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PFL Names Former Turner Sports Chief Lenny Daniels as Chief Operating Officer

The veteran media executive will lead PFL’s U.S. rights push ahead of the 2026 ESPN expiration.

Overview

  • Daniels is tasked with overseeing day-to-day global operations, brand and content strategy, commercial expansion, and upcoming U.S. media-rights negotiations.
  • He will report to CEO John Martin, who called Daniels a game-changing leader for the league’s next stage of growth.
  • PFL’s current U.S. media deal with ESPN runs through the end of 2026, setting the timeline for rights talks Daniels will steer.
  • The move comes as PFL positions itself to compete more directly with UFC, which secured a seven-year, $7.7 billion rights agreement with Paramount Skydance under TKO.
  • Daniels previously led Warner Bros. Discovery/Turner Sports, guiding properties like Inside the NBA, March Madness, and Bleacher Report before departing in 2022.