Tag: Ryoji Kudo

2023 PFL 4 fighter pay: Bubba Jenkins, Movlid Khaybulaev top list with six figures

Check out the disclosed 2023 PFL 4 fighter pays released by the state of Georgia.

PFL returned to Atlanta this past Thursday for the first of three shows in consecutive weeks at Overtime Elite Arena.

2023 PFL 4 featured final regular season bouts at light heavyweight and featherweight, as well as a pair of showcase fights. The event saw a shocking main event result when former UFC fighter [autotag]Jesus Pinedo[/autotag] knocked out 2022 PFL featherweight champion [autotag]Brendan Loughnane[/autotag] with a brutal knee and punches in Round 1.

Also on the card, 2021 PFL featherweight champion [autotag]Movlid Khaybulaev[/autotag] defeated former UFC fighter [autotag]Tyler Diamond[/autotag], and former UFC bantamweight title challenger [autotag]Marlon Moraes[/autotag] retired after a knockout loss to [autotag]Gabriel Braga[/autotag].

MMA Junkie acquired a list of the 22 athletes’ disclosed payouts from the Georgia Athletic and Entertainment Commission. The amounts do not include bonuses, sponsorships, or any other discretionary payments.

Two fighters, 2022 PFL featherweight runner-up [autotag]Bubba Jenkins[/autotag] and Khaybulaev, topped the list at $100,000 and were the only two athletes on the card with disclosed six-figure payouts.

Scroll below to see the disclosed pay for each 2023 PFL 4 fighter.

Chris Wade can’t afford ‘dragged-out’ battle with Ryoji Kudo at 2023 PFL 4: ‘Somebody’s going down’

To keep his playoff hopes alive, Chris Wade will take a kill-or-be-killed approach heading into 2023 PFL 4.

[autotag]Chris Wade[/autotag] will take a kill-or-be-killed approach heading into 2023 PFL 4.

Wade (22-9) meets [autotag]Ryoji Kudo[/autotag] (11-5-1) on June 8 at Overtime Elite Arena in Atlanta. “The Long Island Killer” will look to rebound from his loss to Bubba Jenkins in the season opener at 2023 PFL 1.

In order to keep his playoff hopes alive, Wade could really use a finish. And that’s what he’s aiming for.

“I cannot afford to go down in some type of like slow, dragged out, back-and-forth, grappling-heavy situation,” Wade told MMA Junkie Radio. “I need to be OK with the risk of going out on my own shield. I told everybody, ‘I just want to let you know: Somebody’s going down. It’s me, or it’s him, but somebody’s going down.'”

[lawrence-related id=2630431,2629990,2637688]

Wade has just seven career finishes, but two of them came in recent knockout wins over Kyle Bochniak and Arman Ospanov. He plans on digging deep into that version of himself.

“There’s another level,” Wade said. “This level is nothing. The place that I’m gonna take myself to is gonna be a special place. You can’t get there and go there all the time, but I promise you guys that. Watch this fight, because this is one where I need to leave my stamp and show the world what I’m capable of when I’m at my most aggressive, when I’m at my most motivated. When people write me off, when people turn their back on me, I thrive in that sh*t. I really do. And that’s the place I’m at right now.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for 2023 PFL 4.

Movlid Khaybulaev def. Ryoji Kudo at 2023 PFL 1: Best photos

Check out the best photos from Movlid Khaybulaev’s unanimous decision win over Ryoji Kudo at 2023 PFL 1 in Las Vegas.

Check out the best photos from [autotag]Movlid Khaybulaev[/autotag]’s unanimous decision win over [autotag]Ryoji Kudo[/autotag] at PFL 2023, Week 1 at The Theater at Virgin Hotels in Las Vegas. (Photos courtesy of PFL)

2023 PFL 1 ceremonial faceoffs video: Brendan Loughnane, Marlon Moraes size each other up

Check out the ceremonial faceoffs from the first PFL event of 2023.

LAS VEGAS – The 2023 PFL season kicks off Saturday and the promotion held its first ceremonial faceoffs Friday at The Theater at Virgin Hotels.

2023 PFL 1 features the first of two regular season fights for its featherweight and light heavyweight fighters with a main card on ESPN/ESPN+ after prelims on ESPN+.

In the main event, 2022 PFL featherweight champion [autotag]Brendan Loughnane[/autotag] (26-4) returns against former UFC bantamweight title challenger [autotag]Marlon Moraes[/autotag] (23-11-1).

Also on the card, 2022 PFL light heavyweight champion [autotag]Robert Wilkinson[/autotag] (17-2) takes on former UFC light heavyweight title challenger [autotag]Thiago Santos[/autotag] (22-11).

Check out the ceremonial faceoffs above and the full fight card below.

MAIN CARD (ESPN/ESPN+, 9 p.m. ET)

  • Brendan Loughnane vs. Marlon Moraes
  • Rob Wilkinson vs. Thiago Santos
  • Will Fleury vs. Krzysztof Jotko
  • Movlid Khaybulaev vs. Ryoji Kudo
  • Bubba Jenkins vs. Chris Wade

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, 6 p.m. ET)

  • Mohammad Fakhreddine vs. Marthin Hamlet
  • Sam Kei vs. Josh Silveira
  • Alejandro Flores vs. Daniel Torres
  • Sung Bin Jo vs. Jesus Pinedo
  • Ty Flores vs. Delan Monte
  • Cory Hendricks vs. Impa Kasanganay

PFL 2023, Week 1 predictions: Check out our three unanimous picks to open the season

Check out our staff members’ picks for the PFL 2023, Week 1 main card in Las Vegas, which features featherweights and light heavyweights.

Loughnane
vs.
Moraes		 Santos
vs.
Wilkinson		 Fleury
vs.
Jotko		 Khayvulaev
vs.
Kudo		 Jenkins
vs.
Wade
MMA Junkie readers’
consensus picks
35-24		 loughnane2023
Loughnane
(88%)		 wilkinson2023
Wilkinson
(56%)		 jotko2023
Jotko
(88%)		 khaybulaev2023
Khaybulaev
(88%)		 wade2023
Wade
(61%)
Matt Erickson
@MattE
37-22		 loughnane2023
Loughnane		 santos2023
Santos		 jotko2023
Jotko		 khaybulaev2023
Khaybulaev		 wade2023
Wade
Nolan King
@mma_kings
37-22		 loughnane2023
Loughnane		 wilkinson2023
Wilkinson		 jotko2023
Jotko		 khaybulaev2023
Khaybulaev		 wade2023
Wade
George Garcia
@MMAjunkieGeorge
37-22		 loughnane2023
Loughnane		 wilkinson2023
Wilkinson		 jotko2023
Jotko		 khaybulaev2023
Khaybulaev		 wade2023
Wade
Simon Samano
@SJSamano
35-24		 loughnane2023
Loughnane		 wilkinson2023
Wilkinson		 jotko2023
Jotko		 khaybulaev2023
Khaybulaev		 wade2023
Wade
Abbey Subhan
@kammakaze
34-25		 loughnane2023
Loughnane		 wilkinson2023
Wilkinson		 jotko2023
Jotko		 khaybulaev2023
Khaybulaev		 jenkins2023
Jenkins
Farah Hannoun
@Farah_Hannoun
34-25		 loughnane2023
Loughnane		 wilkinson2023
Wilkinson		 jotko2023
Jotko		 khaybulaev2023
Khaybulaev		 wade2023
Wade
Ken Hathaway
@kenshathaway
33-26
trophy copy 2018, 2022 Champion		 loughnane2023
Loughnane		 wilkinson2023
Wilkinson		 jotko2023
Jotko		 khaybulaev2023
Khaybulaev		 jenkins2023
Jenkins
Matthew Wells
@MrMWells
33-26		 loughnane2023
Loughnane		 wilkinson2023
Wilkinson		 jotko2023
Jotko		 khaybulaev2023
Khaybulaev		 jenkins2023
Jenkins
Mike Bohn
@MikeBohn
32-27
trophy copy 2014 Champion		 loughnane2023
Loughnane		 santos2023
Santos		 jotko2023
Jotko		 khaybulaev2023
Khaybulaev		 wade2023
Wade
Danny Segura
@dannyseguratv
32-27		 loughnane2023
Loughnane		 santos2023
Santos		 jotko2023
Jotko		 khaybulaev2023
Khaybulaev		 wade2023
Wade
Brian Garcia
@thegoze
31-28
trophy copy 2017 Champion		 loughnane2023
Loughnane		 wilkinson2023
Wilkinson		 jotko2023
Jotko		 khaybulaev2023
Khaybulaev		 jenkins2023
Jenkins

The PFL is back for its 2023 regular season, and featherweights and light heavyweights are up first.

PFL 2023, Week 1 takes place Saturday at The Theater at Virgin Hotels in Las Vegas. The main card airs on ESPN following prelims on ESPN+.

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

In the main event, 2022 featherweight season winner [autotag]Brendan Loughnane[/autotag] (26-4) takes on [autotag]Marlon Moraes[/autotag] (23-11-1), a former WSOF bantamweight champion and ex-UFC interim title challenger who has fallen on rough times with five straight losses, including in his PFL debut this past November. Loughnane is the biggest favorite on the card at -750 at BetMGM; the comeback on Moraes is +500. Not surprisingly, our 11 editors, writers, radio hosts and videographers have Loughnane as one of three unanimous picks on the main card.

The co-main event also features a former UFC title challenger in [autotag]Thiago Santos[/autotag] (22-11), who takes on 2022 light heavyweight season winner [autotag]Rob Wilkinson[/autotag] (17-2), who has six straight wins by stoppage. Wilkinson is a 2-1 favorite at the betting window, and he has a big 8-3 lead in the picks from our staff members.

Also on the main card, [autotag]Krzysztof Jotko[/autotag] (24-6) will fight outside the UFC for the first time in nearly 10 years when he steps in on short notice to take on [autotag]Will Fleury[/autotag] (11-3) at light heavyweight. Jotko, who is moving up after years at middleweight, is a -250 favorite and the second of our unanimous picks at 11-0.

Our third unanimous pick is [autotag]Movlid Khaybulaev[/autotag] (19-0-1), who is a 7-1 favorite in his featherweight season opener against [autotag]Ryoji Kudo[/autotag] (11-4-1). Khaybulaev won the 2021 featherweight season, but was out of action all of 2022.

And to open the main card, the man Loughnane beat this past November to win the $1 million featherweight season, [autotag]Bubba Jenkins[/autotag] (19-6), returns to take on 2021 finalist [autotag]Chris Wade[/autotag] (22-8). Wade is a slight favorite at -175, and he has the narrowest possible edge in the picks at 6-5.

In the MMA Junkie consensus picks, Loughnane (82 percent), Wilkinson (56 percent), Jotko (88 percent), Khaybulaev (88 percent) and Wade (61 percent) are the choices.

Check out all the picks above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for PFL 2023, Week 1.

2022 champs Brendan Loughnane, Rob Wilkinson headline 2023 PFL 1 on April 1

Two of the PFL’s 2022 season winners will take their first steps toward hope of a repeat in April.

Two of the PFL’s 2022 season winners will take their first steps toward hope of a repeat in April.

The promotion’s first event of the 2023 regular season is set for April 1 at The Theater at Virgin Hotels (the former Hard Rock Hotel Casino) in Las Vegas. Featherweights and light heavyweights will be on the card for their first matchups of the two-fight regular season. The event will have a main card on ESPN and ESPN Deportes following prelims on ESPN+.

[autotag]Brendan Loughnane[/autotag] (26-4), the 2022 featherweight winner, will be at the top of the bill in a matchup against [autotag]Marlon Moraes[/autotag] (23-11-1), the PFL announced Thursday. In the co-feature, 2022 light heavyweight winner [autotag]Rob Wilkinson[/autotag] (17-2) will take on [autotag]Thiago Santos[/autotag] (22-11).

Other matchups on the main card include 2021 season winner [autotag]Movlid Khaybulaev[/autotag] (19-0-1) vs. [autotag]Ryoji Kudo[/autotag] (11-4-1) at featherweight; 2022 runner-up [autotag]Bubba Jenkins[/autotag] (19-6) vs. former finalist [autotag]Chris Wade[/autotag] (22-8) at featherweight; and [autotag]Omari Akhmedov[/autotag] (24-8-1) vs. [autotag]Will Fleury[/autotag] (11-3) at light heavyweight.

“The 2023 PFL regular season is shaping up for our best season yet, and I’m excited to watch our featherweight and light heavyweight divisions compete on April 1,” PFL president Ray Sefo said in a news release. “From returning PFL world champions to league debuts from MMA stars, fight fans across the world are in for a treat starting with PFL 1 in Las Vegas.”

The PFL’s second and third events of the 2023 regular season take place April 7 and April 14 from Las Vegas, as well.

Loughnane knocked out Jenkins in the fourth round this past November to win the 2022 featherweight season. He beat Kudo and Ago Huskic in the regular season, then beat Wade in the postseason semifinals. He has won 11 of 12 overall, including his $1 million finish of Jenkins.

