MMA Powerhouse PFL Names Julia Boyadjieva To VP Position, Europe Expansion
fciwomenswrestling.com femcompetititor.com grapplingstars.com, Photo by Professional Fighters League
November 28, 2022,
There is no let up or ceiling when it comes to the growth of fully competitive women’s wrestling.
Every time one milestone is reached, another is surpassed.
As reported by the industry insiders at teamusa.org, “An Olympic sport for nearly two decades, women’s wrestling has charted explosive growth. The National Wrestling Coaches Association estimates that more than 28,000 high school women wrestled in 2021, compared with just 804 in 1994—an increase of more than 3,300 percent.”
If women’s wrestling numbers were a stock you could purchase, looking into the future, how many shares would you buy?
Imagine if it was, and you say, purchased $10,000 worth 30 years ago.
Talk about a nice retirement.
At ufc.com they make a prediction. Speaking to an inside source at Inter Mat wrestling they share, “Ten years from now, women’s NCAA wrestling may be in the same position as the UFC. Women headlining pay per views, women winning performance bonuses and women stealing the show in a sport that was formerly exclusively male.”
A professional group that we have been impressed with who continue to heavily invest in their MMA product, including on the women’s side, is the PFL.
Recently they had a huge November 25, 2022 event where Aspen Ladd defeated Julia Budd and the once defeated Kayla Harrison was dethroned.
As reported by ESPN, “Kayla Harrison, the two-time defending PFL women’s lightweight champion and the promotion’s most dominant fighter, is undefeated no more. Larissa Pacheco, who twice before had faced Harrison and had lost both times, got a stunning victory in her third crack at Harrison on Friday night in New York.”
Apparently three times is a charm.
We have reported on numerous PFL fights and contests in America. The PFL has been making massive inroads into Europe as well.
To help insure the success of their investment they have hired a new VP of International Event Operations & GM PFL Europe.
Her name is Julia Boyadjieva. She is based in London, England.
At her uk.linkedin.com she announces, “Over 18 years experience in international live sports and entertainment with work completed in a varied portfolio of properties to include tennis, wrestling, racing as well as music, on a global scale.”
That is quite a resume. There’s more.
She adds, “Expertise in event planning and management, operations & logistics, event strategy & budgeting, revenue & profitability, team management & leadership. Experienced worldwide professional used to dealing with challenging market conditions, cultural differences, local regulations & limitations with the ability to problem solve and deliver results.”
Very impressive.
Since the PFL has extensive plans for Europe, we want to know more.
PROFESSIONAL FIGHTERS LEAGUE BOLSTERS GLOBAL EXECUTIVE TEAM WITH JULIA BOYADJIEVA JOINING AS VP OF INTERNATIONAL EVENT OPERATIONS AND GM OF PFL EUROPE
News provided by
Professional Fighters League (PFL)
Nov 21, 2022, 09:30 ET
Boyadjieva joins PFL after spearheading global management of live events and activations at Formula 1 and WWE
2022 PFL World Championship this Friday, November 25 on ESPN+ PPV live from Hulu Theatre at Madison Square Garden in NYC
NEW YORK, Nov. 21, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — The Professional Fighters League (PFL), the fastest growing and most innovative sports league, today announced sports industry veteran Julia Boyadjieva has joined the company as Vice President of International Event Operations. She will also serve as General Manager of PFL Europe, which when launched in 2023 in partnership with DAZN, will be the first regional league ever from a global provider of MMA.
Boyadjieva brings more than 18 years of experience planning and executing high-profile sports and entertainment events. She joins PFL from Formula 1 where, as Head of Promoter Relations, she worked closely with governments and promoters to ensure the delivery of Grand Prix races around the globe to achieve commercial and innovation milestones. Previously, Boyadjieva spent nine years at WWE serving as Senior Director of Live Events International where she was responsible for managing the company’s portfolio of events spanning across Europe, Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific and Latin America.
“I am delighted to join the Professional Fighters League to further expand its international footprint, lead the launch of PFL Europe as well as stage premium MMA events across the globe,” said Boyadjieva. “I’m looking forward to contributing to the international growth of such a dynamic, innovative, and revolutionary global sports league.”
“As the PFL business and brand continues to scale globally, we are thrilled to have Julia Boyadjieva join our executive team,” said PFL CEO Peter Murray. “She brings a great deal of experience spearheading the execution of major international live events and fan experiences for some of the world’s largest sports and entertainment properties. Julia will provide invaluable leadership as the PFL VP of International Event Operations and General Manager of PFL Europe, our first ever regional MMA league set to launch in 2023 in partnership with DAZN.”
The 2022 PFL World Championship is MMA’s richest night, as finalists will face off for six world titles and six $1 million champion’s purses. Superstar Kayla Harrison will look to earn her third PFL title when she takes on knockout artist Larissa Pacheco in the card’s main event. In addition to showcasing the world’s best fighters, the event will feature a performance from multi-platinum GRAMMY® & Golden Globe nominated artist Wiz Khalifa.
ESPN+ PPV will stream the PPV ($49.99) card live at 8 p.m. ET/ 5 p.m. PT and ESPN+ will exclusively stream the undercard at 5:30 p.m. ET/ 2:30 p.m. PT. Pre-fight show coverage will start at 5:00pm ET on ESPN+.
Tickets for the biggest night in MMA are available here with prices ranging from $70 – $195 with VIP tickets available for $600.
Professional Fighters League is the No. 2 MMA company globally and features an elite talent roster. PFL has live event coverage in 160 countries on leading distribution platforms and delivers a unique, innovative product to MMA fans around the world.
About Professional Fighters League
Professional Fighters League (PFL) is the fastest growing and most innovative sports league. PFL is the #2 MMA company worldwide and the only with the sports-season format where individual fighters compete in Regular Season, Playoffs, and Championship.
PFL airs in the U.S on ESPN and ESPN+ and broadcast and streamed worldwide to 160 countries, with partners including Channel 4, DirecTV, RMC Sport, Eurosport, Sky Sports, and more. The PFL roster is world-class, with 25% of PFL fighters independently ranked in the top 25 in the world. The PFL proprietary SmartCage data and analytics platform powers real-time betting and provides next-gen viewing experience.
PFL has over two-dozen blue-chip brand sponsors such as Anheuser-Busch, IBM, GEICO, DraftKings, Bose, Socios.com, Air Force Reserve, US Marine Corps, and more. PFL is backed by major investors including Ares Capital, Luxor Capital, Elysian Park Ventures, Swan Ventures, Knighthead, Legends, and several NBA, MLB, and NHL team owners.
MMA is the growth sport of this decade, with 600 million fans worldwide, the youngest audience demo of any sport, and true global revenue streams.
PFLmma.com; Instagram (@PFLmma); Twitter (@PFLMMA); Facebook (/PFLmma)
SOURCE Professional Fighters League (PFL)
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OPENING PHOTO fciwomenswrestling.com femcompetititor.com grapplingstars.com, Photo by Professional Fighters League
https://www.ufc.com/news/growth-womens-wrestling-has-officially-begun-ufc-fight-pass
https://fciwomenswrestling.com/
