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Check out these photos from the fights at 2023 PFL Challenger Series 1 in Orlando, Fla.
Check out these photos from the fights at 2023 PFL Challenger Series 1, which took place at Universal Studios in Orlando, Fla. (Photos courtesy of PFL)
The PFL Challengers Series returns on Friday for its 2023 debut, and the card features the only man to beat UFC champ Alex Pereira in MMA.
The PFL’s Challenger Series returned after making its debut in 2022, with athletes gunning for a PFL contract that could either serve as a developmental deal or earn them a spot directing into the regular season to compete for its $1 million prize.
2023 PFL Challenger Series 1 took place Friday at Universal Studios in Orlando, Fla., and aired aired live on fubo Sports Network. The event featured welterweights and was headlined by Lucas Barbosa vs. Itso Babulaidze.
After the conclusion of the bouts, the four winners were narrowed down to Thad Jean and Kendly St. Louis to determine which fighter would be awarded a PFL contract with the help of a live fan vote.
Jean defeated Eric Alequin by unanimous decision with scores of 30-27 across the board, while St. Louis stopped Nick Alley in the second round with a rear-naked choke submission.
The celebrity panel of Wiz Khalifa, Tyron Woodley and Ray Lewis unanimously voted for Jean. The fan vote disagreed by choosing St. Louis. The tiebreaker went to Ray Sefo, who decided Jean would receive the PFL contract.
Below is the complete lineup and official results for 2023 PFL Challenger Series 1:
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Check out these photos from the 2023 PFL Challenger Series 1 official weigh-ins in Orlando, Fla.
Check out these photos from the 2023 PFL Challenger Series 1 official weigh-ins and fighter faceoffs in Orlando, Fla. (Photos courtesy of PFL)
Thad Jean had a two-year amateur career that gave him plenty of experience and lessons before he turned pro.
[autotag]Thad Jean[/autotag] had a two-year amateur career that gave him plenty of experience and lessons before he turned pro.
In 2018, in his third fight as an amateur, Jean took out Dilano Taylor. Taylor went on to the PFL, and after he got a shot at the 2022 welterweight season through the PFL Challenger Series, he reached the $1 million final.
So it’s perhaps a perfect little coincidence that Jean (4-0) now has the biggest opportunity of his pro career when he takes on Eric Alequin (7-0) on Friday at the PFL’s first Challenger Series event of 2023, which features welterweights.
The winner will be hoping to impress the members of the PFL brass enough to get an invite into the regular season.
But it was a different amateur fight that Jean says helped him turn the corner in his career: a loss to current Bellator rising standout Roman Faraldo.
“When I went against Roman Faraldo – he’s in Bellator now and just suffered his first loss – going against him was the greatest lesson I’ve ever learned,” Jean recently told MMA Junkie Radio. “I was on a good streak. I was like, ‘Yeah, I’m untouchable. I don’t need to work on anything.’
“I underestimated him. I thought, ‘He’s not going to be able to do anything. He can’t stand with me. He can’t strike with me. He’s not going to be able to keep walking me down like I’m going to try to walk him down.’ (I was) just getting in my head …
“Since that fight, I’ve been able to keep myself humble in preparation for each fight.”
Jean is eight years younger than Alequin, who is unbeaten, as well.
2023 PFL Challenger Series 1 takes place Friday at Universal Studios in Orlando, Fla. The card airs on fuboTV.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for 2023 PFL Challenger Series 1.
Eric Alequin may have high expectations for himself heading into his next fight, but there’s a reason.
[autotag]Eric Alequin[/autotag] may have high expectations for himself heading into his next fight, but there’s a reason.
As far as Alequin is concerned, the teammates around him at Kill Cliff FC in South Florida are some of the best in the world, and the depth of talent in the gym every day is making Alequin better all the time, he thinks.
“The pool is just insane,” Alequin recently told MMA Junkie Radio. “There are no easy rounds. I’ve got Dilano Taylor one round. I’ve got Jason Jackson one round. I’ve got Logan Storley two rounds. There are no easy rounds.”
Alequin (7-0) returns to action Friday at the PFL’s first Challenger Series event of 2023, which features welterweights. He takes on Thad Jean (4-0), and the winner will be hoping to impress the members of the PFL brass enough to get an invite into the regular season.
That happened for Alequin’s teammate Taylor in 2022. He fought in the Challenger Series, then reached the $1 million welterweight final, though he dropped a decision to Sadibou Sy.
The 32-year-old Alequin’s opponent, Jean, is eight years his junior and trains in South Florida, as well. He’s got about half the amount of experience, though, and fights someone in Alequin who won the CFFC welterweight title 10 months ago.
Alequin thinks the fight could have some fireworks.
“He’s young and he believes in himself and he’s tough … likes to come forward,” he said. “… I don’t think (it goes to the judges). We’re definitely coming in here to fight each other. We’re both coming forward.”
2023 PFL Challenger Series 1 takes place Friday at Universal Studios in Orlando, Fla. The card airs on fuboTV.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for 2023 PFL Challenger Series 1.
The PFL has announced the lineup for its heavyweight 2023 Challenger Series event, including a former UFC fighter.
The PFL announced its heavyweight matchups for the 2023 Challenger Series.
