Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
Check out these photos from Tyler Diamond vs. Brett Johns at 2024 PFL 6 in South Dakota.
Check out these photos from [autotag]Tyler Diamond[/autotag]’s victory over Brett Johns at 2024 PFL 6, which took place at Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D. (Photos by Cooper Neill, PFL)
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.
Check out these photos from Movlid Khaybulaev’s victory over Tyler Diamond at 2023 PFL 4 in Atlanta.
Check out these photos from Movlid Khaybulaev’s victory over Tyler Diamond at 2023 PFL 4 at Overtime Elite Arena in Atlanta. (Photos courtesy of Cooper Neill, PFL MMA)
Get the official weigh-in results for the fourth 2023 PFL regular season week in Atlanta, featuring feathweights and light heavyweights.
The PFL regular season continues Thursday with 2023 PFL 4, and all 12 fights are now set after the official weigh-ins.
The event, which takes place at Overtime Elite Arena in Atlanta, features featherweights and light heavyweights continuing their push toward the playoffs in an effort to capture the $1 million championship prize.
In the main event airing on ESPN, 2022 featherweight champion season winner [autotag]Brendan Loughnane[/autotag] (26-4) takes on [autotag]Jesus Pinedo[/autotag] (20-6-1). Loughnane and Pinedo both made weight, stepping on the scale at 146. In the co-feature, undefeated [autotag]Movlid Khaybulaev[/autotag] (20-0-1) meets [autotag]Tyler Diamond[/autotag] (12-2). Khaybulaev weighed in at 146 while Diamond was 145.8.
Only one of 24 fighters scheduled to compete missed weight, as Ty Flores tipped the scale at 211.2 for his light heavyweight bout. The fight will proceed and Flores will forfeit 20 percent of his purse and enter the bout with a one point deduction. Everyone else will have an opportunity to earn full points in the divisional standings at the event.
Full 2023 PFL 4 official weigh-in results include:
MAIN CARD (ESPN/ESPN+, 10 p.m. ET)
PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, 6:30 p.m. ET)
*Alternate Jesse Stirn weighed in at 144.6
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for PFL 2023, Week 4.
Check out which veterans of the UFC are in combat sports action across the globe this weekend.
This week, the UFC is back on pay-per-view for UFC 289 in Vancouver, Canada.
The event features a women’s bantamweight championship fight between two-division champion Amanda Nunes and first-time title challenger Irene Aldana.
Elsewhere, many other combat sports events are taking place that feature a number of familiar names that have competed under the UFC banner.
This week, there are a total of 13 veterans of the global MMA leader competing in MMA this week from June 8-10.
Check out the names and details about their bouts below.
Upcoming event information from Tapology.
Brendan Loughnane was pushed like never before in his grueling win over Tyler Diamond.
[autotag]Brendan Loughnane[/autotag] was pushed like never before in his grueling win over [autotag]Tyler Diamond[/autotag].
Loughnane (21-3) outlasted Diamond on the main card of 2021 PFL 4 at Ocean Casino Resort in Atlantic City, N.J., on Thursday, and clinched a playoff spot and the No. 1 seed in the featherweight standings.
The Brit threw everything at Diamond (12-2), who just wouldn’t go away. The hard-nose wrestler kept coming at Loughnane, pushing the pace in all three rounds. He was able to weather the storm and even wound up in top position on the mat late, as Loughnane started to fatigue. But Loughnane’s power and precision proved to be too much throughout, dropping Diamond multiple times en route to a unanimous decision win.
“That man is an absolute warrior,” Loughnane said of Diamond during his post-fight interview. “He just brought the best out of me. That was a very close fight. If it would have went his way, I’m a gracious loser, as well. I’m covered in his blood. He’s covered in my blood. What a show for the PFL fans. Two fights for Brendan Loughnane, two entertaining fights. (It) could have went my way, could have went his way, but God, thank you for tonight because I scraped that by the skin of my ass.”
