Despite not getting a finish, two-time PFL champ Lance Palmer happy with overall performance

Two-time PFL featherweight winner Lance Palmer is happy with his overall performance, despite not getting a finish over Alex Gilpin.

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NEW YORK – The only way [autotag]Lance Palmer[/autotag] could outdo his overall dominant past performances over Alex Gilpin was to take him out.

Palmer (22-3 MMA, 11-0 PFL) won the featherweight tournament and $1 million for the second straight year by defeating Gilpin (14-4 MMA, 2-3 PFL) for the third time in a row at the 2019 PFL Championship on Tuesday at Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York.

Palmer’s original opponent, Daniel Pineda, failed a drug test, which forced him out of the final. He subsequently was replaced by Gilpin.

Palmer beat Gilpin by unanimous decision all three times they fought, and while he admitted he would have liked to score a finish this time around, he was happy with his performance.

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“I really just wanted to get a finish in this fight, and it didn’t accumulate the way I wanted to,” Palmer said. “So the way any fight can go, you just have to adapt while you’re in there. I felt that my striking was cleaner and better than his, but at the same time, I wanted to show that I can out-grapple him, since he had two finishes over guys who were high-level guys during the season. I didn’t get the finish like I wanted to, but I still felt that it was a good performance overall.”

Having mirrored his performance in 2018 by going undefeated once again in the regular season and playoffs, Palmer said the only real difference was what he expected out of himself.

“I think the pressure was different this time on myself,” Palmer said. “I think I put a lot more pressure on myself to get the job done. Especially – it’s hard fighting the same guy three times in six or seven months or whatever it is, so that was all different things that added into it. But winning is always going to be important to me, so just getting it done and getting another belt is – it was cool. So, not much else to say.”

Coming from a wrestling background, Palmer is accustomed to activity in a tournament-style format. He said that is a model that helped him find success in the PFL.

“It’s definitely something that not everybody can do, just going through five fights in a seven-month period of time,” Palmer said. “But I feel like it’s something that I was bred to do, coming from a wrestling background and being able to grind and have seven and eight wrestling matches in one day, and go through 150 matches in a year growing up – like, that stuff, it’s all prepared me for this.”

Palmer relied on his strong grappling once again and was able to fend off a few submission attempts from Gilpin. It was more of the same from their previous two meetings in May and October, though.

“I didn’t feel like he brought anything different, which I was kind of surprised because from the first to the second fight, he kind of tried to bring a couple of different tricks and things,” Palmer said. “But he pretty much stayed with his same game plan from the first fight. I didn’t really see any improvement or changes. But also, in that short 10-week period from the semifinals to (Tuesday), there’s only so much you can do to change when you’re fighting the same guy. So I’ve been training for Alex since April, so I was pretty much prepared for anything that he could have brought to me.”

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2019 PFL Championship results: Kayla Harrison claims first PFL women’s $1 million title

The PFL’ crowned six $1M champions Tuesday night, including the first women’s titleholder and two repeat champs.

NEW YORK — [autotag]Kayla Harrison[/autotag] has still yet to taste defeat.

The two-time Olympic judo gold medalist defeated [autotag]Larissa Pacheco[/autotag] in the rematch to remain undefeated in her MMA career and win the 2019 PFL women’s lightweight championship and the $1 million prize that went with winning the season tournament.

Harrison’s performance against Pacheco (13-4 MMA, 2-2 PFL) was dominant. The former judoka player was able to take down and control the Brazilian there in all five rounds. Harrison won easily on the scorecard, outpointing Pacheco 50-43, 50-45, 50-45.

Despite looking dominant, Harrison (7-0 MMA, 7-0 PFL) did face some adversity in the fight.

Pacheco threatened with a knee to the head in the third round that seemed to connect clean on Harrison. She also came alive in the fifth, as she walked down Harrison for a good portion of the round while landing shots. Towards the end of the firth and final round Pacheco also threaten with standing ten-finger choke but Harrison eventually turned it into a takedown to finish the fight on top.

Harrison began her professional MMA career in mid-2018. Since she’s compiled seven wins, five via.