The 2023 Challenger Series will air on Fridays and takes place Jan. 27 through March 17 in Orlando, Fla., on Fubo Sports Network. Each week fights across all eight of the PFL’s divisions will take place, and at the end of each event, a PFL contract is awarded to one of the winners by a judging panel.
Headlining the hevayweight event is four-fight UFC veteran [autotag]Danilo Marques[/autotag] (12-4). He takes on Giacomo Lemos (8-0), who scored a second-round knockout of Billy Swanson in the 2022 PFL Challenger Series.
“As the PFL looks ahead to the new year, we are thrilled to reveal our heavyweight division for the 2023 PFL Challenger Series, which will be held for a second straight year at Universal Studios Florida,” PFL president Ray Sefo said in a news release.
The 2023 PFL Challenger Series heavyweight lineup includes:
“Certain positions that I found myself in while fighting against him, I would have taken care of business much earlier if I was fighting him today.”
[autotag]Quemuel Ottoni[/autotag] thinks he could have finished [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] even faster with his current skills.
Ottoni (12-3), the only man to beat Pereira (7-1) in MMA, thinks he has grown a lot more since their fight. Ottoni submitted Pereira in the third round in 2015 under the Jungle Fight banner in Brazil.
Since losing to Ottoni in his MMA debut, Pereira went on to win three straight before signing with the UFC in 2021. With his history with then middleweight champion Israel Adesanya, it took “Poatan” only three octagon wins before earning a title shot. He TKO’d Adesanya in Round 5 at UFC 281 to become champion, but Ottoni still sees deficiencies in Pereira’s ground game.
“He definitely got heavier,” Ottoni told MMA Junkie Radio on Pereira. “He built a bigger frame around him and redistributed weight in a better form, but I think that’s it really. I wouldn’t really put much else on his side. I see his jiu-jitsu as something limited.”
He continued, “I feel my jiu-jitsu has improved leaps and certain positions that I found myself in while fighting against him, I would have taken care of business much earlier if I was fighting him today. As well as my boxing. I feel like my boxing, my standup striking has improved a lot.”
Ottoni eventually moved down to welterweight and won Jungle Fight’s vacant 170-pound title in May with a third-round submission of Jose Diaz. He will take part in PFL’s Challenger Series on Jan. 27.
Like Pereira’s rivalry with Adesanya, Ottoni too has history which has pushed his name to the masses. But Ottoni says his goals are more to do with competing in the U.S.
“It didn’t really have anything to do with Pereira,” Ottoni said. “It was more of chasing my dream. I’ve always wanted to fight in the U.S. so the moment my manager called me with this opportunity to fight in the U.S., I was all in and even better with it being an organization like the PFL.”
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The PFL’s Challenger Series will return Jan. 27 with eight consecutive weeks of fights across eight divisions.
The PFL’s Challenger Series will return Jan. 27 with eight consecutive weeks of fights across eight divisions.
The Challenger Series debuted earlier this year with PFL developmental contracts or spots in upcoming seasons awarded by a judging panel. This year, Dilano Taylor won a spot in the regular season and went on to reach the $1 million final.
Wednesday, the promotion announced the fighters for its first Challenger Series event for 2023, which will feature welterweights.
Get a quick glimpse of the eight hopefuls below.
The PFL’s Challenger Series will return next month with eight events seeking new fighters for the 2023 regular season.
The PFL’s Challenger Series will return next month with eight events seeking new fighters for the 2023 regular season.
The Challenger Series debuted earlier this year with fights across all eight of the PFL’s divisions. At the end of each event, a PFL contract is awarded to one of the winners by a judging panel. This year, Dilano Taylor won a spot in the regular season and went on to reach the $1 million final.
The opening event of the 2023 Challenger Series will take place Jan. 27 and will feature welterweights. Subsequent events will air on Fridays through March 17 on Fubo Sports Network. A location and venue have not yet been announced; 2022 events took place in Orlando, Fla.
In the welterweight main event to kick off the 2023 Challenger Series schedule, [autotag]Lucas Barbosa[/autotag] (0-0), whose resume includes a grappling win over UFC standout Gilbert Burns, will take on [autotag]Itso Babulaidze[/autotag] (2-0).
“The 2023 PFL Challenger Series provides world-class talent a path to the PFL,” PFL president Ray Sefo said in a news release. “The Challenger Series continues the PFL’s commitment to finding the best talent in MMA around the world.”
Also on the card, unbeaten CFFC champion [autotag]Eric Alequin[/autotag] (7-0) takes on [autotag]Thad Jean[/autotag] (4-0), who has fought for LFA and CFFC. His career highlight is a win over Taylor, the aforementioned 2022 Challenger Series contract winner and eventual finalist.
Jungle Fights champ [autotag]Quemuel Ottoni[/autotag] (12-3), the only fighter with an MMA win over current UFC middleweight titleholder Alex Pereira, is set to take on [autotag]Jozef Wittner[/autotag] (16-2), who has won four straight. And [autotag]Mostafa Rashed Neda[/autotag] (7-3), a judo standout, meets [autotag]Nick Alley[/autotag] (7-5), who has five submissions in his seven wins.
The 2023 PFL Challenger Series welterweight lineup includes:
