On New Years, the Professional Fighters League (PFL) crowned the winners of its first-ever season. The winners in each division were handed world title belts and million-dollar checks. Yet in the opinion of Jon Fitch, who held the welterweight title when the PFL was still called World Series of Fighting, those checks might never clear.

“I think those guys who won the tournament are going to be thinking about, ‘What happened to my million?” Fitch said backstage at Bellator 214 (via MMAjunkie). “I don’t have any faith that those guys are going to get paid their full amount.”

Jon Fitch explained why he worries about the PFL winners getting their money. He says it’s an issue of funding.

“That’s one of the reasons I left,” he explained. “All the money comes from investors, and at a certain point in time, if you’re not turning a profit, they’re not going to come around anymore.

“Those guys didn’t get paid a lump sum after the end of the fight. They’re getting paid as time goes on. So if the company goes out of business, there’s no more money.”

Jon Fitch feels that part of the PFL’s failure to turn a significant profit in its first season is due to lack of promotion.

“No one ever knows that the fights are going on,” he said. “That’s a problem. Something’s missing business-wise. The fights are great, the fighters are great. But you’ve got to turn a profit and make money.”

What do you think of these comments from Jon Fitch? Do you think the recent PFL winners will ever see their million dollar prizes?

This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 1/28/2019.