Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
Check out these photos from the 2022 PFL 6 weigh-ins at the Overtime Elite Arena in Atlanta.
Check out these photos from the 2022 PFL 6 weigh-ins at the Overtime Elite Arena in Atlanta. (Photos courtesy of PFL)
Check out our staff members’ picks for the PFL Week 6 main card, which features two-time champ Kayla Harrison and Rory MacDonald.
| Harrison vs. Young |
MacDonald vs. Sy |
Brett Cooper vs. Ray Cooper III |
Fabian vs. Pacheco |
Al-Silawi vs. Umalatov |
|
| MMA Junkie readers’ consensus picks 107-59 |
 Harrison (90%) |
 MacDonald (92%) |
 Ray Cooper III (91%) |
 Pacheco (63%) |
 Umalatov (78%) |
| Ken Hathaway @kenshathaway 112-59  2018 Champion |
Harrison |
MacDonald |
Ray Cooper III |
Pacheco |
Umalatov |
| Abbey Subhan @kammakaze 110-61 |
Harrison |
MacDonald |
Ray Cooper III |
Pacheco |
Umalatov |
| Mike Bohn @MikeBohn 110-61 2014 Champion |
Harrison |
MacDonald |
Ray Cooper III |
Pacheco |
Umalatov |
| Simon Samano @SJSamano 108-63 |
Harrison |
MacDonald |
Ray Cooper III |
Pacheco |
 Al-Silawi |
| Matt Erickson @MMAjunkieMatt 107-64 |
Harrison |
MacDonald |
Ray Cooper III |
Pacheco |
Umalatov |
| Matthew Wells @MrMWells 106-65 |
Harrison |
MacDonald |
Ray Cooper III |
Pacheco |
Umalatov |
| Nolan King @mma_kings 103-68 |
Harrison |
MacDonald |
Ray Cooper III |
Pacheco |
Al-Silawi |
| Brian Garcia @thegoze 103-68 2017 Champion |
Harrison |
MacDonald |
Ray Cooper III |
Pacheco |
Al-Silawi |
| Farah Hannoun @Farah_Hannoun 100-71 |
Harrison |
MacDonald |
Ray Cooper III |
Pacheco |
Al-Silawi |
| George Garcia @MMAjunkieGeorge 95-76 |
Harrison |
MacDonald |
Ray Cooper III |
Pacheco |
Umalatov |
| Danny Segura @dannyseguratv 82-89 |
Harrison |
MacDonald |
Ray Cooper III |
Pacheco |
Al-Silawi |
Editor’s note: The main card fight between Magomed Magomedkerimov (29-6) and late replacement Dilano Taylor (9-1) was booked too late to be included in our staff picks and reader picks.
The PFL is back for its final event of the regular season fights with women’s lightweights and welterweights vying for playoff positions.
PFL 2022, Week 6 takes place Friday at Overtime Elite Arena in Atlanta. The main card airs on ESPN following prelims on ESPN+.
(Click here to open a PDF of the staff picks grid in a separate window.)
In the main event, two-time women’s lightweight winner [autotag]Kayla Harrison[/autotag] (13-0) takes on late replacement [autotag]Kaitlin Young[/autotag] (12-12-1). Harrison is a massive favorite of as much as 50-1, and she’s one of four unanimous picks on the main card from our 11 editors, writers, radio hosts and videographers.
In the co-feature, former Bellator welterweight champ [autotag]Rory MacDonald[/autotag] (23-8-1) is a big favorite against [autotag]Sadibou Sy[/autotag] (10-6-2). MacDonald currently leads the welterweight standings and is a unanimous pick from our staff members.
Also on the main card, [autotag]Brett Cooper[/autotag] (28-16) is a heavy underdog against two-time welterweight winner [autotag]Ray Cooper III[/autotag] (24-8-1). Ray Cooper is another unanimous pick at 11-0.
In a women’s lightweight bout, [autotag]Larissa Pacheco[/autotag] (16-4) is more than a 4-1 favorite against [autotag]Genah Fabian[/autotag] (5-2) and is our fourth unanimous pick.
And to open the main card, we have our only contentious bout among our pickers. [autotag]Jarrah Al-Silawi[/autotag] (18-3) is roughly a 2-1 underdog against [autotag]Magomed Umalatov[/autotag] (11-0). It’s close with our pickers: Umalatov has just a 6-5 edge.