Ray Cooper III earns redemption, finishes David Michaud for welterweight crown

[autotag]Ray Cooper III[/autotag] once again got to a PFL championship final, but this time he didn’t leave home the loser.

The Hawaiian fighter stopped [autotag]David Michaud[/autotag] in the co-main event by using a nasty left hook to the body that shut down Michaud. The official stoppage came at 2:56 of round two.

Cooper (20-7-1 MMA, 7-2-1 PFL) came close to having a flawless performance. He controlled Michaud (18-6 MMA, 3-2 PFL) against cage early in the first, dropped him with a hook to the body and maintained top control for the rest of the round.

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In the second round, Cooper failed to get the fight to the ground so he engaged on the feet with Michaud, which got dicey for a bit. A couple minutes in, Michaud connected with some hard knees to the head and some solid hooks that appeared to hurt Cooper. Cooper responded with a takedown and while Michaud was working his way back to his feet, Cooper sat him down with a nasty shot to the liver followed up by punches.

Copper lost in the final of the 2018 PFL season. The win over Michaud marks his first PFL championship win.

Ali Isaev outwrestles Jared Rosholt, finishes for heavyweight crown

[autotag]Ali Isaev [/autotag]defeated [autotag]Jared Rosholt[/autotag] at his own game.

The Russian fighter outwrestled Rosholt (20-8 MMA, 6-4 PFL) over the course of four rounds to eventually get the finish and win the 2019 PFL heavyweight championship.

Rosholt landed good strikes throughout the fight and even threatened with a guillotine at the end of round one. However, Isaev’s pressure and takedowns proved to be the superior factor throughout the fight.

After three rounds of heavy grappling, Isaev (9-0 MMA, 5-0 PFL) was able to get Rosholt to the ground in round four and wear down the American. With less than a minute remaining, Isaev turned up the ground-and-pound and forced Rosholt to shell up. With Rosholt offering no answer to the strikes, the referee had no option but to stop the fight at the 4:09 mark.

Isaev is 36 years old and remains undefeated in his MMA career.

Natan Schulte bests Loik Radzhabov in thrilling throwdown

 

If there were “Fight of the Night” bonuses in PFL, [autotag]Natan Schulte[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Loik Radzhabov[/autotag] would’ve easily earned it.

Both Schulte (20-3-1 MMA, 9-0-1 PFL) and Radzhabov (13-2-1 MMA, 2-2-1 PFL) engaged in a non-stop action battle for 25 minutes. In the end, Schulte left with his hand raised, a $1 million in his pocket, and the 2019 PFL lightweight title. Schulte beat Radzhabov 49-44, 49-46, 48-47 on the scorecards.

Schulte started hot in the fight, wobbling and taking down Radzhabov to have the biggest impact of round one. Second round things took a turn. Radzhabov landed plenty of clean shots and at time seems to hurt Schulte.

From that point on, Rounds 3-5 were quite competitive. Both fighters had good moments on the feet and ground, but ultimately Schulte had the best highlights and control, mounting Radzhabov in rounds four and five. It was a grueling bout that had both fighters spent in the end.

Schulte remains unbeaten PFL, winning both the 2018 and 2019 lightweight championships.

Lance Palmer claims second straight featherweight title

[autotag]Lance Palmer[/autotag] has [autotag]Alex Gilpin[/autotag]’s number.

The 2018 PFL featherweight champion defeated Gilpin (14-4 MMA, 2-3 PFL) for a third time to win the 2019 PFL featherweight belt and his second $1 million dollar prize in the company. Palmer (22-3 MMA, 11-0 PFL) was favored 50-43, 50-44, 50-44 on the judge’s scorecards.

Palmer’s strong wrestling and dominant top control was the protagonist of the fight. Through out the entire five rounds of the 145-pound contest, Palmer took down Gilpin and controlled top position.

Palmer was able to avoid referee stand-ups with his constant advancement in position and ground-and-pound. Gilpin had some threatening moment in rounds one and two with some choked that seemed to catch Palmer’s attention. But despite the admirable efforts, Gilpin was out-grappled the entire fight.

Palmer had beaten Gilpin twice prior to the final, first in May and then again in October.

[autotag]Emiliano Sordi[/autotag] stops [autotag]Jordan Johnson[/autotag] to win light heavyweight championship

Emiliano Sordi’s quick stoppage claims light heavyweight gold

Argentina now has a champion in a major North American promotion.

[autotag]Emiliano Sordi[/autotag] used heavy ground-and-pound to stop [autotag]Jordan Johnson[/autotag] and earn himself $1 million plus the 2019 PFL light heavyweight title.

Sordi (22-8 MMA, 6-1 PFL) and Johnson (12-2-1 MMA, 2-2-1 PFL) traded heavy shots early, but it was Sordi landed the better shots. About halfway through the round, Sordi dropped Johnson with a big straight right hand. Johnson tried to takedown Sordi with a low single once on the ground, but the Argentinian followed up with ground-and-pound to force the referee to waive off the fight.

The official stoppage came at 2:01 mark of the first round.

[autotag]Brendan Loughnane [/autotag] cruises to a decision, outpoints [autotag]David Alex Valente [/autotag]

Brendan Loughnane decisions David Valente

[autotag]Brendan Loughnane [/autotag] remains unbeaten inside the PFL cage.

The Englishman had a seamless decision win over Brazil’s [autotag]David Valente[/autotag] to kick off the PFL championship finals. Loughnane (19-3 MMA, 2-0 PFL) controlled most of the fight using his range and leg kicks.

In the first round, Loughnane took control of the center of the cage and picked apart Valente (11-5 MMA, 0-1 PFL) with leg kicks. Round two was a similar story, as Loughnane used distance and avoided many of the strikes Valente threw. Valente was bit trigger shy and was switching stances to alleviate the leg kicks being absorbed.

Third round Loughnane took down Valente early. Valente got up not long after the takedown. With a sense of urgency, Valente walked down Loughnane but didn’t land anything flush. Loughnane would score another takedown where he landed good ground-and-pound until the final bell rang.

Loughnane defeated Valente 30-27 on all three judge’s scorecards.

The 2019 PFL championships went down on Dec. 31 from the Hulu Theater at Madison Square Graden in New York. The entire main card, which hosted six championship bouts, aired live on ESPN 2. Harrison vs. Pacheco headlined the event.

Full PFL 2019 championship results:

Full 2019 PFL Championship results:

2019 PFL Championship live and official results (6 p.m. ET)

Follow along as the PFL concludes its 2019 season with six $1 million title fights in New York.

NEW YORK – The 2019 PFL Championship finale takes place Tuesday night, and MMA Junkie is on the scene with live results.

The PFL Championship takes place at the Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden. The main card airs on ESPN2 at 7 p.m. ET following an ESPN+ prelim at 6 p.m.

In the women’s lightweight main event, Kayla Harrison takes on Larissa Pacheco in one of six division finals with $1 million on the line. Lance Palmer (featherweight) and Natan Schulte (lightweight) both look to repeat as champions, while Ray Cooper III (welterweight) looks for redemption after losing last season’s final.

2019 PFL Championship results include:

  • [autotag]Kayla Harrison[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Larissa Pacheco[/autotag] – women’s lightweight championship
  • [autotag]David Michaud[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Ray Cooper III[/autotag] – welterweight championship
  • [autotag]Ali Isaev[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Jared Rosholt[/autotag] – heavyweight championship
  • [autotag]Natan Schulte[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Loik Radzhabov[/autotag] – lightweight championship
  • [autotag]Lance Palmer[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Alex Gilpin[/autotag] – featherweight championship
  • [autotag]Emiliano Sordi[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Jordan Johnson[/autotag] – light heavyweight championship
  • [autotag]Brendan Loughnane[/autotag] vs. [autotag]David Alex Valente[/autotag]

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Lance Palmer admits Alex Gilpin trilogy feels ‘weird’ but focused on repeating as PFL champion

Lance Palmer is looking to make it two years straight winning $1 million, and he’ll have to beat Alex Gilpin a third time to do it.

NEW YORK – [autotag]Lance Palmer[/autotag] is looking to make it two years in a row winning $1 million. In order for that to happen, he’ll have to beat someone for a third time.

Palmer meets [autotag]Alex Gilpin[/autotag] on Tuesday in the PFL Championship featherweight final, with the winner taking home the $1 million grand prize. Palmer (21-3), the defending 145-pound champion, already has defeated Gilpin (14-3) by unanimous decision twice this year – once in the regular season and again in the playoff semifinals. But he’ll have to do it again after Gilpin, the No. 4 seed, was promoted following a flagged drug test by original finalist Daniel Pineda.

Ahead of the 170-pound final, Palmer talks about the trilogy and how “weird” it feels under the circumstances, how he’s approaching the matchup, staying focused, and more.

You can watch Palmer’s pre-fight scrum in the video above.

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PFL Championship ceremonial weigh-ins faceoff video

Check out the final faceoffs for all six title fights at the PFL Championship finale in New York.

NEW YORK – The PFL 2019 Championship finale ceremonial weigh-ins are in the books, and MMA Junkie was on the scene for the festivities.

All fighters competing on Tuesday night successfully made weight earlier Monday morning before stepping on the scale for ceremonial weigh-ins in the evening.

Fighters competing in the six championship bouts on the main card will look to take home $1 million.

The PFL 2019 Championship finals takes place at the Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden. The lone preliminary bout will stream on ESPN+, while the main card airs on ESPN2.

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You can watch highlights of the final faceoffs in the video above.

PFL 10 weigh-in results:

MAIN CARD (ESPN2):

  • [autotag]Kayla Harrison[/autotag] (154.8) vs. [autotag]Larissa Pacheco[/autotag] (153.6) – women’s lightweight championship
  • [autotag]David Michaud[/autotag] (169.6) vs. [autotag]Ray Cooper III[/autotag] (168.6) – welterweight championship
  • [autotag]Ali Isaev[/autotag] (258.8) vs. [autotag]Jared Rosholt[/autotag] (250.6) – heavyweight championship
  • [autotag]Natan Schulte[/autotag] (153.6) vs. [autotag]Loik Radzhabov[/autotag] (154.8) – lightweight championship
  • [autotag]Lance Palmer[/autotag] (144.6) vs. [autotag]Alex Gilpin[/autotag] (144.4) – featherweight championship
  • [autotag]Emiliano Sordi[/autotag] (204.4) vs. [autotag]Jordan Johnson[/autotag] (202.2) – light heavyweight championship

PRELIMS (ESPN+)

  • [autotag]Brendan Loughnane[/autotag] (146) vs. [autotag]David Alex Valente[/autotag] (145.8)

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PFL Championship predictions: Who takes home $1 million each?

Check out our staff members’ picks for the six 2019 PFL playoff finals, where $1 million is up for grabs in each division.

