Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
No. 1 seed Clay Collard (24-10) meets No. 2 Olivier Aubin-Mercier (20-5) in the PFL’s 155-pound season championship.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The PFL crowned its next $1 million lightweight winner Friday.
No. 1 seed [autotag]Clay Collard[/autotag] (24-10) met No. 2 Olivier Aubin-Mercier (20-5) in the 155-pound season championship at The Anthem in Washington, D.C.
Go inside the matchup below, from the backstory and the buildup through the end of the fight itself, with stats, photos, preview videos, highlight videos, quotes, recaps and more.
The story will update throughout the fight and event.
Check out which veterans of the UFC are competing in combat sports across the globe this weekend.
This week, the UFC is idle during Thanksgiving week.
Elsewhere, many other combat sports events are taking place that feature a number of familiar names that have competed under the UFC banner.
Check out which veterans of the global MMA leader are competing Nov. 23-24.
Scroll below to see how the UFC veterans fared last week, and see the names and details of this weekend’s competitors.
Upcoming event information from Tapology.
Clay Collard would love to box Nate Diaz.
[autotag]Clay Collard[/autotag] would love to box [autotag]Nate Diaz[/autotag].
Collard has boxed 18 times as a professional, amassing a 9-6-3 record. He hasn’t entered the ring since December 2021 but would be open to it with the right opportunity. Collard ripped Diaz for his performance against Jake Paul, where the Stockton superstar lost a unanimous decision this past August in what was his boxing debut. Collard is open to boxing Diaz, then meeting him in the cage.
“If the money is right, I would love to box again,” Collard told MMA Junkie Radio. “I’ve been talking a little bit of sh*t on Jake Paul on Twitter and stuff like that hoping to beat him up. Nate Diaz’s boxing looked like dog sh*t in my opinion. So yeah, I’d like to box. I like boxing. I’m good at boxing. … F*ck Nate Diaz.
“He might have a little bit bigger name than me, but his boxing is f*cking dog sh*t. So I’ll fight him in boxing, turn around and fight in the smart cage. I’ll get to put on a little weight. He’s a little bit bigger than me, so I’ll lift a little bit, get to eat going on the scale, but yeah, I would love that. Line it up. I’m hoping to tell enough people they start talking enough they’ll just do it.”
First Collard (24-10-1) will look to win his first $1 million lightweight title when he meets Olivier Aubin-Mercier (20-5) at 2023 PFL Championship on Nov. 24 at The Anthem in Washington, D.C. The event streams live on ESPN+ PPV.
Collard is coming off a barnburner against ex-UFC fighter Shane Burgos and dubbed himself as the most exciting fighter in the PFL.
“I’m for sure the most exciting fighter in the PFL,” Collard said. “I think that’s a given. I think I’m one of the most exciting fighters in the world, so it’s something I am proud of.”
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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for 2023 PFL Championship.
With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best fights from August 2023.
With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best fights from August 2023: Here are the five nominees, listed in chronological order, and winner of MMA Junkie’s Fight of the Month award for August.
At the bottom of the post, let us know if we got it right by voting on your choice.
Watch the highlights of Clay Collard’s insane war against Shane Burgos in the main event of 2023 PFL Playoffs 3.
[autotag]Clay Collard[/autotag] and [autotag]Shane Burgos[/autotag] delivered this week, easily, one of the best fights of the year.
The two lightweights went toe-to-toe for 15 minutes in a semifinal bout that headlined Wednesday’s 2023 PFL Playoffs 3. In the end, Collard (25-10) defeated Burgos (16-6) by unanimous decision, which read 29-28 across all three judges’ scorecards.
It was an epic fight that had both fighters in trouble multiple times, and is arguably now the best fight in PFL history.
You can watch the replay of the highlights in the video above.
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Collard entered the lightweight playoffs as the No. 1 seed after picking up a unanimous decision win over Yamato Nishikawa and a second-round stoppage of Stevie Ray in his regular season bouts. With the result, he now advanced to the finals, where he will face Olivier Aubin-Mercier, who recorded a second-round TKO stoppage against Bruno Miranda in the co-main event of the card.
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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for 2023 PFL Playoffs 3.
Check out these photos from Clay Collard vs. Shane Burgos, a lightweight semifinal bout at 2023 PFL Playoffs 3 in New York.