Loughnane, who had a flawless first-round finish over Sheymon Moraes in his first regular season fight, endured a much different type of bout against Diamond. Although he inflicted more damage overall, he was honest in his assessment in saying Diamond almost had him reach a breaking point – but he was ultimately able to push through.
“That was better for me than beating Sheymon Moraes,” Loughnane said. “I just had to dig to somewhere I didn’t even know I had tonight. In the third round when I had to scramble to get up, I contemplated quitting, and I’ve never done that in my career. I was sat there, and I was thinking, ‘Have I got it in me to get up from the bottom?’ And that’s just me being totally honest.
“My coach is looking at me in disgrace. We’ve got a a lot to go back to, but thank you for the win. Thinking back, I was hunting for the finish from start to the end of the fight. I was trying to knock Tyler out. I hit him with everything and the kitchen sink. God only knows how he stayed in there tonight.”
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The opening main card bout of 2021 PFL 4 between Tyler Diamond and Brendan Loughnane stole the show.
[autotag]Brendan Loughnane[/autotag] locked in his spot in the PFL featherweight playoffs by outlasting [autotag]Tyler Diamond[/autotag] in an incredible battle.
Kicking off the main card of 2021 PFL 4 at Ocean Casino Resort in Atlantic City, N.J. on Thursday evening, England’s Loughnane (21-3) was set to take on Diamond (12-2) in a matchup that had the potential to steal the show, and it certainly lived up to that promise. The bout card aired on ESPN2 following prelims on ESPN+.
Diamond kept the pressure high early in the first, striking fast and cutting off the cage as his Loughnane was content with counters. Loughnane began throwing kicks in the latter half of the opening round, including finding a home for a hard calf kick that caused Diamond to drop to the canvas briefly.
Diamond opened the second round in a similar fashion to the first, looking to push the pace. Loughnane stunned him with a clean counter that sent him to the canvas. Pouring on the pressure and raining down heavy ground and pound, Loughnane tried to finish the fight.
BRENDAN LOUGHNANE GOES ON THE ATTACK IN THE 2ND!#2021PFL4
🇺🇸 ESPN2 & ESPN+
🌎 https://t.co/WfOt9XBfzk pic.twitter.com/1TiW6VRPTI— PFL (@PFLMMA) June 11, 2021
Diamond remained as calm as he could to weather the storm, making it to the end of the round.
In the third round, Loughnane continued his effective striking, hurting Diamond early in the round. It appeared the finish was near again, but Diamond managed to find top position on the mat to slow the pace.
With Loughnane showing fatigue, Diamond began to lean on his wrestling skills, keeping him on his back. Loughnane worked his way up with about a minute remaining and the pair would slug it out until the final horn.
Two of the judges saw the bout in favor of Loughnane with scores of 30-27 and 29-27, while the other judge scored the bout a draw at 28-28, giving him a majority decision victory.
Sean O'Connell checks in with Brendan Loughnane following his hard-fought victory and 1st #PFLPlayoff berth!#2021PFL4 pic.twitter.com/SePuzntx3f
— PFL (@PFLMMA) June 11, 2021
“I’m covered in his blood, he’s covered in my blood, what a show for the PFL fans,” Loughnane said during his post-fight interview.
Loughnane, 31, picked up six points with his first-round knockout of Sheymon Moraes at 2021 PFL 1, the only finish to occur on that evening.
“That was better for me than beating Sheymon Moraes. I just had to dig to somewhere I didn’t even know I had tonight,” Loughnane said after the bout.
With the unanimous decision win on Thursday, he added another three points to his total to keep his lead in the featherweight standings and secure his spot in the playoffs.
You can check out the full results of 2021 PFL 4 here.