No. 2 Harrison
vs.
No. 4 Pacheco
No. 4 Michaud
vs.
No. 6 Cooper
No. 5 Isaev
vs.
No. 7 Rosholt
No. 1 Schulte
vs.
No. 7 Radzhabov
No. 1 Palmer
vs.
No. 4 Gilpin
No. 1 Sordi
vs.
No. 7 Johnson
MMA Junkie readers’
consensus picks
2019: 227-130 (64%)
harrison2019
Harrison
(92%)
cooper2019
Cooper
(64%)
isaev2019
Isaev
(63%)
schulte2019
Schulte
(75%)
palmer2019
Palmer
(90%)
sordi2019
Sordi
(59%)
Simon Head
@simonhead
2019: 143-72 (66.52%)
harrison2019
Harrison
cooper2019
Cooper
isaev2019
Isaev
schulte2019
Schulte
palmer2019
Palmer
sordi2019
Sordi
Nolan King
@mma_kings
2019: 136-74 (64.76%)
harrison2019
Harrison
cooper2019
Cooper
isaev2019
Isaev
schulte2019
Schulte
palmer2019
Palmer
johnson2019
Johnson
Ken Hathaway
@kenshathaway
2019: 230-127 (64.43%)
trophy copy 2018 Champion
harrison2019
Harrison
cooper2019
Cooper
isaev2019
Isaev
schulte2019
Schulte
palmer2019
Palmer
sordi2019
Sordi
Dan Tom
@DanTomMMA
2019: 230-127 (64.43%)
harrison2019
Harrison
cooper2019
Cooper
isaev2019
Isaev
schulte2019
Schulte
palmer2019
Palmer
johnson2019
Johnson
John Morgan
@MMAjunkieJohn
2019: 228-129 (63.87%)
harrison2019
Harrison
cooper2019
Cooper
isaev2019
Isaev
schulte2019
Schulte
palmer2019
Palmer
sordi2019
Sordi
Brian Garcia
@thegoze
2019: 228-129 (63.87%)
trophy copy 2017 Champion
harrison2019
Harrison
michaud2019
Michaud
isaev2019
Isaev
schulte2019
Schulte
palmer2019
Palmer
sordi2019
Sordi
Simon Samano
@SJSamano
2019: 224-133 (63%)
harrison2019
Harrison
michaud2019
Michaud
isaev2019
Isaev
radzhabov2019
Radzhabov
palmer2019
Palmer
johnson2019
Johnson
Mike Bohn
@MikeBohnMMA
2019: 223-134 (62.46%)
trophy copy 2014 Champion
harrison2019
Harrison
cooper2019
Cooper
isaev2019
Isaev
schulte2019
Schulte
palmer2019
Palmer
johnson2019
Johnson
Farah Hannoun
@Farah_Hannoun
2019: 127-77 (62.25%)
harrison2019
Harrison
cooper2019
Cooper
isaev2019
Isaev
schulte2019
Schulte
palmer2019
Palmer
johnson2019
Johnson
George Garcia
@MMAjunkieGeorge
2019: 221-136 (61.9%)
harrison2019
Harrison
cooper2019
Cooper
rosholt2019
Rosholt
schulte2019
Schulte
palmer2019
Palmer
johnson2019
Johnson
Abbey Subhan
@kammakaze
2019: 217-140 (61%)
harrison2019
Harrison
cooper2019
Cooper
isaev2019
Isaev
schulte2019
Schulte
palmer2019
Palmer
sordi2019
Sordi
Dave Doyle
@davedoylemma
2019: 142-113 (57%)
harrison2019
Harrison
cooper2019
Cooper
isaev2019
Isaev
schulte2019
Schulte
palmer2019
Palmer
johnson2019
Johnson
Matt Erickson
@MMAjunkieMatt
2019: 186-171 (52%)
pacheco2019
Pacheco
michaud2019
Michaud
rosholt2019
Rosholt
radzhabov2019
Radzhabov
gilpin2019
Gilpin
johnson2019
Johnson

After debuting its season points and playoff format in 2018, the PFL is back for its second set of playoff finals this week.

The 2019 PFL playoff finals in six weight classes take place Tuesday at Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York. The card airs on ESPN2.

(Click here to open a PDF of the staff picks grid in a separate window.)

At the top of the card, No. 2 women’s lightweight seed [autotag]Kayla Harrison[/autotag] (6-0) takes on No. 4 [autotag]Larissa Pacheco[/autotag] (13-3). Harrison, a two-time Olympic judo gold medalist, is a massive 14-1 favorite from the oddsmakers, and only one (gee, guess who?) of our 13 MMA Junkie editors, writers, radio hosts and videographers is picking an upset.

In the welterweight final, No. 4 [autotag]David Michaud[/autotag] (18-5) meets No. 6 [autotag]Ray Cooper III[/autotag] (19-7-1), who will try to do what he couldn’t pull off in the 2018 final. Cooper is a slight favorite around -150, and he’s got a big 10-3 lead in the picks.

At heavyweight, No. 5 [autotag]Ali Isaev[/autotag] (8-0) is more than a 5-1 favorite against No. 7 [autotag]Jared Rosholt[/autotag] (20-7), and he’s got a big 11-2 advantage in the picks.

Three No. 1 seeds made their divisions’ finals, and two of them have big picks leads. No. 1 lightweight [autotag]Natan Schulte[/autotag] (19-3-1) goes after a second straight title when he takes on No. 7 [autotag]Loik Radzhabov[/autotag] (13-1-1). Only two of our pickers are taking Radzhabov to pull the upset.

