10 — Features

Features

The fighting loop, the discovery layer, the judging system and the fan economy that sits on top of them.

Fighter Tiers & the Trust Ladder

The ladder runs from Tier 1 Rookie (free home fights) to Tier 6 Official (federation-sanctioned). Tiers 1–2 are free; from Contender upward fighters hold a symbolic paid membership. Full detail lives in the Tiers section.

1 Rookie2 Amateur3 Contender4 Ranked5 Elite6 Official

Discovery & Matchmaking (Grindr-Style Grid)

The home screen is a location grid of nearby fighters, sorted by distance, tier, and readiness:

Filters: tier, win count, streak, availability ("ready now"), language, power-up boosts.
Clustering by region/city first — never 4,000 dots at once; expand from your city outward.
Profile cards show nickname, record, tier badge, and official-pillow status.
Actions: challenge to a fight, offer a rematch, view full record, send a tip, buy their card.

Matching rules

Tier 1 fighters can challenge Tier 1; official challenges require both fighters at Tier 2+.
A challenge must be accepted by both sides — no ghost matches, no auto-matching without consent.
Both fighters must confirm the same time slot and that they "begin together" before a fight is live.

Fights, Referees & Live Judges

Tier 1 fight

Mutual agreement

01Fighter A challenges B; B accepts.
02Both confirm fight time and rules; both tap "begin together."
03After the fight, each selects who won. Result records only when both agree. Disagreement → fight marked disputed, no win awarded to either side (blocks record inflation).

Tier 2 official fight

Referee + judges

01Both fighters must hold registered official pillows (serial-verified at fight start).
02PFC admin (or lead fighter) assigns a neutral referee.
03Referee creates the live scoring session and invites 1–3 judges via private links — no account needed, no login wall.
04Judges score in real time against predetermined rule buttons (PFC rule set: strikes landed, control, sportsmanship, etc.).
05Referee validates, result is locked and written to both records. Disputes escalate to the PFC admin panel.

Fan Economy — Tips & Digital Fighter Cards

Combat-sports fandom usually starts at pro level. The Card starts it at the bottom.

Tips — any fan on a fighter's profile can send a real-money tip (Lightning Tip animation at higher tiers). Fighters receive payouts through the platform.

Digital Fighter Cards (the signature mechanic)

Limited, numbered prints per fighter: e.g. 042/100. When they're gone, they're gone.
Fans buy a fighter's official card, store it in their dashboard collection, and can collect across fighters.
Rarity design: rookie season cards are the ones that become valuable when the fighter turns pro (baseball-card logic applied to combat sports).
Physical twin via Printify: fans can order a printed card of any digital card they own.
Future phases (post-MVP): trading between fans and secondary value.

Power-Ups (Monetization Layer)

Power-ups live at Tier 2+ for fighters and for fans. They monetize attention and fandom — never scoring.

Fighter power-ups

Power-up	Effect
Lights Up	Profile glows at the top of the local discovery grid for X hours.
Open Challenge	Broadcast "ready now" to all nearby fighters at your tier; one-tap accept.
Rematch Token	Instantly re-offer a rematch to a rival who beat you.
Walkout Package	Custom nickname, anthem/theme and victory animation shown on match day.
Highlight Reel	Auto-cut your best confirmed win into a shareable clip.
Title Shot Ticket	Priority eligibility for PFC seasonal brackets (post-v1).
Streak Freeze	Protect a win streak once from a scheduled fight you can't attend.

Fan power-ups

Power-up	Effect
Cornerman	Your avatar sits "in the corner" of a fighter's page.
Glow Stick Pack	Virtual arena effects during a live-scored match.
First Fan Badge	Numbered badge for the earliest backer of a future pro.
Lightning Tip	Tipped with a visible bolt animation.

Power-ups are purchasable in small packs; exact pricing lives in the Monetization section.