Tag: Jason Soares

Anthony Pettis vs. Clay Collard to headline PFL 2021 season opener

It’s showtime for the PFL’s 2021 season beginning April 23.

After a full 2020 season hiatus due to COVID-19, the PFL makes its long-awaited return with its first event of the year.

PFL 2021, Week 1 will see the first matchups at featherweight and lightweight, including the promotional debut of former UFC and WEC lightweight champion [autotag]Anthony Pettis[/autotag].

Pettis (24-10) will feature in the night’s main event against two-sport athlete [autotag]Clay Collard[/autotag] (18-8), while the organization’s lightweight and featherweight champions from 2019, [autotag]Natan Schulte[/autotag] and [autotag]Lance Palmer[/autotag], also are scheduled for action.

Brazilian grappling ace and two-time lightweight champ Schulte (20-3-1) will take on Polish mat specialist [autotag]Marcin Held[/autotag] (26-7) in the co-main event, while two-time featherweight champ Palmer (22-3) will line up against former Brave CF featherweight champ – and former collegiate wrestling rival – [autotag]Bubba Jenkins[/autotag] (14-4) on the main card.

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The main card also will feature a featherweight bout between [autotag]Movlid Khaybulaev[/autotag] (15-0-1) and undefeated promotional newcomer and former Titan FC featherweight champion [autotag]Jason Soares[/autotag] (14-0).

PFL 1 takes place Friday, April 23 at a venue to be confirmed. The event will air on ESPN2 following prelims on ESPN+. Further regular season events will follow on April 29, May 6, and June 10, 17, and 25.

The full PFL 1 lineup includes:

MAIN CARD (ESPN2, 9 p.m. ET)

  • Anthony Pettis vs. Clay Collard
  • Marcin Held vs. Natan Schulte
  • Movlid Khaybulaev vs. Jason Soares
  • Bubba Jenkins vs. Lance Palmer

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, 5:30 p.m. ET)

  • Johnny Case vs. Loik Radzhabov
  • Olivier Aubin-Mercier vs. Joilton Lutterbach
  • Akhmed Aliev vs. Mikhail Odintsov
  • Tyler Diamond vs. Jo Sungbin
  • Brendan Loughnane vs. Sheymon Moraes

Undefeated Titan FC champ Jason Soares signs with PFL, will enter 2020 tournament

Sitting atop a 14-0 record, Jason Soares finally has found a permanent home.

[autotag]Jason Soares[/autotag] finally has a permanent home.

An undefeated featherweight fighter, Soares (14-0) has signed with PFL. With $1 million on the line, Soares will enter the promotion’s 2020 tournament, Soares announced early Saturday morning on his Instagram account.

“Contract is signed, next year we are in the @pflmma $1,000,000 tournament on @espn, money is great, but I want a new belt,” Soares wrote.

Soares has dominated the southeast regional scene since early 2012, finishing 12 of his 14 professional fights.

At Titan FC 49 in April 2018, Soares earned the Titan FC featherweight title when he submitted then-champion Luis Gomez in the fourth round. Since winning the belt, Soares has defended thrice and has finished all three challengers.

At Titan FC 54 in April 2019, UFC president Dana White brought “Dana White: Lookin’ for a Fight” to scout Soares. Taking on Brazil’s Ariston Franca, Soares was flattened early in the first round.

Somehow, Soares survived en route to a miraculous comeback by fourth-round ground-and-pound victory. Soares’ struggles early in the fight were too much for White, who elected not to offer him a UFC deal.

In his most recent outing in August at Titan FC 56, Soares submitted 23-fight veteran Andrew Whitney by second-round armbar.

Check out Soares’ PFL announcement in the post below:

No date, location, or opponent for Soares’ PFL debut has been revealed at this time.