Professional Fighters League Appoints Lenny Daniels as Chief Operating Officer

Sport

Professional Fighters League Appoints Lenny Daniels as Chief Operating Officer

2025-11-17 22:15 Last Updated At：11-18 13:37

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov 17, 2025--

The Professional Fighters League (PFL) is proud to announce that Lenny Daniels has been named the organization’s new Chief Operating Officer. One of the most accomplished executives in sports media, Daniels brings decades of leadership experience across premier sports properties, culturally defining franchises, and industry-leading digital platforms.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251117350669/en/

As COO, Daniels will oversee all day-to-day operations across the PFL, leading the League’s global business operations, brand and content strategy, and commercial expansion. He will also play a central leadership role in the PFL’s upcoming U.S. media rights negotiations. In this role, Daniels will report directly to PFL CEO John Martin to ensure tight alignment on the League’s strategic and operational priorities.

“Lenny Daniels is among the most accomplished executives in sports media, having spent decades shaping and growing elite sports organizations,” said PFL CEO John Martin. “He has managed some of the biggest sports properties on the planet and understands how to deliver premium sports content, live experiences, and digital engagement at massive scale. Lenny will be a game-changing leader for the PFL as we enter our next stage of growth.”

“PFL is one of the most exciting and future-forward sports properties in the world, ” said Lenny Daniels. “The opportunity to help build the next great global combat sports brand, powered by storytelling, technology, and athlete-first innovation, is rare. I am committed to delivering operational excellence across every level of the League. We’re just getting started.”

Daniels joins the PFL after serving as President of Warner Bros. Discovery Sports U.S. (formerly Turner Sports), where he led one of the most influential and culturally impactful sports media portfolios in the industry. His leadership helped shape hallmark properties including Inside the NBA, NBA on TNT, NCAA, March Madness, NHL on TNT, MLB on TBS, and the division’s extensive array of digital platforms and league partnerships.

He was also instrumental in the evolution of Bleacher Report and House of Highlights into two of the most powerful digital sports destinations in the world. In collaboration with the NBA, he oversaw the entire NBA Digital ecosystem, including NBA League Pass, the NBA App, and NBA TV, and helped define how the modern fan consumes basketball worldwide.

Widely recognized as a leading storyteller, brand builder, and innovator, Daniels has spent his career developing sports franchises that shape culture, strengthen fan identity, and drive digital scale. His operational expertise spans major rights negotiations, production, programming, marketing, and talent across some of the most-watched events in sports.

Earlier in his career, Daniels held leadership, creative, and production roles at Turner Sports, ESPN, and NBC Sports, contributing to multiple Olympic Games, the NBA, the NFL, and large-scale live sports productions. Daniels and his wife are based in Atlanta with their two sons.

ABOUT PROFESSIONAL FIGHTERS LEAGUE

Professional Fighters League (PFL) is a global powerhouse in MMA, and is the fastest-growing sports league worldwide. PFL hosts premium MMA events across the U.S., Europe, MENA, and Africa, with planned expansion in Asia, Australia, and Latin America. PFL fighter roster is world-class with 30% top-25 world-ranked in their weight class by independent third-parties. PFL is broadcast and streamed live to 170 countries with 26 leading media partners. PFL is backed by major blue-chip investors including SURJ, Ares, 885 Capital, Knighthead, Luxor Capital, Waverley Capital, Elysian Park Ventures, and numerous NBA, MLB, NHL, and MLS team owners. MMA is the growth and global sport business of this decade, with 700 million fans worldwide, the youngest audience demographic, and true global revenue streams.

PFLmma.com; Instagram (@PFLmma); Twitter (@PFLMMA); Facebook (/PFLmma)

Shedeur Sanders' first 300-yard game not enough as key mistakes prevent Browns from beating Titans

CLEVELAND (AP) — It took only three starts for Shedeur Sanders to get his first 300-yard passing game in the NFL. However, it didn't end up giving the Cleveland Browns a victory.

