Tag: 2023 PFL Championships

How Josh Silveira’s first loss reignited his love for MMA ahead of 2023 PFL Championship

Losing taught Josh Silveira just how much he loves the sport.

COCONUT CREEK, Fla. – Losing taught [autotag]Josh Silveira[/autotag] just how much he loves the sport.

Silveira was eliminated by Omari Akhmedov in the 2022 PFL light heavyweight semifinals, which marked his first-career loss. He was able to rebound with three straight wins this year to punch his ticket to the finals.

Silveira (12-1) meets Impa Kasanganay (14-3) in the light heavyweight final Nov. 24 at 2023 PFL Championships, which takes place at The Anthem in Washington D.C. and streams live on ESPN+ PPV. The loss to Akhmedov was a tough pill to swallow for Silveira, but he used it as motivation going into this year.

“What I learned about myself was understanding that PFL sometimes when they put you in a $1 million situation, you might think, ‘Is this it? Is this the end?'” Silveira told MMA Junkie at a PFL media day on Wednesday. “I didn’t win the million. Do I move onto something else? Obviously in this situation, that’s not me. That’s what it taught me: It doesn’t matter if it’s for $1 million or a world championship, it’s about love.

“I love doing this, so I knocked the dust off my shoulders and I got back to what I love doing. It’s a blessed life I have. The loss is just a little speed bump in the road, but this is my life. My biggest nightmare is not doing MMA, not waking up and punching a guy in the face, and getting punched, kicked, being exhausted. This is just my life, and that was the biggest takeaway from it.”

Watch Silveira’s full pre-fight scrum in the video above.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for 2023 PFL Championships.

Renan Ferreira lobbies for Francis Ngannou fight if victorious at 2023 PFL Championships final

Renan Ferreira would love to be the one to welcome Francis Ngannou to PFL.

COCONUT CREEK, Fla. – [autotag]Renan Ferreira[/autotag] would love to be the one to welcome [autotag]Francis Ngannou[/autotag] to the PFL.

Ferreira (11-3) meets Denis Goltsov (32-7) in the heavyweight final Nov. 24 at 2023 PFL Championships, which takes place at The Anthem in Washington D.C. and streams live on ESPN+ PPV.

While his focus is on Goltsov, Ferreira can’t help but think of the opportunities that could come out of winning the championship – one of those being a potential fight with Ngannou.

“I feel like this is almost a make it or break it moment,” Ferreira told MMA Junkie through an interpreter at a PFL media day Wednesday. “It’s tough to even say this because there’s so much on the line between the belt and the million dollars, but there really is more on the line when you talk about future opportunities and the opportunity to fight a guy like Francis after this.”

Ferreira has finished all but one of his 11 professional wins, with nine of them coming by knockout – most recently shutting the lights off Maurice Greene in the first round in August.

He sees a matchup against a fellow knockout artist in Ngannou being an entertaining one for the fans.

“It’s definitely a fan favorite (fight),” Ferreira said. “It’s two tough guys that swing big, that have a lot of knockout power, two exciting heavyweights. I feel like this is the kind of stuff that fans of the sport want to tune in and watch.”

Ngannou has business of his own to attend to first. The former UFC heavyweight champion makes his professional boxing debut against Tyson Fury in a 10-round bout on Oct. 28 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Ngannou is a big underdog, but Ferreira says you can never count out his power.

“Tyson Fury is Tyson Fury. He’s been in the business for a while,” Ferreira said. “He’s a professional boxer. But you can’t count Francis out. He’s a top-level MMA heavyweight with incredible knockout power in his hands, so it’s going to be a good fight.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for 2023 PFL Championships.

‘Thank God UFC cut me’: Impa Kasanganay reflects on journey ahead of $1 million PFL championship bout

Impa Kasanganay’s exit from the UFC has led him on a path to a potential $1 million payday at 2023 PFL Championships.

DEERFIELD BEACH, Fla. – [autotag]Impa Kasanganay[/autotag] went viral early in his fighting career, but not for the right reasons.

Three years ago, in just his second fight in the UFC, Kasanganay (14-3) was on the receiving end of one of the wildest and most brutal knockouts in UFC history. Heavy hitter Joaquin Buckley broke the internet when Kasanganay caught one of his leg kicks, and then spun midair to land a knockout blow with the opposite leg.

“When I got knocked out by Buckley, I don’t remember what happened,” Kasanganay told MMA Junkie on Wednesday at a media day. “I was just like, ‘What happened? What happened?’ But once I got in the ambulance, my dad was like, ‘Go look at your phone.’ I watched it, and I was like, ‘Ok, good shot.’ But I came into MMA to become a champion. If that’s the route for me to become a champion, then that’s it.

“I didn’t know then why that happened. I didn’t pray for that to happen, trust me, I didn’t. I was like, ‘OK, cool. How do I rise from this?’ My dad always told me, ‘In order to know your glory, they first need to understand your story.’ … When people ask me about it, I say play that highlight as much as you want. It’s great, credit to him. But the day that I’m champion, play that highlight too. On November 24, I get to do that.”

