PFL issues statement after Douglas Lima accuses league of not fulfilling his contract (Exclusive)

Former Bellator welterweight champion Douglas Lima is becoming increasingly frustrated with the PFL’s alleged lack of transparency when it comes to fulfilling his contract.

Lima, along with the Bellator roster, merged under the PFL banner after the league purchased Bellator in 2023. Since the merger, Lima hasn’t competed and hasn’t fought since a win over Costello Van Steenis at Bellator 296.

Lima, who snapped a four-fight losing streak with the win over Van Steenis, is one of a few Bellator stars who haven’t been booked for a fight since the merger. His one-time opponent, Gegard Mousasi, recently accused the PFL of pressuring him into taking a pay cut in exchange for a booking.

About a month after Mousasi’s allegations, Lima has made similar claims about his new bosses.

Douglas Lima joins Gegard Mousasi as Bellator fighters to blast PFL

In a recent tweet, Lima accused the PFL of intentionally sidelining him.

https://twitter.com/PhenomLima/status/1791559031779123302

“Last guy I beat is fighting for the belt now,” Lima tweeted Friday after watching Bellator Champions Series Paris. “Solid win Costello great job. I’m on the sidelines for a year now, what heard was my purse was too “high” and PFL didn’t want to pay and honor my last fight on my contract. So yeaaa.”

BJPenn.com reached out to PFL and Bellator for comment following Lima’s tweet. Longtime matchmaker Mike Kogan issued the following statement in response:

“Douglas has had a great career and been at the top of the game for many years,” Kogan told BJPenn.com. “He’s now going to move up to 185-pounds and wants to take one more run at the title. We are happy to make that happen. You will see him in the Bellator cage soon.”

As of this writing, Lima hasn’t commented further on his situation, although he’s likely to return to fighting later in 2024.

Lima is one of the most accomplished fighters in Bellator history. He’s a three-time Bellator welterweight champion, earning title wins against Rory MacDonald, Andrey Koreshkov, and Rick Hawn.

Since the launch of the Bellator Champions Series, the PFL/Bellator merger has been largely successful, although there are still some hiccups to overcome. Lima’s situation is an example of those speed bumps since the historic promotional purchase.