"They will feel offended" - Ariel Helwani warns PFL brass against alienating fans with over-the-top claims, says promotion shouldn't host PPVs

Ariel Helwani recently shared some advice for PFL executives and warned them against making extravagant claims about their promotion to avoid disappointing fans. Helwani specifically aimed his comments toward PFL founder Donn Davis and pointed out that his public statements could hurt the company's reputation.

Over the past few months, Davis has been quite vocal about the PFL's influence in the MMA space and has made significant claims about the promotion's growth. For instance, he recently claimed that the PFL is a co-leader with the UFC and has the same number of top fighters as them despite putting on half as many events.

In a recent episode of The Ariel Helwani Show on YouTube, the veteran journalist urged Davis to stop making bold claims about the PFL and said:

"I still feel, though, that he [Davis] is speaking like someone who talks to investors. Not someone who's talking to fans. So when he says things like, 'Oh, we've got the best card of the year,' an investor wouldn't know any different."

Helwani also questioned the PFL using the pay-per-view model and continued:

"An investor will be impressed by that. MMA fans are not impressed by that because they know the truth. They know that it wasn't the best card of the year... They will call BS on that, and they will feel offended, and they will feel slighted... I still don't feel like PFL should be in the pay-per-view business... If they want to do one a year, fine. Multiple a year is crazy, in my opinion."

Check out Ariel Helwani's comments below (2:42):

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Donn Davis explains how the PFL and the UFC are like "Coke and Pepsi"

While the UFC has undeniably established itself as the premier mixed martial arts promotion in the world, Donn Davis believes the PFL isn't that far behind. He recently claimed that the PFL had as many top-rated fighters as the UFC and opined that both promotions offered fans the same experience.

Speaking to Front Office Sports in a recent interview, Davis broke down why he considered the PFL at the same level as the UFC and said:

"There's only one company that does independent measurement of athletes. Now, of course, Don King in boxing would rank all his guys at the top, and so would Dana [White]. Fight Matrix rankings, independent, they rank wherever you fight in MMA from 1 to 500 in your weight class."

Davis continued:

"30% of the UFC's roster is top-25 ranked in the world. 30% of the PFL's roster [is ranked top-25 in the world]. So if you tune in on Saturday night and watch UFC, and you tune in on Friday night and watch PFL, you're watching the exact same thing. It is Coke and Pepsi."

Check out Donn Davis' comments below (7:35):