And No. 1 featherweight [autotag]Lance Palmer[/autotag] (21-3) tries for his second straight crown, as well, when he meets No. 4 [autotag]Alex Gilpin[/autotag] (14-3). Palmer is a 10-1 favorite, and only one of our pickers is going against him.

The only truly contentious fight among our pickers is the light heavyweight final between No. 1 [autotag]Emiliano Sordi[/autotag] (21-8) vs. No. 7 [autotag]Jordan Johnson[/autotag] (12-1-1). It’s a pick’em fight with the oddsmakers, but it’s Johnson with just a slight 8-5 edge in the picks.

In the MMA Junkie reader consensus picks, Harrison (92%), Cooper (64 percent), Isaev (63 percent), Schulte (75 percent), Palmer (90 percent) and Sordi (59 percent) are the choices.

Check out all the picks above.

PFL Championship weigh-in results: All six title fights good to go

Check out the weigh-in results for PFL’s 2019 season finale, which goes down Tuesday in New York.

NEW YORK – The PFL Championship finals are good to go.

All fighters competing on Tuesday night successfully made weight for their title fights Monday morning. PFL officials provided the weigh-in results to MMA Junkie.

The PFL 2019 championship finals takes place at the Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden. The lone preliminary bout will stream on ESPN+, while the main card airs on ESPN2.

Fighters competing in the six championship bouts on the main card will look to take home $1 million.

Below are the PFL 10 weigh-in results:

MAIN CARD (ESPN2):

  • [autotag]Kayla Harrison[/autotag] (154.8) vs. [autotag]Larissa Pacheco[/autotag] (153.6) – women’s lightweight championship
  • [autotag]David Michaud[/autotag] (169.6) vs. [autotag]Ray Cooper III[/autotag] (168.6) – welterweight championship
  • [autotag]Ali Isaev[/autotag] (258.8) vs. [autotag]Jared Rosholt[/autotag] (250.6) – heavyweight championship
  • [autotag]Natan Schulte[/autotag] (153.6) vs. [autotag]Loik Radzhabov[/autotag] (154.8) – lightweight championship
  • [autotag]Lance Palmer[/autotag] (144.6) vs. [autotag]Alex Gilpin[/autotag] (144.4) – featherweight championship
  • [autotag]Emiliano Sordi[/autotag] (204.4) vs. [autotag]Jordan Johnson[/autotag] (202.2) – light heavyweight championship

PRELIMS (ESPN+)

  • [autotag]Brendan Loughnane[/autotag] (146) vs. [autotag]David Alex Valente[/autotag] (145.8)

[jwplayer JgUve1V9-RbnemIYZ]

PFL Championship: Title fighters face off ahead of end-of-season finale in New York

Recap the staredowns as the stars of the PFL Championship faced off for the media at the pre-fight press conference in New York.

The 2019 PFL season comes to a close on Dec. 31 as the organization hosts its end-of-year finale in New York, with six championship belts – and six $1 million prize checks – up for grabs.

The fighters sounded off, then faced off, at the recent pre-fight press conference ahead of their respective bouts at the Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden, as the fighters set for action in the six title fights, plus one featured preliminary bout went eye-to-eye for the cameras.

Headlining the event is a battle for the PFL women’s lightweight title, with two-time Olympic judo champion [autotag]Kayla Harrison[/autotag] (6-0, 6-0 PFL) looking to pick up her first championship gold as an MMA fighter when she takes on Brazil’s [autotag]Larissa Pacheco[/autotag] (13-3, 2-1 PFL).

Their bout tops a seven-fight card that features five more championship matchups as the season-long PFL tournaments come to a conclusion with each division’s final championship bout.

Returning 2018 champions [autotag]Natan Schulte[/autotag] and [autotag]Lance Palmer[/autotag] both made it all the way through to their respective finals once again as they bid to become two-time PFL tournament champions. Schulte (19-3-1, 8-0-1 PFL) takes on [autotag]Loik Radzhabov[/autotag] (13-1-1, 2-1-1 PFL) for the 155-pound strap, while Palmer (21-3, 10-0 PFL) faces off against [autotag]Alex Gilpin[/autotag] (14-3, 2-2 PFL) in the 145-pound final.

