Professional Fighters League announced Thursday that Wiz Khalifa will take on an all-encompassing role with the organization, which includes becoming a part of its ownership group, joining the likes of Kevin Hart and Mark Burnett.
“I’m excited to welcome Wiz Khalifa to the PFL’s ownership group and partner with such a gifted global music and cultural icon,” PFL CEO Peter Murray said. “Wiz will play an active role in shaping and amplifying the voice of the PFL brand and how it resonates with the 550 million fans around the world.”
As an advisor, Khalifa will help shape the PFL brand by collaborating with the league on ways to integrate music, aid in content creation, and craft an MMA lifestyle apparel line. Wiz’s music will also be utilized for PFL events throughout the season.
“I’m so proud to join forces with the Professional Fighters League,” said Khalifa of the deal. “I’ve been doing MMA training for years now, and am also the biggest MMA fan—to be able to bring my expertise and vision to the sport is super exciting and I can’t wait for the action to get started on April 23.”
The 2021 PFL season will begin April 23 in Atlantic City, New Jersey and air across ESPN networks, as well as its ESPN+ streaming service.
There will then be five additional regular season events on April 29, May 6, June 10, June 17, and June 25.
Khalifa stunned fans three years ago when he showed off a more toned physique that included 35 pounds of muscle. The rapper attributed the dramatic physical change to his interest in mixed martial arts that grew by leaps and bounds after discovering Muay Thai. “That’s when my mind changed to like, ‘OK, this is what I want to do,’” he explained, per Bleacher Report. “I like the conditioning. I like the stand-up aspect of it. I like the footwork. So I was like I’m gonna f*ck with this a little more than jiu-jitsu.”
