NEW YORK (February 22, 2023) - The Professional Fighters League (PFL), the fastest growing and most innovative sports league, today announced that established sports industry executive Bryan Calka will join the company’s leadership team as Chief Commercial Officer. In this role, he will spearhead the growth of PFL’s rapidly expanding global sponsorship portfolio, media sales and licensing business. 

Calka brings more than 20 years of experience in the sports industry, most recently serving as Senior Vice President of Global Partnerships for the New York Islanders as the NHL club moved into UBS Arena at Belmont Park. He’s also held executive leadership positions with BSE Global, where he oversaw the strategy development and execution of sponsorship marketing for the Brooklyn Nets, as well as the New York Yankees, where he managed the partnership sales and activation teams. 

“I am thrilled to be joining the Professional Fighters League at such a pivotal moment in the history of the company,” said Calka. “This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to join the fastest growing league in the world who is positioned to continue to redefine how fans consume sport. MMA is mainstream and truly global with over 630 million young and diverse fans and I am looking forward to leveraging the momentum that ESPN and the PFL have created to build meaningful and innovative brand partnerships.”

“I am excited to welcome Bryan Calka to the Professional Fighters League as Chief Commercial Officer,” said PFL CEO Peter Murray. “As a senior executive with the New York Islanders, BSE Global and the New York Yankees, Bryan has led sponsorship sales and marketing efforts for some of the world’s premier sports organizations and his experience combined with passion to create integrated partnerships with leadership brands will bolster PFL's global business.”

PFL is the #1 fastest growing company in MMA and the #2 MMA company on a worldwide basis. PFL is the only in MMA with the sports-season format, where individual fighters compete in a regular season, playoffs, and championship each year, making PFL a “win and advance” meritocracy like all other major sports. PFL fighter roster hails from over 20 countries and 25% of PFL fighters are independently ranked in the top 25 of their weight-class. The Company leads in technology and innovation, with its proprietary PFL SmartCage powering real-time betting and next-gen viewing experience. PFL airs live in the U.S. on ESPN and ESPN+ and is broadcast and streamed to 140 countries with 25 leading international media partners.

About Professional Fighters League
Professional Fighters League (PFL) is the fastest growing and most innovative sports league.  PFL is the #2 MMA company worldwide on all key metrics and the only with the sports-season format where individual fighters compete in Regular Season, Playoffs, and Championship.  The Company has four global live fight franchises:  PFL League Season, PFL Challenger Series, PFL PPV Super Fights, and PFL Europe.

PFL airs in the U.S on ESPN and ESPN+ and is broadcast and streamed to 140 countries with 25 international leading media partners, including DAZN, DirectTV, Viaplay, Sky Sports, and MBC.  PFL has dozens of major brand sponsors such as Anheuser-Busch, GEICO, Bose, US Marine Corps, and Celsius Energy Drink.

PFL is backed by blue-chip investors including Ares, Luxor Capital, Elysian Park Ventures, Knighthead, Legends, and numerous NBA, MLB, NHL, and MLS team owners.

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

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