Pillow Fight Championship
{{Short description|Sports organization}}
{{Infobox organization
| name = Pillow Fight Championship (PFC)
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| logo = Pillow Fight Championship logo.png
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| formation = {{start date and age|2021}}
| founder = * Steve Williams (CEO)
- Paul Williams
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| website = {{URL|fightpfc.com}}
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The Pillow Fight Championship (PFC) is a professional sports organization that arranges competitive pillow fighting matches.{{cite web |date=23 November 2021 |title=Out of the bedroom and into the boxing ring: Pillow fighting goes pro |url=https://edition.cnn.com/videos/sports/2021/11/23/pillow-fighting-championships-tgb-intl-ovn-vpx.cnn |accessdate=10 June 2023 |website=CNN |language=en}}{{cite web |last1=Aidoo |first1=Clyde |date=28 November 2021 |title=Today In Combat Sports: 5 vs. 5 Team Battles & Professional Pillow Fights |url=https://www.mmanews.com/news/today-in-combat-sports-5-vs-5-team-battles-professional-pillow-fights |accessdate=10 June 2023 |website=MMA News |language=en-us}}{{cite web |title=Pillow Fighting Becomes Official Combat Sport, Moves from Bedroom to Ring |url=https://www.news18.com/news/buzz/pillow-fighting-becomes-official-combat-sport-moves-from-bedroom-to-ring-4725062.html |website=News18 |accessdate=10 June 2023 |language=en |date=2 February 2022}} It was founded by brothers Steve and Paul Williams in 2021.{{cite web |last1=O'Bryan |first1=Ryan O'BryanRyan |title=The Pillow Fight Championship is Real and It Looks Glorious |url=https://wkdq.com/pillow-fighting-championship/#new_tab |website=99.5 WKDQ |accessdate=10 June 2023 |language=en |date=10 February 2022}}
The PFC offers a unique style of combat sport that combines elements of boxing and mixed martial arts (MMA){{cite web |date=29 January 2022 |title=Professional pillow fighting comes to a TV near you |url=https://www.cnbc.com/video/2022/01/28/professional-pillow-fighting-comes-to-a-tv-near-you.html |accessdate=10 June 2023 |website=CNBC |language=en}} using specialized pillows.
History
The concept for Pillow Fight Championship originated during the COVID-19 pandemic. Paul Williams initially created the concept and presented it to Steve Williams, who was hesitant about supporting the idea. Steve Williams was eventually convinced that pillow fighting would succeed over other, more traditional combat sports concepts due to factors including MMA market oversaturation and sponsorship issues.{{Cite web |last=Oehler |first=Candace |title=Don’t Sleep On Professional Pillow Fighting - It’s Real |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/candaceoehler/2024/11/28/dont-sleep-on-professional-pillow-fightingits-real/ |access-date=2025-03-20 |website=Forbes |language=en}} The intention was to create a combat sport that was more advertiser- and family-friendly. Steve Williams stated in 2022 that "the only difference between our fights and MMA fights is that nobody gets hurt," and that PFC was for "people who don't want to see the blood."{{cite web |date=19 November 2021 |title='Don't get caught napping' - pillow fighting enters combat sports arena |url=https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/oddly-enough/dont-get-caught-napping-pillow-fighting-enters-combat-sports-arena-2021-11-19/ |accessdate=10 June 2023 |website=Reuters |language=en}}
The first event staged by the PFC took place in August 2021.