Moraes will be looking to turn his career around. The former UFC bantamweight lost a vacant title shot against Henry Cejudo in June 2019, but rebounded with a win over former UFC featherweight champ Jose Aldo later that year. After that, though, it’s been a struggle. He was knocked out in four straight fights by Cory Sandhagen, Rob Font, Merab Dvalishvili and Song Yadong and found himself outside the UFC by mid-2022. In his PFL debut this past November in a move to featherweight, he was stopped in the third round by a Sheymon Moraes TKO in a showcase fight.

Wilkinson hasn’t lost in five years – and it happened to be the UFC debut of future middleweight champion Israel Adesanya, who knocked him out in the second round in Wilkinson’s native Australia. Since then, Wilkinson has won six straight, including his first four in the PFL in 2022 on his way to a TKO over Akhmedov to win the light heavyweight title this past November. All four of his PFL wins came by knockout or TKO.

Santos, a former UFC title challenger, has dropped five of his past six starting with his 205-pound title shot against Jon Jones in July 2019, which he lost by split decision. After that, he lost to eventual champion Glover Teixeira, then Aleksandar Rakic. He rebounded with a win over Johnny Walker in October 2021 before a loss to Magomed Ankalaev in March 2022 and a fourth-round TKO setback to new champ Jamahal Hill in August 2022. His fight with Wilkinson will be his PFL debut after nearly 10 years and 24 fights with the UFC.

The 2023 PFL 1 lineup includes:

MAIN CARD (ESPN)

  • Brendan Loughnane vs. Marlon Moraes – featherweight regular season
  • Robert Wilkinson vs. Thiago Santos – light heavyweight regular season
  • Movlid Khaybulaev vs. Ryoji Kudo – featherweight regular season
  • Bubba Jenkins vs. Chris Wade – featherweight regular season
  • Omari Akhmedov vs. Will Fleury – light heavyweight regular season

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+)

  • Krzysztof Jotko vs. TBA – light heavyweight regular season
  • Mohammed Fakhreddine vs. Marthin Hamlet – light heavyweight regular season
  • Sam Kei vs. Josh Silveira – light heavyweight regular season
  • Alejandro Flores vs. Daniel Torres – featherweight regular season
  • Sung Bin Jo vs. TBA – featherweight regular season

2022 PFL Playoffs 3 live and official results

The 2022 PFL Playoffs 3 event takes place Saturday, join us for official results.

The 2022 PFL Playoffs 3 event takes place Saturday, and you can join us for official results.

The event takes place at Copper Box Arena in London. The main card airs on ESPN following prelims on ESPN+ and ahead of post-lim qualifiers on ESPN+.

In the main event, two-time women’s lightweight season winner [autotag]Kayla Harrison[/autotag] (14-0) takes on [autotag]Martina Jindrova[/autotag] (6-2). Harrison is the No. 2 seed; Jindrova is No. 3. In the other semifinal, No. 1 seed [autotag]Larissa Pacheco[/autotag] (17-4) fights No. 4 [autotag]Olena Kolesnyk[/autotag] (7-4).

At featherweight, No. 1 [autotag]Chris Wade[/autotag] (22-7) meets No. 4 [autotag]Brendan Loughnane[/autotag] (24-4) in a highly anticipated fight between two heated rivals. On the other side of the bracker, No. 2 [autotag]Ryoji Kudo[/autotag] (11-3-1) meets [autotag]Bubba Jenkins[/autotag] (18-5).

Official 2022 PFL Playoffs 3 results include:

MAIN CARD (ESPN, 2 p.m. ET)

  • Kayla Harrison def. Martina Jindrova via submission (arm triangle) – Round 1, 3:17 – advances to the women’s lightweight final
  • Brendan Loughnane def. Chris Wade via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)  – advances to the featherweight final
  • Larissa Pacheco def. Olena Kolesnyk via TKO – Round 1, 2:09 – advances to women’s lightweight final
  • Bubba Jenkins def. Ryoji Kudo via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 1:49 – advances to featherweight final
  • Dakota Ditcheva def. Hassna Gaber submission (strikes) – Round 1, 0:58
  • Simeon Powell def. Nemanja Uveric via TKO (leg kicks) – Round 2, 1:56.

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, 1 p.m. ET)

  • Stuart Austin def. Sofiane Boukichou via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 30-27)
  • Aleksandrs Chizhovs def. Omar Hussein via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 4:12.

