executives do not know enough to make well-informed decisions.

"You know, I wish the PFL would get their sh*t together. The bottom line is we need another promotion. We need another promotion that has access and can build upcoming talent. Now, I don't know if they can build it. Look, Mike Kogan is there, so I know that there's potential for the athletes to be built."

Whatever potential Thomson sees in the PFL is undermined by the perceived incompetence of the promotion's top executives. He added:

"Do I have faith in Pete Murray and Donn Davis? I have absolutely no faith in them being able to get the job done. They don't watch the sport, they don't know the sport. They don't know their athletes. Let me give you an example. I worked the Riyadh show for them. Donn Davis literally walked up to me, 'Hey man, I love watching your fights. I'm pumped to watch you fight tomorrow night.' I just shrugged it off."

Check out Josh Thomson slamming the PFL's leadership:

Thomson is a retired fighter and hasn't competed in any capacity since 2017, nearly 10 years ago. So, for PFL founder Donn Davis to allegedly express excitement over watching him fight is an alarming sign for the future of a promotion with potential and a genuinely unique format.

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The PFL has lost some of its stars to the UFC

Fighter relations with the PFL's top executives haven't been entirely positive. While Francis Ngannou has reaped the benefits of his monster contract, others like Cris Cyborg, the women's featherweight champion of Bellator MMA, which the PFL acquired, have been highly critical. She is not alone.

The PFL has lost high-profile fighters to the UFC, with the most recent exports being Kayla Harrison, who is now on the verge of women's bantamweight glory in the UFC, and Patricio 'Pitbull' Freire. Patchy Mix and Aaron Pico have also publicly requested a release from the promotion.