The PFL has officially legalised elbow strikes in its fights - having previously banned the technique. The MMA promotion runs a league system in the US and Europe which means its best fighters can compete up to four times a year. With elbows increasing the chance of a cut to a fighter, the technique was banned.

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.

Davis took to X to announce that elbows will be legal in all fights in 2025. This is a huge change considering since the organization began in 2018, elbows have been banned in all regular-season and playoff matches. Elbows were allowed in non-season and non-playoff matches, but now they will be legal in the entirety of the sport.

The founder and co-owner of PFL, Donn Davis, posted on social media announcing the removal of the ban on elbow strikes across all PFL events. In 2024, elbow strikes had only been permitted in title fights.

In the past, elbows were banned in PFL contests due to the league’s season and playoff format. The decision was made to minimize cuts, which could risk fighter availability for