Not long after getting knocked out badly, Kasanganay was released from the UFC and then lost in his first fight outside of the organization at an Eagle FC event. From the outside looking in, his career looked to be in a grim situation.

However, Kasanganay went on to put together five consecutive wins, with three of those being in the PFL’s 2023 light heavyweight season. He’s now one win away from winning $1 million, as he takes on Josh Silveira in the season finale. The bout goes down at the 2023 PFL Championships on Nov. 24 at The Anthem in Washington.

It’s a drastic turn of events for Kasanganay, who now looking back, is thankful for the hiccups that led to his release from the UFC.

“I remember being at the Budlight room in Atlanta and I look at my coach and said, ‘Thank God UFC cut me,'” Kasanganay said. “I was just so happy. Man, what a situation. It was challenging to get fights there, all my friends were doing well there, great. All the people in the people who I knew in the organization, I love people there too, so nothing against them. I’m just happy for me because who knows when I would’ve gotten that $1 million fight or more or less or close to it.

“It’s also (good) too because you get to share that with your coaches and your team and the people who helped you get there and who knows what kind of percentage I get to share with them, so it’s the overall bigger picture. Man, I’m very, very happy. I enjoyed my time there, and it helped me get better. … I’m very, very happy I’m not there anymore. Nothing against them, but I’m just glad I’m at PFL.”

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Derek Brunson on what led him to PFL free agent signing: ‘There’s no lobbying for what you want’

Derek Brunson likes that in PFL, winning solves everything.

[autotag]Derek Brunson[/autotag] likes that in the PFL, winning solves everything.

Brunson (23-9) signed with PFL after parting ways with the UFC. The 39-year-old makes his promotional debut at 2023 PFL Championships on Nov. 24 when he takes on Ray Cooper III (25-8-1) in a middleweight bout at The Anthem in Washington, D.C.

Despite stringing together five-fight winning streaks on two different occasions in the UFC, Brunson never fought for the title. He likes the tournament format of PFL, where he only has to worry about winning.

“They’ve got the $1 million tournament – guys stay busy,” Brunson told MMA Junkie Radio. “There’s no lobbying for what you want. You go out and get it. UFC, man – I think in some of these title eliminators, I was on these huge five-fight winning streaks twice and I never got a title shot. Right after the fight, I felt like, ‘OK, I win this one, I get a title shot,’ and I didn’t get it and I felt kind of dejected, lacking motivation. I wasn’t getting up for the fights where now, I’ve got a new motivation.”

A UFC belt would have been nice for Brunson’s career, but he would rather get an opportunity at $1 million.

“Give me the million dollars every day of the week,” Brunson said. “I can go out here, fight a couple of times, get my million, and just chill for a little bit, recover. So, yeah, I definitely like that format – and it goes back to I don’t have to lobby for anything. All I have to do is just win fights.

“I can knock somebody out, I can submit somebody, I can win an ugly fight. But at the end of the day, I move on and advance, and I can improve in the next fight. I don’t have to, ‘Oh it wasn’t a great fight, so maybe I have to fight another one.’ I don’t have to do all that. I just go out there and win.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for 2023 PFL Championships.

Amid Bellator sale rumors, Kayla Harrison would love to welcome Cris Cyborg to PFL but won’t get hopes up

If Bellator gets sold to PFL and a much-talked about fight with Cris Cyborg happens, great – but Kayla Harrison says that’s not her focus.

COCONUT CREEK, Fla. – [autotag]Kayla Harrison[/autotag] is aware of the ongoing chatter regarding a potential PFL-Bellator merger, but she’s not getting her hopes up.

There’s been plenty of rumors and speculation surrounding the future of Bellator and the expected sale of the promotion to PFL. This could mean that many of the current Bellator fighters could join the PFL if a sale goes through, opening a wide range of new, intriguing matchups, with one of the biggest being Harrison vs. [autotag]Cris Cyborg[/autotag], the Bellator women’s featherweight champion.

Harrison vs. Cyborg has long been teased by both fighters in the past couple of years. Yet, despite the potential Bellator sale making the fight more feasible, Harrison refuses to get her hopes up again.

“I don’t get excited about that anymore,” Harrison told MMA Junkie at a PFL media day on Wednesday. “There’s just been too many opportunities and too many highs and lows, and ups and downs, and bullsh*t that is, again, out of my control.

“I stay the course, I focus on me, I focus on my kids, I focus on my training, but that’s all noise. It’s all maybe, could’ve, would’ve, might happen in the future, so it’s not my focus, and it is what it is.”

Harrison (15-1), a two-time PFL champ, returns against former Bellator champion Julia Budd (17-6) in a showcase 145-pound bout Nov. 24 at the 2023 PFL Championships, The event takes place at The Anthem in Washington D.C. and streams live on ESPN+ PPV.

The Olympic judo gold medalist is solely focused on Budd, who’s arguably the biggest name she’s faced in her MMA career. However, if the PFL does end up acquiring Bellator, Harrison wants to get first on Cyborg.

