Professional Fighters League Throws Punches at Competitors, Offers $1 Million Purse
*By Tracey Cheek*
There's a new mixed-martial arts league on the block.
The Professional Fighters League ー or PFL ー is wrapping up its inaugural season with a championship match on New Year's Eve.
According to Peter Murrary, the CEO of the league, the match's purse, $1 million, is a major draw for athletes ー money talks, and can mark achievement.
“There have only been under 10 athletes in the history of MMA that have earned that much money as a payout in a single fight," Murray told Cheddar. “That is our way to advance the sport, to recognize these athletes, and give an opportunity on a major stage.”
The PFL had achieved some noteworthy goals during its first season. The league recently partnered with fantasy and sports book platform DraftKings for a pick-em’-game, in which fans can choose who they think will win each fight ー and how and when the fight will end. Murray said a sports betting partnership helps PFL “game-ify” the experience.
“Fans can actually pick their favorite fighters, different outcomes, compete against one another, and also earn a payout,” he said.
“So, we’ll pay $25,000 in total to winning fans, and not only do they get a great experience watching at home or at the theater they can actually earn some money ーand maybe even some bragging rights.”
The PFL championship will be held at the Hulu Theatre at Madison Square Garden on New Year’s Eve.
For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/professional-fighters-league-holding-new-years-eve-showdown).
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell was tricked into an extended phone call in January with Russian pranksters posing as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, during which Powell appeared to discuss the economic impact of interest rate hikes.
Amazon on Thursday reported stronger-than-expected revenue and profits for the first quarter, sending its stocks higher in after-hours trading. But its prices took a dip in the evening amid concerns about a continued slowdown in the company's profitable cloud computing unit AWS.
A key index of underlying inflation that is closely followed by the Federal Reserve remained elevated last month, keeping the Fed on track to raise interest rates next week for the 10th time since March of last year.
As a growing number of overweight Americans clamor for Ozempic and Wegovy — drugs touted by celebrities and on TikTok to pare pounds — an even more powerful obesity medicine is poised to upend treatment.
A California judge is ordering Tesla CEO Elon Musk to be interviewed under oath regarding statements about the safety and capability of the car maker's autopilot features.
David Wright, president and owner of Wright Financial Group LLC, joined Cheddar News to discuss Thursday's trading as stocks closed higher amid strong tech profits. But Wright says banking stress could sway markets down as the Federal Reserve could weigh more rate increases.
