The Professional Fighters League (PFL), the international mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion, has announced former Warner Bros. Discovery Sports president Lenny Daniels as its new chief operating officer as it enters its next phase of growth.
In the role, Daniels will oversee all day-to-day operations across the PFL, leading the league’s global business operations, brand and content strategy, and commercial expansion.
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Crucially, he will play a lead role in the PFL’s upcoming US media rights negotiations as the league looks to secure an improved agreement on its current deal with international sports broadcaster ESPN for the next cycle.
Daniels will report directly to PFL chief executive John Martin, a media veteran who was hired in July to bolster the organization’s leadership team.
Martin said: “Lenny Daniels is among the most accomplished executives in sports media, having spent decades shaping and growing elite sports organizations.
“He has managed some of the biggest sports properties on the planet and understands how to deliver premium sports content, live experiences, and digital engagement at massive scale. Lenny will be a game-changing leader for the PFL as we enter our next stage of growth.”
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By GlobalDataDaniel joins the PFL having served as president of Warner Bros Discovery Sports US, formerly Turner Sports, where he shaped the major properties, including Inside the NBA, NBA on TNT, NCAA, March Madness, NHL on TNT, and MLB on TBS, as well as the division’s extensive array of digital platforms and league partnerships.
In collaboration with the NBA, he oversaw the entire NBA Digital ecosystem, including NBA League Pass, the NBA App, and NBA TV, and helped define how the modern fan consumes basketball worldwide.
Before WBDS, Daniels held leadership, creative, and production roles at Turner Sports, ESPN, and NBC Sports, contributing to the coverage of several Olympic Games, the NBA, the NFL, and large-scale live sports productions.
Daniels said: “PFL is one of the most exciting and future-forward sports properties in the world.
“The opportunity to help build the next great global combat sports brand, powered by storytelling, technology, and athlete-first innovation, is rare. I am committed to delivering operational excellence across every level of the league. We’re just getting started.”
The appointment comes weeks after Martin told Sportcal (GlobalData Sport) that his “biggest priority” is landing an improved media rights deal in the US over the next 12 months, with the promotion’s current deal with ESPN nearing its conclusion.
ESPN has agreed several renewals with PFL since initially acquiring rights in 2019, with the most recent extension – a multi-year agreement – struck in 2023.
The major sports broadcaster recently lost rights to UFC, with media giant Paramount securing a blockbuster seven-year, $7.7 billion agreement, putting ESPN in danger of potentially losing two MMA properties if a renewal with PFL isn’t reached.
With UFC off the table for the long term, PFL believes it can present an attractive proposition for any broadcaster seeking to get into the MMA business as the second biggest promotion in the world, with plans to introduce a new format and more major global events.
Martin said: “The biggest prize at this moment in time is the United States. Over the next 12 months, that's [securing a new US media rights deal] my biggest priority.
“I accepted the role to join PFL, and then the UFC deal was announced. For us, it's a terrific validation that mixed martial arts is now mainstream.
“Our partner is ESPN; they've spent most of their time focused on UFC in the past, but won’t be in business with UFC going forward. We have one more year with them, so we’re going to shift the format and focus and move away from the world tournament to one champion per weight class, one belt defendable, more of a traditional format to simplify the structure and showcase the elite fighters that PFL already has in its roster, and figure out who might want to be in the MMA category.
“If you're a media rights buyer and want to be in MMA, you don't have any ability to be with UFC anytime over the next seven years. PFL is a strong number two. Our proposition is, if you don't want to be closed out for the next seven years, come work with PFL and help us.”
Along with hiring Daniels and Martin, the league has moved to bolster its leadership team as it prepares for its next phase of growth, having launched its fourth regional league in May, PFL Pacific, covering Australia and New Zealand. The series has already created leagues in Europe, the Middle East and North Africa, and sub-Saharan Africa.
Other recent appointments include Scott Aronsky as CFO, Darren Russell as the league’s international director of marketing, digital, and content, Chris Kaiser as head of global productions and content operations, Mark Loewinger as vice president of event marketing, ticket sales, and touring in North America, and Damian Willoughby as head of global partnerships.
