PFL is bringing out yet another world title belt as they finally look to cement their structure for the world tournaments and their Champions Series.
After years of confusion were compounded by the Bellator takeover at the end of 2023, PFL now seems to have a structure in place that makes sense for the future of the company. Fighters will go from regional tournaments into an American-based World Tournament, with a prize of $500,000.
From there, champions and other major names who are beyond competing in that tournament will take part in ‘Champions Series’ events, where the PFL world champion is crowned. As it stands, the Bellator champions for the most part maintain those belts.
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Johnny Eblen gets first look at latest PFL belt
The first man to compete for one of the newly-minted PFL World Titles is Johnny Eblen, who transfers over as the Bellator champion. He also defeated then-light-heavyweight champion Impa Kasanganay in February of last year during a champions vs champions showcase in Riyadh to cement his spot.
Eblen will take on Costello Van Steenis on Saturday night in his first title defense since the Bellator belts were officially retired in January. For a pre-fight photo shoot when he arrived in South Africa, he was given the new belt, of which he seemed to approve.
He claimed to “like it more than the Bellator belt,” and he certainly is something of a connoisseur when it comes to gold. This will be his third fight since the merger, and in each one of those fights he will have competed for a new belt.
His bout with Kasanganay saw him awarded the special ‘Champions vs Champions’ belt, He then defended his regular Bellator middleweight title against Fabian Edwards last year on the undercard of Francis Ngannou’s comeback in Riyadh. Now, he goes for a new PFL title in South Africa.
PFL’s new world title belt explained in detail
The PFL’s new World Title winners will be determined in Champions Series events worldwide throughout the year. It’s different to the belt received by previous season winners, which were simply trophies for that year and weren’t defended the following season.
The physical belt is designed with the ‘Smart Cage’ in mind, with the ten-sided structure repeated in a dynamic decagon-within-a-decagon pattern. It ripples across both the three-dimensional outer borders and the inner frame of each plate – creating a sense of depth, motion, and structural harmony.
According to a press release the belt weighs around 12lb, and is: “Forged from aircraft-grade aluminum and zinc alloy, ensuring strength without compromising form. It gleams with a dual finish: mirror-polished nickel and 24-karat gold plating, exuding luxury and dominance.”
There will be new custom belts given to each winner at every Champions Series event, commemorating the event at which they won their title.