Check out these photos from [autotag]Clay Collard[/autotag]’s victory over Shane Burgos in a lightweight semifinal bout at 2023 PFL Playoffs 3 at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York. (Photos courtesy of Cooper Neill, PFL MMA)
Check out the full results of 2023 PFL Playoffs 3, including which lightweights and welterweights advanced to the 2023 PFL Championships.
2023 PFL Playoffs 3 took place Wednesday and MMA Junkie provided live and official results throughout the entire card.
The event featured welterweight and lightweight playoff bouts at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York. The main card aired live on ESPN at 9 p.m. ET following prelims on ESPN+ beginning at 6:30 p.m. ET.
In the featured contest, [autotag]Clay Collard[/autotag] (25-10) took on [autotag]Shane Burgos[/autotag] (16-6) in a Fight of the Year contender lightweight semifinal bout. It was a brutal contest with high-volume striking, but in the end, Collard earned unanimous 29-28 scores from the official judges.
Fists were flying early and often in the first round, living up to the expectation of an exciting matchup. Collard’s volume was higher, mixing up punches to the body and head with sharp combinations. Burgos landed well early and added some nice kicks, but as the round wore on, Collard put a stamp on the round by hurting Burgos with shots to the chin.
Delivering just as advertised… Round 2 up now!!#PFLPlayoffs LIVE NOW
🇺🇸 ESPN
🌎 https://t.co/jPNvomCxHI pic.twitter.com/7jEHWZt23m— PFL (@PFLMMA) August 24, 2023
Collard continued to march forward with accurate punches early in the second, causing blood to flow from Burgos’ face. Keeping his opponent honest, Burgos fired back with damaging inside leg kicks. Collard continued to pepper out jabs, but was knocked off his feet by a hard leg kick from Burgos. The momentum only lasted seconds, as Collard returned to his feet and landed a hard left hook to send Burgos to the mat. Collard followed him to the ground for more strikes, but the finish wouldn’t come as Burgos worked his way back up. The round closed with more striking exchanges on the feet.
Dropped him like a bad habit!#PFLPlayoffs LIVE NOW
🇺🇸 ESPN
🌎 https://t.co/jPNvomCxHI pic.twitter.com/pbTUfHQvIp— PFL (@PFLMMA) August 24, 2023
The striking exchanges continued at a high clip in the final round. Burgos added punches to the body along with kicks, as Collard worked fast punches and showed excellent head movement. A hard inside leg kick prompted Collard to shoot for a takedown, but Burgos stuffed it and shook his fingers at his opponent. They returned to the center to trade more strikes, but the inside kicks from Burgos really bothered Collard. After a clinch against the cage, it was back to fighting in the phone booth in the center of the cage. More inside leg kicks affected Collard’s movement, but he kept firing as they traded blows until the final horn.
AND YOUR WINNER VIA UNANIMOUS DECISION… "Cassius" Clay Collard!!!#PFLPlayoffs LIVE NOW
🇺🇸 ESPN
🌎 https://t.co/jPNvomCxHI pic.twitter.com/9VbU8b6uMy— PFL (@PFLMMA) August 24, 2023
The judges saw the fight unanimously for Collard, earning his first PFL finals appearance.
Collard entered the lightweight playoffs as the No. 1 seed after picking up a unanimous decision win over Yamato Nishikawa and a second-round stoppage of Stevie Ray in his regular season bouts. He now advances to the finals where he will face [autotag]Olivier Aubin-Mercier[/autotag], who recorded a second-round TKO stoppage against Bruno Miranda in the co-main event.
In the welterweight semifinal bouts, [autotag]Sadibou Sy[/autotag] defeated Carlos Leal by split decision, and [autotag]Magomed Magomedkerimov[/autotag] turned away Solomon Renfro to advance to the finals.
Check out the official results, details and highlight clips from each bout below.
Check out which veterans of the UFC are competing in combat sports across the globe this weekend.
This week, the UFC travels to Singapore for UFC Fight Night 225.
The event at Singapore Indoor Stadium features a featherweight clash between former champion [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag] and “The Korean Zombie” [autotag]Chan Sung Jung[/autotag].
Elsewhere, many other combat sports events are taking place that feature a number of familiar names that have competed under the UFC banner.
Check out which veterans of the global MMA leader are competing in MMA and bareknuckle boxing this week from Aug. 23-27.
Check out the names and details about their bouts below.
Upcoming event information from Tapology.