The heavyweight belt will be contested between Russian powerhouse [autotag]Ali Isaev[/autotag] (8-0, 4-0 PFL) and gritty American veteran [autotag]Jared Rosholt[/autotag] (20-7, 6-3 PFL), while the 205-pound title will see Argentina’s [autotag]Emiliano Sordi[/autotag] (21-8, 5-1 PFL) take on America’s [autotag]Jordan Johnson[/autotag] (12-1-1, 2-1 PFL). Also up for grabs is the PFL welterweight title, with former UFC veteran [autotag]David Michaud[/autotag] (18-5, 3-1 PFL) taking on 2018 runner-up [autotag]Ray Cooper III[/autotag] (19-7-1, 6-2-1 PFL).

The six title fights will be preceded by a featured featherweight preliminary bout, as England’s [autotag]Brendan Loughnane[/autotag] (18-3, 1-0 PFL) takes on Brazil’s [autotag]David Valente[/autotag] (11-4, 0-0 PFL).

PFL Finals 2019 confirmed fight card includes:

  • Kayla Harrison vs. Larissa Pacheco – for women’s lightweight title
  • Ray Cooper III vs. David Michaud – for welterweight title
  • Ali Isaev vs. Jared Rosholt – for heavyweight title
  • Champion Natan Schulte vs. Loik Radzhabov – for lightweight title
  • Champion Lance Palmer vs. Alex Gilpin – for featherweight title
  • Jordan Johnson vs. Emiliano Sordi – for light heavyweight title
  • Brendan Loughnane vs. David Valente

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PFL Playoffs 2019: Make your predictions for six $1 million division finals

We want your predictions for the 2019 PFL playoff finals in New York.

We want your predictions for next week’s 2019 PFL playoff finals in New York.

Our staff picks feature includes the consensus picks from MMA Junkie readers. Simply cast your vote for each bout below, and we’ll use the official tallies that are registered by Sunday at noon ET (9 a.m. PT).

Those MMA Junkie reader consensus picks will be part of the PFL 2019 playoff finals staff predictions we release Monday ahead of the event. The 2019 PFL playoff finals take place Tuesday, New Year’s Eve, at Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York. The card airs on ESPN2.

Make your picks for all six playoff finals inside.

PFL announces championship alternates as Daniel Pineda waits to appeal ‘irregular’ drug test

PFL featherweight finalist Daniel Pineda will soon find out if he’s still eligible to compete for $1 million.

With featherweight finalist [autotag]Daniel Pineda[/autotag] set to go before the Nevada Athletic Commission regarding his recent drug test mishap, the PFL on Wednesday announced a list of championship alternates.

They are as follows:

  • Featherweight: [autotag]Alex Gilpin[/autotag]
  • Women’s lightweight: Sarah Kaufman
  • Lightweight: Chris Wade
  • Welterweight: Glaico Franca (second alternate is Chris Curtis)
  • Light heavyweight: Bozigit Ataev
  • Heavyweight: Denis Goltsov

Pineda was flagged last month by the NAC, leaving his eligibility for the $1 million title fight in jeopardy. After weeks without comment, the PFL deemed it “an irregular test result.” Pineda is scheduled to go before the NAC on Dec. 18, when it’s expected to be determined if he’ll face defending 145-pound champion [autotag]Lance Palmer[/autotag].

“The PFL believes all athletes deserve due process and will, within reason, provide the fighters who earned their way into the finals every opportunity to compete on New Year’s Eve,” PFL CEO Peter Murray said in a statement. “The league, as always, will abide by the final ruling of the commission.”

If Pineda is suspended, then Gilpin, who lost in the semifinals to Palmer, would get a rematch.

The PFL 2019 Championship takes place Dec. 31 at Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York and airs on ESPN2.

PFL 2019 Championship lineup includes:

  • Kayla Harrison vs. Larissa Pacheco – women’s lightweight final
  • David Michaud vs. Ray Cooper III – welterweight final
  • Lance Palmer vs. Opponent TBA – featherweight final
  • Natan Schulte vs. Loik Radzhabov – lightweight final
  • Emiliano Sordi vs. Jordan Johnson – light heavyweight final
  • Jared Rosholt vs. Ali Isaev – heavyweight final