PFL’s newly-signed CEO John Martin has opened up about the two efforts he made to buy the UFC years before entering into the sport officially.
Prior to taking on his role with MMA’s second biggest promotion, Martin worked as Chairman and CEO of Turner LLC from 2014 to 2018. But it was before that, when he was Chief Financial Officer at Time Warner Inc that his interest in the UFC first arose.
The UFC famously sold to Ari Emmanuel’s Endeavor in 2016 for what was perceived at the time to be a ludicrous $4.025 billion. However, that now appears to be something of a steal after they partnered with WWE to form the TKO Group, which has a market cap or net worth of $38.68 billion.
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PFL CEO John Martin attempted to buy UFC twice during previous role
Unlike many executives who come into the MMA world, John Martin has a background in the sport. He has trained in a number of disciplines and earned a black belt in karate as well as a blue belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
And after finding interest in the sport after UFC 1, he looked to use his influence in the broadcasting world to take over the sport’s top promotion. “In 2008, I tried to get Time Warner excited to potentially partner with or acquire the UFC for HBO and for our broader company,” Martin told MMA Fighting.
“Then in 2016 before it was sold to Ari [Emanuel] and his team, tried to get Time Warner to step up and buy it then. I had a lot of audience there but unfortunately the company was well down the path to being sold so the timing just didn’t work out.”
John Martin is tasked with taking charge of PFL’s biggest ever year
2026 is about to be one of the most important years in PFL history, with their ESPN broadcast deal coming up by next December. The promotion will be in their strongest negotiating position yet having built out brands across the world, and he is tasked with helping them find a vital new rights deal.
“MMA represents the biggest opportunity in sports, and the PFL has secured a unique position that will never be replicated,” he said in a statement upon joining the company.
“I’m incredibly excited about the future of the PFL and confident that we’re only at the beginning of what this organization will achieve. My two greatest passions are leading media companies and MMA, so stepping into the position of PFL CEO is truly a dream role for me.”