On January 29, 2022, the inaugural Pillow Fight Championship took place in Florida.{{cite web |date=15 April 2022 |title=These fighters throw pillows, not punches: Pillow fighting goes pro |url=https://www.today.com/video/inside-the-world-of-professional-pillow-fighting-137793093979 |accessdate=10 June 2023 |website=Today |language=en}} The event featured 16 men and 8 women for a total of 24 competitors. Participants engaged in strategic pillow fights using specialized pillows weighing {{Convert|2|lb|kg}}.{{cite web |title=Could Pillow Fighting Be the Next Big Thing in Combat Sports? |url=https://www.menshealth.com/uk/fitness/a39169820/pillow-fighting-championship/ |website=Men's Health |accessdate=10 June 2023 |date=2 March 2022}}{{cite web |title=Conor McGregor's first-ever UFC opponent switches to pillow fighting |url=https://talksport.com/sport/mma/1032257/conor-mcgregor-pillow-fighting-ufc-debut-marcus-brimage/#new_tab |website=talkSPORT |accessdate=10 June 2023 |language=en-gb |date=3 February 2022}}{{cite web |url=https://www.mansworldindia.com/sports/pillow-fight-gets-its-first-official-championship/amp/ |last1=Nair |first1=Aswathi |title=From The Bedroom To The Ring, Here's How Pillow Fighting Got Its First Official Championship|website=mansworldindia.com}} The tournament followed a bracket-style format{{cite web |last1=Claxton |first1=David |title=Why you need to care about the Pillow Fight Championship |url=https://businessofsport.net/2022/09/27/why-you-need-to-care-about-the-pillow-fight-championship/#new_tab |website=Business Of Sport |accessdate=10 June 2023 |date=27 September 2022}}{{cite web |last1=Blumetti |first1=Jordan |title=Pillow fighting could be the next great combat sport – no, seriously |url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2022/feb/04/pillow-fighting-championship-pfc-sport#new_tab |website=The Guardian |accessdate=10 June 2023 |date=4 February 2022}} and was accessible to viewers as a pay-per-view event on FITE. Istela Nunes claimed the women's championship title by defeating Kendahl Voelker in the final match,{{cite web |title=Don't sleep on South Florida's Pillow Fight Championship |url=https://www.sun-sentinel.com/2022/01/21/dont-sleep-on-south-floridas-pillow-fighting-championship/#new_tab |website=Sun Sentinel |accessdate=10 June 2023 |date=21 January 2022}} while Hauley Tillman emerged as the men's division champion after prevailing over UFC fighter Marcus Brimage.{{Cite web |last=Paradis |first=Tim |title=I'm a black belt-turned-professional pillow fighter who used my winnings to start a dojo in the tough Miami neighborhood where I grew up |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/professional-pillow-fighting-champion-salary-lifestyle-2023-9 |access-date=2025-05-11 |website=Business Insider |language=en-US}}
The 2023 Wogbejeke Pillow Fighting Championship took place on January 7, 2023 in Chorkor, Ghana. It was approved and sanctioned by Steve Williams.{{cite web |last=Okine |first=Sammy Heywood |date=9 January 2023 |title=Appiah Kubi and Winfred Abbey win 2023 Wogbejeke Pillow Fight Championship |url=https://newsghana.com.gh/appiah-kubi-and-winfred-abbey-win-2023-wogbejeke-pillow-fighting-championship/#new_tab |accessdate=10 June 2023 |website=News Ghana}}
In November 2024, Steve Williams stated that PFC had secured a deal for television broadcasting of pillow fights. Previously, PFC had aired or streamed on The Ocho, YouTube, SFT Combat, DAZN and Brazilian national television.
Pillows
The pillows used for the championship are specially designed for combat; they feature unique handles and straps that can be used to maximize centrifugal force, shape-holding foam, and compression density. The pillowcase is made from sail cloth and features a waterproof and airproof polymer on one side.
Steve Williams began the championship with regular down feather pillows weighing {{Convert|3.5|lbs|kg|abbr=on}}, though found that fighters struggled to complete the initial 3 rounds of 2 minutes each due to their weight. Thus, he cut the 3 rounds to 90 seconds each and tried almost 100 different samples over the course of a year to find a suitable pillow for combat, settling on a {{Convert|2|lbs|kg|abbr=on}} pillow.
Fans are given the pillows at the end of each event in an attempt to grow popularity for the sport.