“Who better to welcome her than I?” Harrison said. “I’m not in a season. I’m not fighting for a title, so I would love that.”

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Derek Brunson books PFL debut vs. Ray Cooper III at championships event

Derek Brunson draws a former PFL champion in his promotional debut.

[autotag]Derek Brunson[/autotag] has drawn a former PFL champion in his promotional debut.

Brunson (23-9) takes on [autotag]Ray Cooper III[/autotag] (25-8-1) in a middleweight bout Nov. 24 at 2023 PFL Championships, which takes place at The Anthem in Washington, D.C., promotion officials announced Friday.

Brunson, 39, signed with PFL after parting ways with the UFC. The perennial middleweight contender never fought for a UFC title but racked up impressive wins over the likes of Lyoto Machida, Uriah Hall, Kevin Holland, and Darren Till during his more than decade-long octagon tenure.

Cooper, a two-time PFL welterweight champion, missed out on the 2022 playoffs after an upset loss to Carlos Leal. He rebounded with a 24-second knockout of Brett Cooper in July 2022, but it wasn’t enough for him to advance.

It will have been almost 17 months since Cooper last competed when he steps into the cage against Brunson, who most recently lost to Dricus Du Plessis this past March at UFC 285.

Below is the updated 2023 PFL World Championships lineup

MAIN CARD (ESPN+ pay-per-view)

  • Clay Collard vs. Olivier Aubin-Mercier – lightweight final
  • Denis Goltsov vs. Renan Ferreira –heavyweight final
  • Larissa Pacheco vs. Marina Mokhnatkina – women’s featherweight final
  • Julia Budd vs. Kayla Harrison
  • Magomed Magomedkerimov vs. Sadibou Sy – welterweight final
  • Jesus Pinedo vs. Gabriel Braga – featherweight final
  • Josh Silveira vs. Impa Kasanganay – light heavyweight final

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+)

  • Derek Brunson vs. Ray Cooper III
  • Biaggio Ali Walsh vs. Joel Lopez
  • Bubba Jenkins vs. Chris Wade
  • Phil Caracappa vs. Khai Wu
  • Josh Blyden vs. Jesse Stirn

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for 2023 PFL Championships.

Kayla Harrison returns vs. Julia Budd in featherweight fight at 2023 PFL Championships

Kayla Harrison will make her return on PFL’s championship crowning night – at featherweight.

[autotag]Kayla Harrison[/autotag] will make her return on PFL’s championship crowning night – at featherweight.

Harrison (15-1) meets [autotag]Julia Budd[/autotag] (17-6) in a non-tournament, 145-pound bout Nov. 24 at 2023 PFL Championships, which takes place at The Anthem in Washington D.C. and streams live on ESPN+ PPV, promotion officials announced Wednesday.

Harrison will compete for the first time in 2023. In her most recent outing, the 2021 PFL lightweight champion and two-time Olympic gold medalist judoka suffered her first-career loss to Larissa Pacheco by unanimous decision. That was in the 2022 PFL Championships. Now, Harrison will drop back down to featherweight, where she competed once in November 2020 and scored a second-round TKO of Courtney King at Invicta FC 43.

Harrison and Budd were scheduled to fight at 2022 PFL 6, but Budd withdrew due to injury and was replaced by Kaitlin Young. Harrison finished Young by TKO in Round 1.

Budd, a former Bellator featherweight champion, split her first four PFL appearances. In June, she snapped a two-fight losing skid with a unanimous decision win over Martina Jindrova.

With the addition, the 2023 PFL Championships lineup includes:

  • Larissa Pacheco vs. Marina Mokhnatkina – women’s featherweight final
  • Denis Goltsov vs. Renan Ferreira – heavyweight final
  • Josh Silveira vs. Impa Kasanganay – light heavyweight final
  • Jesus Pinedo vs. Gabriel Braga – featherweight final
  • Julia Budd vs. Kayla Harrison

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for 2023 PFL Championships.

Video: Who are the standouts in this year’s $1 million PFL finals?

Our “Spinning Back Clique” panel dives into the fighters in the PFL’s 2023 playoff finals. Who will walk away with $1 million in November?

In a few months, the PFL will make six fighters instant millionaires – though some already have had that experience.

The day after the Thanksgiving holiday in the U.S., the PFL’s 2023 playoff finals take place in Washington, D.C. Of the 12 finalists, two are trying to become repeat winners. Larissa Pacheco upset Kayla Harrison in 2022 to win the women’s lightweight season. This year, she’s at featherweight. And Olivier Aubin-Mercier won the lightweight season and is back in the final again.

Who are the standouts in this year’s field? And who did we expect to be fighting for $1 million, but is staying home, instead?

Our “Spinning Back Clique” panel of Farah Hannoun, Brian “Goze” Garcia and Danny Segura break all that down with host “Gorgeous” George Garcia. Watch their discussion in the video above, and don’t miss this week’s full episode below.