Who Owns PFL? You Might Be Surprised by the Notable Name
The PFL (Professional Fighters League) is backed by numerous investors, but who owns PFL? You might be surprised by the notable name.
June 11 2021, Published 2:03 p.m. ET
In 2018, the PFL (Professional Fighters League) officially came into fruition after acquiring the former World Series of Fighting organization. This MMA (mixed martial arts) league has made a name for itself in the years since. PFL just completed the fourth regular-season event for 2021.
Who owns PFL and who's backing the organization as it continues to thrive?
Wiz Khalifa partially owns PFL
Wiz Khalifa is a partial owner of PFL. Khalifa's legal name is Cameron Jibril Thomaz, but you're more likely to hear news about him by his rapper stage name.
Khalifa didn't found PFL. He joined the ownership team in the first half of 2021.
Amid the announcement of him hopping on board, Khalifa said, "Super excited to just bring what we can bring to the game."
As for how his role as a PFL investor came to be, Khalifa says that it happened naturally. He started concentrating on physical fitness a few years ago. At his gym, he started studying MMA on his own and gained an appreciation for the sport and fighting community.
Since then, he has been asked to fight, but he wanted to use what he learned to make an impact in his own way.
What is PFL owner Wiz Khalifa's net worth?
As a successful entertainer, most of Khalifa's net worth comes from sources outside of PFL. However, there isn't any denying that his partial ownership helps bolster his assets.
In line with his Instagram bio that describes him as a "rich ass stoner," Khalifa's net worth is soaring. A few years ago, his net worth was reported at $45 million, but that's largely considered to be an underestimate. This is especially relevant considering his recent business ventures that have given him an ownership stake in a large company. More recent reports say that his net worth is around $60 million, which puts him at number 33 on the list of the top 50 richest rappers. Other notable rappers with similar net worths include Ice T and J. Cole.
Khalifa also owns a marijuana line called RiverRock Cannabis, which ties in with his cannabis-enthusiast persona. RiverRock sells a strain called Khalifa Kush.
Wiz Khalifa isn't the only one with an ownership stake in PFL
PFL CEO Peter Murray also holds an ownership stake in PFL.
Murray was excited when he announced that Khalifa was joining the ownership team. Murray said, "He's a gifted cultural icon, music icon, fashion icon, and he's going to play a role in helping us shape the voice of the PFL brand going forward."
Other key backers are a part of PFL's investor group. According to their website, "PFL is backed by an investor group of sports, media, entertainment, and business titans."
MMAX Investment Partners hold an ownership stake of PFL. Russ Ramsey and Donn Davis started PFL. Davis and Ramsey both come from the Virginia-based firm that purchased fighting operations and event infrastructure of the World Series of Fighting back in 2017.