In the MMA Junkie reader consensus picks, Harrison (90 percent), MacDonald (92 percent), Ray Cooper III (91 percent), Pacheco (63 percent) and Umalatov (78 percent) are the choices.
Check out all the picks above.
The weigh-ins are in the books for the PFL’s final regular season event, and all the fighters on the card hit their marks.
The weigh-ins are in the books for the PFL’s final regular season event, and all the fighters on the card hit their marks.
In the main event, two-time women’s lightweight champion Kayla Harrison (13-0) takes on Kaitlin Young (12-12-1), who was a late replacement for former Bellator women’s featherweight champ Julia Budd. Young was the first fighter to the scale during the two-hour official window and was 155 pounds on the nose. Harrison weighed in at 155.6 to make their fight official.
In the co-feature, former Bellator welterweight titleholder Rory MacDonald (23-8-1) meets Sadibou Sy (10-6-2). MacDonald, who leads the welterweight standings, was 170.8 pounds; Sy came in at 170.2.
[autotag]Dilano Taylor[/autotag] (9-1) weighed in as a welterweight alternate and hit his mark at 170.8 pounds. It didn’t take long for him to be called into service, either. He’ll step in for [autotag]Joao Zeferino[/autotag] (26-10), whom he beat in May by split decision, to take on Magomed Magomedkerimov (29-6).
Women’s lightweights and welterweights are fighting Friday for their second time this season with a final chance to earn regular season points to qualify for the postseason. The four-fighter playoff fields for featherweight, lightweight, light heavyweight and heavyweight were set in the past two events.
The official PFL Week 6 weigh-in results included:
MAIN CARD (ESPN/ESPN+, 8 p.m. ET
PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, 5 p.m. ET)
PFL welterweight Rory MacDonald has been more aggressive this season, and that’s no accident.
[autotag]Rory MacDonald[/autotag] kicked off the 2022 PFL season with a more aggressive approach than last year, and that is something he says is by design.
After a disappointing 2021 campaign that ended after back-to-back decision losses, MacDonald (23-8-1) moved his training camp to Texas, to work with the likes of John Danaher and Tim Kennedy. That move has already produced benefits.
In May, MacDonald competed in his first fight of the season, and made quick work of Brett Cooper at 2022 PFL 3, winning by first-round rear-naked choke submission. MacDonald started last year off in a similar fashion, but this year knows there’s something different going on with him as a fighter.
At 2022 PFL 6, MacDonald faces Sadibou Sy (10-6-2) in the co-main event with playoff hopes on the line. It’s a win-and-in scenario for MacDonald. After securing six points against Cooper, he could potentially make the next stage even on a loss, depending on how the other fights in the division unfold.
“I moved my training to Austin, and I feel like that reinvented my mindset, my approach, and it’s just got me in the best shape, best mind frame that I’ve ever been in,” MacDonald said during Wednesday’s virtual media day. “So, I feel like style, techniques that I’ve been working on just drive me to go for the finish. Whether that be in the first round or the last, I’m looking to put these guys away.”
MacDonald has been a part of some of the most memorable fights in UFC history, including his 2015 Fight of the Year against Robbie Lawler for the welterweight title. Despite competing at the highest levels of the sport, the move to Texas at this stage of his career has shown him there are still more things to learn and he can continue to grow as a fighter.
“I moved to Florida for the first season of PFL, because I knew I could train there in freedom,” MacDonald said. “And then, after the first season, I felt like it was time, now that the border was open, to go check out what was going on in Texas and I just fell in love with it. I just felt like that was where I needed to be. The more I kept going and going, I just kept getting better, seeing improvements. It’s just been the best thing for me.”
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Kayla Harrison really wanted to get her hands on a former Strikeforce and Bellator champion.
[autotag]Kayla Harrison[/autotag] was hoping to enter her second fight in the 2022 PFL season under different circumstances.
The two-time PFL women’s lightweight champion and two-time Olympic judo gold medalist was hoping to fight Julia Budd at Friday’s 2022 PFL 6 event in Atlanta. However, Budd, who’s a former Strikeforce and Bellator champion, had to withdraw from the fight, leaving Harrison (13-0) with late replacement Kaitlin Young.
The American Top Team product explained her frustration with now facing Young (12-12-1) rather than Budd, who would have been her most accomplished opponent to date.