Sanders passed for 364 yards and three touchdowns and also ran for a score, but an interception in the third quarter and a pair of miscues on 2-point conversions loomed large as the Tennessee Titans held on for a 31-29 victory Sunday.

“He fought throughout the game, which we knew he would," coach Kevin Stefanski said. "With any young player, there’s going to ups and downs, and I thought there were some really, really, really good moments. He’ll keep learning from some of the plays that he wants back, but some really good moments.”

Sanders, who fell to the fifth round in the draft, completed 23 of 42 passes. The 364 passing yards are the second-most by a rookie QB picked 144th overall or later since 1966. Jacksonville's Gardner Minshew, the 178th pick in 2019, passed for 374 yards against Carolina.

The NFL said Sanders joined Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow as the only rookie QBs with at least 350 passing yards, three touchdown passes and a rushing score in a game.

He also joined Cam Newton (2011 with Carolina), Tom Ramey (1987 with New England) and Vinny Testaverde (1987 with Tampa Bay) as the only quarterbacks to throw for at least 350 yards and two touchdowns passes along with a rushing TD in at least one of his first three career starts.

It was the 10th 300-yard game by a Browns rookie QB, and the first since Baker Mayfield had 376 yards in the 2018 regular-season finale at Baltimore.

The Browns had four pass plays of at least 30 yards, their most since last year's Monday night game at Denver in Week 13. In three starts, Sanders has eight of the Browns' 10 pass plays of at least 30 yards.

Sanders’ father, Pro Football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders, was in attendance. Coach Prime was at his son’s first NFL start on Nov. 23 at Las Vegas, but missed last week’s home game against San Francisco.

Sanders' best pass of the day was a 60-yard touchdown to Jerry Jeudy with 2:47 remaining in the second quarter to put the Browns up 17-14. Sanders threw a well-timed ball on a post route to Jeudy, who hauled it in at the Titans 41 and outraced Darrell Baker and Amani Hooker to the end zone.

It also showed that Sanders and Jeudy are developing more of a rapport after the two had a sideline spat last week against San Francisco that was shown on television.

“Obviously me and Jerry had that dispute or whatever last week. But I have faith in him, he has faith in me, and everybody put everything aside,” Sanders said. “It was truly exciting being able to connect with him, because I know the season hasn’t gone the way he wanted to this year."

Sanders was 9 of 14 for 180 yards and two touchdowns in the first half. He struggled in the third quarter, going 3 of 10 for 47 yards and an interception before nearly rallying Cleveland in the fourth with a rushing touchdown and a 7-yard TD pass to Harold Fannin Jr. after falling behind 31-17.

Besides the interception, which came on a scramble and was just heaved into the middle of the field before it was picked off, Sanders fumbled the exchange from center Luke Wypler on the first 2-point attempt. Wypler came in at center during the third quarter after starter Ethan Pocic suffered what could be a season-ending Achilles tendon injury.

Sanders, though, was not on the field for the second and potential tying 2-point conversion. Running back Quinshon Judkins lined up to take the direct snap and appeared as if he was going to pitch it to wide receiver Gage Larvadain on an end around.

The pitch never happened, and Judkins' pass was batted away, allowing the Titans to hold on for only their second win of the season.

“I would wish I would always have the ball in my hand, but that’s not what football is,” Sanders said. "I know we practiced something, and we executed it in practice, and we just didn’t seem to this day. So, I would never go against, you know, kind of like what the call was or anything.”

Cam Ward, the top pick in April's draft, saw Sanders on the field postgame after the two trained together leading up to the draft.

Other Titans also were impressed with Sanders' performance, which happened on a snowy day on Cleveland's lakefront with conditions not suitable for passing.

“He’s a competitor, man. He’s been a competitor his whole life," defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons said. "I told him that’s his team now, and you’re going to be a star in this league.”

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl