PROFESSIONAL FIGHTERS LEAGUE LAUNCHES GAMING COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIP WITH RIVAL

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Apr 18, 2022, 11:00 ET

Online gaming community to enable PFL fans to participate, compete, and engage in competitions of popular video game titles

PFL MMA Regular Season kicks off on April 20 to more than 160 countries

NEW YORK, April 18, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Professional Fighters League, (PFL), the fastest growing and most innovative sports league, today announced a partnership with innovative gaming platform, Rival. Through the partnership Rival will launch the PFL's dedicated gaming community enabling PFL fans to participate, compete and engage in competitions with popular gaming titles.

Rival's enterprise solution will provide the PFL and its fans with the ability to host competitive tournaments in their community along with future esports initiatives. The agreement with PFL marks Rival's first partnership within the combat sports space.

The winner of the first tournament hosted on the Rival gaming platform will receive a private match hosted by 2021 PFL Light Heavyweight Champion Antonio Carlos Jr.

"The PFL is proud to partner with Rival and embrace esports in a specialized gaming community giving MMA fans unprecedented connectivity," said PFL CEO Peter Murray. "In this first of its kind partnership the PFL continues to disrupt traditional MMA, embrace technology and give our fans a unique experience."

"We are thrilled to welcome PFL and their passionate fanbase to the Rival platform," said Rival CMO Dan Parise. "With the launch of their new gaming community, PFL continues the trend of creativity and innovation when it comes to engaging fans and creating opportunities for corporate partners."

More information on PFL's new gaming community and upcoming tournaments is available at www.rivalgames.com/pflmma.

PFL is the first and only MMA league with a true sports-season format where elite fighters from around the world compete in a regular season, playoffs and championship. The four competitors in each division who earn the most points in the regular season advance to the win-or-go-home playoffs, followed by the biggest night in MMA – the PFL World Championship – with each winner going home with the $1 million prize.

Professional Fighters League is the No. 2 MMA company globally and features an elite talent roster with 25 percent of its fighters independently ranked in the top-25 of the world, including 2021 PFL champions Kayla Harrison and Ray Cooper III. PFL has live event coverage in 160 countries on leading distribution platforms and delivers a unique, innovative product to the more than 600 million MMA fans globally.

About Professional Fighters League

Professional Fighters League (PFL) is the fastest growing and most innovative sports league. PFL is the #2 MMA company worldwide and the only with the sports-season format where individual fighters compete in Regular Season, Playoffs, and Championship.

PFL is primetime in the U.S on ESPN and ESPN+ and was broadcast and streamed live worldwide last year to 160 countries with partners including RMC Sport, FPT, Sky Sport, and more. The PFL roster is world-class, with 25% of PFL fighters independently ranked in the top 25 in the world. The PFL proprietary SmartCage data and analytics platform powers real-time betting and provides next-gen viewing experience.

PFL has over two-dozen blue-chip brand sponsors such as Anheuser-Busch, IBM, GEICO, DraftKings, Bose, Socios.com, Air Force Reserve, U.S. Marine Corps, and more. PFL is backed by major investors including Ares Capital, Luxor Capital, Elysian Park Ventures, Swan Ventures, Knighthead, Legends, and several NBA, MLB, and NHL team owners.

MMA is the growth sport of this decade, with 600 million fans worldwide, the youngest audience demo of any sport, and true global revenue streams.

PFLmma.com; Instagram (@PFLmma); Twitter (@PFLMMA); Facebook (/PFLmma)

About Rival

Rival provides a first-of-its-kind, enterprise platform solution that empowers companies and organizations to leverage the popularity of gaming and esports to acquire new customers, drive engagement, build a loyal community around their brands and create new revenue streams. Through its proprietary technology, Rival connects the massive global appeal and audience of gaming and esports with sports teams, leagues, brands and media properties. With operations in two continents, Rival's current partnership roster includes the NFL's Seattle Seahawks, Monumental Sports and Entertainment, NHL's Florida Panthers, NBA's Detroit Pistons, Aston Villa and Leeds of the English Premier League, as well as organizations including the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) and Pop Warner Little Scholars. For media inquiries, please contact [email protected] | www.gorival.com.

SOURCE Professional Fighters League (PFL)