Donn Davis announces that elbows now legal in all PFL bouts

Starting this year, the PFL is making elbow strikes legal in all fights.

PFL chairman and founder Donn Davis announced Monday that elbows will be legal in all fights, a major change for the promotion heading into 2025.

Since its inception in 2018, the PFL had banned elbows for the regular season and playoffs. Elbows were typically allowed in non-season and non-playoff fights only.

However, this past November, the promotion said it would allow elbows in all title fights. But now elbows will be legal in every fight under the PFL banner.

Former PFL commentator Yves Edwards told MMA Junkie Radio in 2018 that he supported the promotion’s decision to ban elbows due to the strenuous nature of the regular season and playoffs, which requires fighters to make relatively quick turnarounds multiple times a year. Cuts often lead to lengthy medical suspensions, which would prevent a fighter from advancing to the next round, even if they won their fight.

Elbows were legal in the PFL’s final event of 2024 this past November in Riyadh, where 10 new champions were crowned.

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