Brendan Loughnane will battle Marlon Moraes at PFL 1 on April 1. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
It’s arguably the most compelling format in sports: Win four fights and get the $1 million bag. That’s what makes the PFL’s season-based structure so unique and packed with drama.
The PFL’s 2023 season kicks off Saturday at The Theater at Virgin Hotels in Las Vegas. The card will feature a co-main event with two champions from last season: featherweight Brendan Loughnane and light heavyweight Rob Wilkinson. PFL 1’s prelim bouts will air on ESPN+ starting at 5:30 p.m.. The main card will show on ESPN beginning at 9 p.m. (To see the full PFL 1 event, click here.)
Loughnane (26-4) will battle Marlon Moraes (23-11-1), who’s on a five-fight losing skid. If Loughnane dispatches Moraes — and consensus says he should — he could collide with Movlid Khaybulaev, who took a split-decision win over Loughnane during the 2021 season. An injury sidelined Khaybulaev for the entire ’22 season, so Loughnane didn’t get a shot for redemption, but this season he could.
PFL Founder and Chairman Donn Davis said Loughnane “is one of the most exciting fighters period,” noting that Connor McGregor said that the UFC made a mistake in not signing Loughnane after his appearance on Dana White’s Contender Series.
Wilkinson (17-2) will face UFC veteran Thiago Santos (22-11), who once went to a split decision with all-time great Jon Jones. Wilkinson is on a PFL hot streak, having finished all four of his 2022 matches before the third round in winning the million bucks and light-heavyweight crown.
Davis loves what the Wilkinson-Santos matchup has to offer, saying: “You have Wilkinson who is the most underrated guy in the world vs. the guy who took Jon Jones to the wall.”
Santos, at 39, is hoping to recapture some glory in the PFL after losing five of his last six UFC contests. It should be noted that the five losses were to either a top contender or a current or future champion, including his final fight in the octagon last August when current champ Jamahal Hill ended it via a fourth-round TKO.
A PFL fighter to watch this season is Larissa Pacheco, who dethroned undefeated Kayla Harrison late last year to win the women’s lightweight championship. Pacheco (19-4) will start the defense of her crown when she competes at PFL 2 on April 7 against Julia Budd (16-5). Davis called Pacheco “the toughest woman in the world.”
More PFL innovation in 2023
The PFL — a league famous for its Smart Cage technology — keeps adding more tech bling to its product. For the 2023 season, the promotion will launch KickSpeed to enhance viewing experience. KickSpeed will measure the velocity of each kick in miles per hour and will be integrated into the broadcast. The PFL already measures punch impact by inserting a computer chip into the fighter’s gloves.
This year, the PFL will also integrate real-time gambling odds into its televised graphics package; odds will be provided by DraftKings. “Even if you’re not betting on the fight you’ll be seeing what the worldwide betting community believes is happening in terms of who’s winning and losing the fight,” Davis said.
More expansion in 2023
Last year, the PFL announced the launch of PFL Europe, a standalone brand that’s the promotion’s first-ever regional league. PFL Europe debuted on March 26 at a sold-out Vertu Motors Arena in Newcastle, England.
Davis said more global expansion is coming with the two more international brands to be announced later this year. “We’re the first organization that’s truly building a global system for MMA,” Davis said. “And that’s something the UFC never did.”
The Super Fight Division
It was announced early this year that Jake Paul, the YouTube megastar turned prized fighter, has partnered with the PFL’s new Super Fight Division, which will showcase standalone pay-per-view events separate from the PFL season.
Davis said the PFL is aiming for October to hold the first Super Fight event. He said Paul will not fight on the October card but will help promote it. Davis expects Paul to compete in the Super Fight Division in early 2024.
Davis said of the Super Fight Division’s October event: “We’re working on some stuff that will blow some people’s minds.”
Larissa Pacheco, who connects with a punch against Zamzagul Fayzallanova in 2022, will start the … [+]
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