“Yes, obviously (I was upset),” Harrison told MMA Junkie at Wednesday’s media day. “The competitor in me wanted to face the former Strikeforce, Bellator champ, someone with her accolades. I wanted to test myself. I think everyone was more excited about that fight than any of my previous opponents, I guess, in a while.
“So yes, I was looking forward to it. I hope she’s OK, and I wish her a speedy recovery and that she heals up quickly.”
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On top of not getting to fight Budd, Harrison also faced fan backlash due to the perceived change in the level of opponents, something that puzzled her as she has no control over the situation.
“It just gets frustrating,” Harrison said. “It’s the same thing over and over again. They don’t read anything and just want to talk trash, so it gets a little frustrating. I’m here, I’m going to fight, and I’m going to fight whoever they put in front of me. I can only control the controllable. I can only control me and my reaction to things. … I’m excited to fight Kaitlin Young, July 1. It’s going to be a good fight, and that’s all there is to it.”
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Here’s how you can watch 2022 PFL 6, which features women’s lightweights and welterweights.
[mm-video type=video id=01g6kahpr4j1kahp5c5w playlist_id=01eqvpne7c1q486dvv player_id=01f5k5h8pz3brj4xqb image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01g6kahpr4j1kahp5c5w/01g6kahpr4j1kahp5c5w-86c6dbb97757974fa38cb52cfb3241bb.jpg]
The PFL regular reason continues this week with 2022 PFL 6, which features women’s lightweights and welterweights in action for the second time this year.
Here’s how to watch PFL 6, with a complete lineup and breakdown by division.
The most intriguing fight of Kayla Harrison’s career thus far has been derailed.
The most intriguing fight of [autotag]Kayla Harrison[/autotag]’s career thus far has been derailed.
Former Bellator titleholder [autotag]Julia Budd[/autotag] (16-4) has suffered an injury and has been forced to withdraw from the 2022 PFL 6 headliner against two-time PFL women’s lightweight champion and two-time Olympic gold medalist Harrison (13-0).
Stepping in to replace Budd on the July 1 card, which takes place at Overtime Elite Arena in Atlanta will be longtime veteran [autotag]Kaitlin Young[/autotag] (12-12-1).
MMA Junkie verified news of the change with a person close to the situation following an initial report from ESPN. The person requested anonymity because the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.
Harrison is in pursuit of her third consecutive PFL season title. She opened her 2022 campaign with a unanimous decision win over Marina Mokhnatkina at 2022 PFL 3 in May. Looking to pull a monumental upset will be Young, who hasn’t competed since an October loss to Budd.
The latest 2022 PFL 6 lineup now includes:
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Kayla Harrison will headline the final event of the 2022 PFL regular season against her toughest opponent to date.
[autotag]Kayla Harrison[/autotag] will headline the final event of the 2022 PFL regular season against her biggest test to date.
Harrison, a two-time PFL lightweight champion, meets former Bellator featherweight champion [autotag]Julia Budd[/autotag] in a lightweight bout on July 1 at 2022 PFL 6, promotion officials announced Wednesday. The event takes place at OTE Arena in Atlanta and will air live on ESPN and stream on ESPN +.
To kick off her 2022 campaign, Harrison (13-0) defeated Marina Mokhnatkina by unanimous decision at PFL 3. Harrison was critical of her performance despite winning with relative ease. Budd (16-4), who defeated Kaitlin Young in her promotional debut last October, fell short against Genah Fabian at PFL 3 in a fight that Fabian missed weight by 4.8 pounds.
At least on paper, the matchup is intriguing as Budd is easily Harrison’s most credentialed opponent, who’s shared the cage with Amanda Nunes, Ronda Rousey, Cris Cyborg, and Germaine de Randamie.
In the co-main event, ex-Bellator champ and former UFC title challenger [autotag]Rory MacDonald[/autotag] (23-8-1) will face Sweden’s [autotag]Sadibou Sy[/autotag] (10-6-2). MacDonald earned six points when he submitted Brett Cooper at PFL 3, whereas Sy edged out Nikolay Aleksakhin on the same night.
Here’s the full 2022 PFL 6 lineup:
MAIN CARD (ESPN, ESPN+ 8 p.m. ET)
PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+ 5 p.m. ET)
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