Check out the disclosed 2023 PFL 6 fighter pays, including what Shane Burgos is making after jumping over from the UFC.
PFL returned to Atlanta this past Thursday for the third of three shows in three consecutive weeks at Overtime Elite Arena.
2023 PFL 6 featured final regular season bouts at lightweight and welterweight, as well as three showcase fights. In the main event, 2022 PFL lightweight champion [autotag]Olivier Aubin-Mercier[/autotag] knocked out Dana White’s Contender Series alum [autotag]Anthony Romero[/autotag].
Other names on the card included former UFC fighters [autotag]Shane Burgos[/autotag] and [autotag]Clay Collard[/autotag], as well as past PFL championship winners [autotag]Raush Manfio[/autotag], [autotag]Natan Schulte[/autotag], [autotag]Sadibou Sy[/autotag] and [autotag]Magomed Magomedkerimov[/autotag].
MMA Junkie acquired a list of the 24 fighters’ disclosed payouts Monday from the Georgia Athletic and Entertainment Commission. The amounts do not include bonuses, sponsorships or any other discretionary payments.
Five fighters topped the list at $100,000, while all other fighters received five-figure or four-figure payouts. Among them was Burgos, who left the UFC as a free agent to sign with the PFL. Friday, Burgos pocketed a six-figure flat purse against [autotag]Yamato Nishikawa[/autotag].
Scroll below to see the disclosed pay for each 2023 PFL 6 fighter.
A fight between close friends Natan Schulte and Raush Manfio has resulted in both fighters suspended and one removed from the playoffs.
[autotag]Natan Schulte[/autotag] won’t be in the 2023 PFL playoffs after all.
Less than 12 hours after Schulte (25-5-1) defeated [autotag]Raush Manfio[/autotag] (17-5) via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) at 2023 PFL 6 and clinched a playoff spot in the process, the promotion announced his removal from the postseason and both fighters’ suspensions for the remainder of the season.
“Last night Natan Schulte and Raush Manfio did not meet the standards which all PFL fighters agree to uphold in competition,” a PFL press release Saturday said. “All fighters in their PFL Fight Agreements agree to use their ‘best efforts … skills and abilities as a professional athlete to compete … and defeat any opponent.’”
The bout in question took place Friday at Overtime Elite Arena in Atlanta on the event’s preliminary card. For the majority of three rounds, Schulte and Manfio were hesitant to engage. The two are close friends and training partners.
“It was very clear that Natan and Raush did not meet that contractual standard in yesterday’s bout,” the promotion said. “PFL immediately suspended both fighters from the season and deemed the fight to have 0 points for purposes of League standings. PFL takes this action in recognition of its responsibility to all PFL fighters and all PFL fans.”
As a result, [autotag]Shane Burgos[/autotag] (16-4) will slide into a playoff slot and take on [autotag]Clay Collard[/autotag] (23-10), who previously clinched the No. 1 seed. [autotag]Olivier Aubin-Mercier[/autotag] (19-5) and [autotag]Bruno Miranda[/autotag] (16-3) man the other side of the four-man playoff bracket.
OFFICIAL: Revised matchups are set for the Lightweight Semifinals#PFLPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/FNVTSLLxVu
— PFL (@PFLMMA) June 24, 2023
The unusual nature of Friday’s fight gained much attention from fans and even other PFL lightweights prior to the announcement Saturday,
2022 PFL lightweight champion Aubin-Mercier, who defeated Anthony Romero in the card’s main event, questioned if the promotion should have two fighters from the same gym compete in the same weight division.
“It was really weird,” Aubin-Mercier said (via BestFightPicks). “I have to be very clear. I understand 100 percent if I was going to fight my best friend. … It would be a fight like this. But at the same time, it’s unfair to anybody else. I think it showed PFL. When I said I wanted PFL to be better, I think it showed maybe we shouldn’t put two people of the same gym in the same category. This stuff can happen.
Olivier Aubin Mercier Thinks The Schulte/Manfio Fight Was Fixed 👀https://t.co/b8mJoZOG4C#PFL6 #PFLATL #PFL @oliaubin pic.twitter.com/5NuvONb1zR
— Dan (@BestFightPicks) June 24, 2023
MMA Junkie reached out Saturday to the George Athletic and Entertainment Commission (GAEC), which oversaw the event. The story will be updated to reflect comment if/when it is received.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for PFL 2023, Week 6.
