Former Bellator welterweight champion Rory MacDonald will make his PFL debut against 2019 season runner-up David Michaud on April 29.
Hot on the heels of the PFL’s announcement of this season’s curtain-raiser, the promotion has confirmed its lineup for its second round of bouts.
PFL 2021, Week 2 takes place on Thursday, April 29 and features a 10-fight card headlined by one of the promotion’s biggest new signings.
Former Bellator welterweight champion and UFC title challenger [autotag]Rory MacDonald[/autotag] will make his promotional debut in the night’s main event against 2019 welterweight season runner-up [autotag]David Michaud[/autotag].
MacDonald (21-6-1) won and twice defended the Bellator 170-pound title during a six-fight stint with the promotion, but he lost his belt in a rematch with Douglas Lima in his final bout with the organization at Bellator 232.
MacDonald subsequently explored free agency and signed a deal with PFL, and he will kick off the latest chapter in his career against Michaud (18-6), who has lost just twice since the summer of 2017.
His 2019 PFL campaign started with a 17-second body-kick knockout loss to Sadibou Sy, but he bounced back to register three successive wins over Handesson Ferreira, John Howard, and Glaico Franca to earn a spot in the welterweight season final. He lost out to [autotag]Ray Cooper III[/autotag] via second-round TKO and will be looking to bounce back with a statement win over MacDonald.
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The PFL’s 2019 welterweight and light heavyweight champions are both set for action on the card, with 170-pound champion Cooper (20-7-1) facing French contender [autotag]Jason Ponet[/autotag] (20-12-1) in the co-main event, while 205-pound champion [autotag]Emiliano Sordi[/autotag] (22-8) will kick off the defense of his crown against former UFC veteran [autotag]Chris Camozzi[/autotag] (25-14) in the main card opener.
The main card also features a light heavyweight battle between 2019 205-pound runner-up [autotag]Jordan Johnson[/autotag] (12-2-1) and promotional newcomer [autotag]Tom Lawlor[/autotag] (10-7), while 2018 welterweight champion [autotag]Magomed Magomedkerimov[/autotag] (27-5) will look to establish his championship credentials in 2021 after injury curtailed his title defense in the 2019 season. He will take on Brazil’s [autotag]Joao Zeferino[/autotag] (24-9) in the night’s featured preliminary card bout.
PFL 2 takes place at a venue to be confirmed. The event will air on ESPN2 following prelims on ESPN+. Further regular season events will follow on May 6, and June 10, 17, and 25.
The full PFL 2 lineup includes:
MAIN CARD (ESPN 2)
- Rory MacDonald vs. David Michaud
- Ray Cooper III vs. Jason Ponet
- Jordan Johnson vs. Tom Lawlor
- Chris Camozzi vs. Emiliano Sordi
PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+)
- Magomed Magomedkerimov vs. Joao Zeferino
- Smealinho Rama vs. Jordan Young
- Cezar Ferreira vs. Nick Roehrick
- Aleksei Kunchenko vs. Gleison Tibau
- Nikolai Aleksakhin vs. Sadibou Sy
- Marthin Hamlet vs. Daniel Spohn
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