POSTLIM CARD (ESPN+, 5 p.m. ET)

  • Marcin Held def. Myles Price via submission (guillotine) – Round 2, 2:37.
  • Abraham Bably def. Louie Sutherland via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
  • Magnus Onyeka def. Tayo Odunjo via TKO (right-hand and ground-and-pound) – Round 1, 4:36
  • Ali Taleb def. Darius Mafi via technical submission (guillotine choke) – Round 1, 1:58.
  • Zebenzui Ruiz def. Raphael Uchegbu via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-27)

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2022 PFL Playoffs 3 predictions: Is Kayla Harrison a unanimous pick in London?

Check out our staff members’ picks for the PFL Playoffs 3 semifinals at women’s lightweight and featherweight in London.

Harrison
vs.
Jindrova		 Wade
vs.
Loughnane		 Pacheco
vs.
Kolesnyk		 Kudo
vs.
Jenkins
MMA Junkie readers’
consensus picks
134-86		 harrison2022
Harrison
(87%)		 wade2022
Wade
(57%)		 pacheco2022
Pacheco
(83%)		 jenkins2022
Jenkins
(84%)
Ken Hathaway
@kenshathaway
149-76
trophy copy 2018 Champion		 harrison2022
Harrison		 loughnane2022
Loughnane		 pacheco2022
Pacheco		 jenkins2022
Jenkins
Abbey Subhan
@kammakaze
143-82		 harrison2022
Harrison		 loughnane2022
Loughnane		 pacheco2022
Pacheco		 jenkins2022
Jenkins
Mike Bohn
@MikeBohn
141-84
trophy copy 2014 Champion		 harrison2022
Harrison		 wade2022
Wade		 pacheco2022
Pacheco		 jenkins2022
Jenkins
Matthew Wells
@MrMWells
139-86		 harrison2022
Harrison		 wade2022
Wade		 pacheco2022
Pacheco		 jenkins2022
Jenkins
Farah Hannoun
@Farah_Hannoun
135-90		 harrison2022
Harrison		 wade2022
Wade		 pacheco2022
Pacheco		 jenkins2022
Jenkins
Simon Samano
@SJSamano
135-90		 harrison2022
Harrison		 loughnane2022
Loughnane		 pacheco2022
Pacheco		 jenkins2022
Jenkins
Matt Erickson
@MMAjunkieMatt
134-91		 harrison2022
Harrison		 loughnane2022
Loughnane		 pacheco2022
Pacheco		 jenkins2022
Jenkins
Nolan King
@mma_kings
132-93		 harrison2022
Harrison		 wade2022
Wade		 pacheco2022
Pacheco		 jenkins2022
Jenkins
Brian Garcia
@thegoze
130-95
trophy copy 2017 Champion		 harrison2022
Harrison		 loughnane2022
Loughnane		 pacheco2022
Pacheco		 jenkins2022
Jenkins
George Garcia
@MMAjunkieGeorge
122-103		 harrison2022
Harrison		 wade2022
Wade		 pacheco2022
Pacheco		 jenkins2022
Jenkins
Danny Segura
@dannyseguratv
107-118		 harrison2022
Harrison		 wade2022
Wade		 pacheco2022
Pacheco		 jenkins2022
Jenkins

The PFL is back for its third and final set of playoff semifinals. This week, women’s lightweights and featherweights are on the docket.

The 2022 PFL Playoffs 3 event takes place Saturday at Copper Box Arena in London. The main card airs on ESPN following prelims on ESPN+ and ahead of post-lim qualifiers on ESPN+.

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

In the main event, two-time season winner [autotag]Kayla Harrison[/autotag] (14-0) is not the No. 1 seed. She’s No. 2 against No. 3 [autotag]Martina Jindrova[/autotag] (6-2). But she’s still a massive -5000 favorite at Tipico Sportsbook; the comeback on Jindrova is +1200. Not surprisingly, all of our 11 editors, writers, radio hosts and videographers are taking Harrison to move on to another $1 million final.

At featherweight, there’s a lot of heat and trash talk between No. 1 seed [autotag]Chris Wade[/autotag] (22-7) and No. 4 [autotag]Brendan Loughnane[/autotag] (24-4). Wade is a -260 favorite, but our pickers have him with the slimmest possible 6-5 lead in the picks. His fight is the only contentious one among our pickers.

In the other women’s lightweight semifinal, [autotag]Larissa Pacheco[/autotag] (17-4) is the No. 1 seed against [autotag]Olena Kolesnyk[/autotag] (7-4). Pacheco is a huge favorite at -850 and is another of our unanimous picks.

