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Check out these photos from Oleg Popov vs. Davion Franklin at 2024 PFL 4 in Uncasville, Conn.
Check out these photos from [autotag]Oleg Popov[/autotag]’s win over Davion Franklin at 2024 PFL 4 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. (Photos by Cooper Neill, PFL MMA)
It’s not every day that a heavyweight misses the divisional limit, as one did ahead of PFL’s return Thursday.
The PFL regular season continues Thursday with 2024 PFL 4, and all fights are now locked in after the official weigh-ins where one combatant – a heavyweight – missed the mark.
The event, which takes place at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., features heavyweights and women’s flyweights in their first fights of the season.
In the main event, former Bellator interim heavyweight champion [autotag]Valentin Moldavsky[/autotag] (13-3) fights [autotag]Linton Vassell[/autotag] (24-9) for the third time. The co-main event features fast-rising star [autotag]Dakota Ditcheva[/autotag] (11-0) against fellow muay Thai specialist [autotag]Chelsea Hackett[/autotag] (4-2-1).
All fighters except one made weight Thursday, as heavyweight [autotag]Davion Franklin[/autotag] tipped the scale at 268.5 pounds. His opponent, [autotag]Oleg Popov[/autotag] weighed 245 pounds – 23.5 pounds less.
The full 2024 PFL 4 official weigh-ins results include:
MAIN CARD (ESPN/ESPN+, 9 p.m. ET)
PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, 5:30 p.m. ET)
* = Franklin missed heavyweight limit by 2.5 pounds
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for 2024 PFL 4.
The PFL’s return next month, and debut at Bellator’s former East Coast home base, has seen a pair of changes at heavyweight.
The PFL’s return next month, and debut at Bellator’s former East Coast home base, has seen a pair of changes at heavyweight.
[autotag]Daniel James[/autotag] (15-7-1) is out of his fight against [autotag]Tyrell Fortune[/autotag] (13-2) on the main card. Fortune now will take on [autotag]Marcelo Golm[/autotag] (10-5). And [autotag]Marcelo Nunes[/autotag] (11-2) is out of his bout against [autotag]Oleg Popov[/autotag] (17-1). Popov now will take on replacement [autotag]Davion Franklin[/autotag] (6-2).
A Bellator official informed MMA Junkie of the new matchups Monday. The start of the PFL’s second half of the regular season takes place June 13 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. (ESPN/ESPN+), and features heavyweights and women’s flyweights who will attempt to qualify for the four-person postseason.
Fortune was supposed to fight Golm this past November at UFC 301 in Chicago, but Fortune became sick on fight day after the event started and the bout was scrapped. Fortune also was supposed to fight James to open the regular season, but had to withdraw. Consequently, he has no points in the standings, which are led by Valentin Moldavsky with 6 points. Golm lost his opening bout of the regular season.
Popov has 5 points after a second-round stoppage in his first fight of the season. Franklin will be fighting for the first time in the regular season.
With the changes, the PFL Week 4 lineup now includes:
MAIN CARD (ESPN, 9 p.m. ET)
PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, 5:30 p.m. ET)
The lone heavyweight fight on Saturday’s 18-fight Bellator 291 lineup ini Dublin has been scrapped.
DUBLIN – The lone heavyweight fight on Saturday’s 18-fight Bellator 291 lineup has been scrapped.
[autotag]Oleg Popov[/autotag] (15-1 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) was set to take on [autotag]Gokhan Saricam[/autotag] (8-1 MMA, 4-1 BMMA) on the preliminary card at 3Arena in Dublin. The main card airs on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie.
But following Friday’s official weigh-ins in Ireland, Bellator officials told MMA Junkie that Popov was not cleared after his medical exam and his fight against Saricam has been removed from the lineup.
Popov was set to make his Bellator debut on the strength of a 13-fight winning streak. The highly touted Russian hasn’t lost in more than six years. He was set to make his promotional debut this past October, but the fight was canceled as part of Bellator’s COVID-19 protocols.
Saricam lost his Bellator debut to Steve Mowry in 2019, but has won four straight since then. After first-round knockouts of Joffie Houlton and Charlie Milner, the latter of which came in just 15 seconds, the Turkish heavyweight won a pair of decisions in 2022 against Kiril Sidelnikov and Said Sowma.
With the cancellation, the Bellator 291 lineup now includes:
MAIN CARD (Showtime, 4 p.m. ET)
PRELIMINARY CARD (MMA Junkie, 11:30 a.m. ET)
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 291.