And in the second featherweight semifinal on the main card, No. 2 seed [autotag]Ryoji Kudo[/autotag] (11-3-1) takes on No. 3 [autotag]Bubba Jenkins[/autotag] (18-5). Jenkins is a big -350 favorite at the betting window and has the support of all 11 of our pickers.

In the MMA Junkie reader consensus picks, Harrison (87 percent), Wade (57 percent), Pacheco (83 percent) and Jenkins (84 percent) are the choices.

Check out all the picks above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for 2022 PFL Playoffs 3.

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Kayla Harrison starts quest for third PFL title in London – but not as the No. 1 seed

The lineup is set for the PFL’s third and final set of playoff fights next month in London.

The lineup is set for the PFL’s third and final set of playoff fights next month in London.

Two-time women’s lightweight season winner and No. 2 seed [autotag]Kayla Harrison[/autotag] (14-0) will headline the card against No. 3 [autotag]Martina Jindrova[/autotag] (6-2) in one of two semifinal fights in the division.

The other half of the bracket features No. 1 [autotag]Larisa Pacheco[/autotag] (17-4) vs. No. 4 [autotag]Olena Kolesnyk[/autotag] (7-4). Pacheco, who lost to Harrison in the 2019 final, finished both her regular season fights in the first round for 12 points to earn the top seed. Harrison and Jindrova finished the regular season with 9 points, while Kolesnyk had 6 for the fourth playoff spot.

The event also features the two semifinal playoff bouts at featherweight. No. 1 seed [autotag]Chris Wade[/autotag] (22-7) takes on No. 4 [autotag]Brendan Loughnane[/autotag] (22-7) and No. 2 [autotag]Ryoji Kudo[/autotag] (11-3-1) meets No. 3 [autotag]Bubba Jenkins[/autotag] (18-5).

The PFL’s third set of playoff fights take place Aug. 20 at Copper Box Arena in London. The four-fight main card of playoff matchups airs on ESPN. A four-fight set of prelims and four fights after the main card stream on ESPN+.

The playoffs open two weeks prior in New York with lightweights and light heavyweights. Then welterweights and heavyweights meet Aug. 13 in Cardiff, Wales.

“Heading to London is huge for the expansion of the league,” PFL president Ray Sefo stated. “We are bringing our brand of MMA to the U.K. and I’m sure they are going to be as excited as I am to see elite fighters like Kayla Harrison, Chris Wade and Brendan Loughnane compete with so much on the line.”

Harrison won the second of her two judo Olympic gold medals at the 2012 Games in London. Now she returns to the city a decade later.

In addition, the PFL announced the signing of muay Thai standout Dakota Ditcheva (5-0), a prized free agent from Manchester, England. The three-time muay Thai world champion is unbeaten early in her MMA career and is considered one of the sport’s top female prospects. Her mother, Lisa Howarth, was a world kickboxing champion.

“We are excited to add Dakota to the global PFL talent roster,” Sefo stated. “Dakota’s outstanding skill set and ability, along with her natural charisma, fit perfectly with the PFL brand of MMA. We believe the PFL is uniquely placed to take her journey forward on a global scale. Coming from a line of elite muay Thai practitioners, we have confidence in Dakota to go to the very top with the PFL and continue her family’s legacy.”

The PFL 2022 Playoffs 3 card includes:

POSTLIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, 5 p.m. ET)

  • [autotag]Dakota Ditcheva[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Hassna Gaber[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Abraham Bably[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Louie Sutherland[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Tayo Odunjo[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Magnus Onyeka[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Kenji Bortoluzzi[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Ali Taleb[/autotag]

MAIN CARD (ESPN, 3 p.m. ET)

  • No. 2 Kayla Harrison vs. No. 3 Martina Jindrova – women’s lightweight semifinal
  • No. 1 Chris Wade vs. No. 4 Brendan Loughnane – featherweight semifinal
  • No. 1 Larisa Pacheco vs. No. 4 Olena Kolesnyk – women’s lightweight semifinal
  • No. 2 Ryoji Kudo vs. No. 3 Bubba Jenkins – featherweight semifinal

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, 1 p.m. ET)

  • [autotag]Simeon Powell[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Nemanja Uveric[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Stuart Austin[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Sofiane Boukichou[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Marcin Held[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Myles Price[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Aleksandrs Chizovs[/autotag] vs. TBA

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