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Check out our staff members’ picks for the 2021 PFL 4 main card, which features the MMA debut of boxer Claressa Shields.
| Shields vs. Elkin |
Collard vs. Lutterbach |
Jenkins vs. Moffett |
Diamond vs. Loughnane |
|
| MMA Junkie readers’ consensus picks 2021: 71-50 (58.7%) |
 Shields (73%) |
 Collard (78%) |
 Jenkins (82%) |
 Loughnane (67%) |
| Nolan King @mma_kings 2021: 72-49 (59.5%) |
Shields |
Collard |
Jenkins |
Loughnane |
| John Morgan @MMAjunkieJohn 2021: 72-49 (59.5%) |
Shields |
Collard |
Jenkins |
 Diamond |
| George Garcia @MMAjunkieGeorge 2021: 71-50 (58.7%) |
Shields |
Collard |
Jenkins |
Loughnane |
| Mike Bohn @MikeBohnMMA 2021: 70-51 (57.9%)  2014 Champion |
Shields |
Collard |
Jenkins |
Loughnane |
| Simon Samano @SJSamano 2021: 70-51 (57.9%) |
Shields |
Collard |
Jenkins |
Loughnane |
| Brian Garcia @thegoze 2021: 70-51 (57.9%) 2017 Champion |
Shields |
Collard |
Jenkins |
Loughnane |
| Danny Segura @dannyseguratv 2021: 70-51 (57.9%) |
Shields |
Collard |
Jenkins |
Loughnane |
| Ken Hathaway @kenshathaway 2021: 69-52 (57%) 2018 Champion |
Shields |
Collard |
Jenkins |
Loughnane |
| Matt Erickson @MMAjunkieMatt 2021: 67-54 (55.4%) |
Shields |
Collard |
Jenkins |
Loughnane |
| Dan Tom @DanTomMMA 2021: 67-54 (55.4%) 2020 Champion |
Shields |
Collard |
Jenkins |
Loughnane |
| Abbey Subhan @kammakaze 2021: 66-55 (54.5%) |
Shields |
Collard |
Jenkins |
Loughnane |
| Farah Hannoun @Farah_Hannoun 2021: 65-56 (53.7%) |
Shields |
Collard |
Jenkins |
Loughnane |
| Matthew Wells @@MrMWells 2021: 0-0 (40%) |
Shields |
Collard |
Jenkins |
Loughnane |
| BetMGM Betting Favorites |
Shields |
Collard |
Jenkins |
Loughnane |
(Editor’s note: Updated after Anthony Pettis was removed from his fight against Alex Martinez on the main card, and Clay Collard vs. Joilton Lutterbach was moved into that position.)
The PFL is back this week featherweights and lightweights on the lineup – and the MMA debut of a boxing superstar.
2021 PFL 4 takes place Thursday at Ocean Casino Resort in Atlantic City, N.J. The main card airs on ESPN2 following prelims on ESPN+.
(Click here to open a PDF of the staff picks grid in a separate window.)
In the main event, women’s boxing champion and sensation [autotag]Claressa Shields[/autotag] (0-0) makes her highly anticipated MMA debut at lightweight against [autotag]Brittney Elkin[/autotag] (3-6). Shields is the betting favorite at -275 at BetMGM, and she’s one of three unanimous picks from our 13 editors, writers, radio hosts and videographers.
In the co-feature, with former UFC and WEC lightweight champ Anthony Pettis (24-11) out of his fight against Alex Martinez (8-0) due to illness, the lightweight bout between [autotag]Clay Collard[/autotag] (19-8) and [autotag]Joilton Lutterbach[/autotag] (34-9) moved up from the prelims. Collard is a -225 betting favorite and a unanimous pick from our staff members.
Also on the main card, [autotag]Bubba Jenkins[/autotag] (15-4) is our third unanimous pick in his featherweight regular season fight against [autotag]Bobby Moffett[/autotag] (13-5). Jenkins is a -275 favorite in the fight.
And to open the main card, [autotag]Tyler Diamond[/autotag] (12-1) is the only fighter keeping us from a fully unanimous main card. He’s a +225 underdog against [autotag]Brendan Loughnane[/autotag] (20-3) in their featherweight fight. But it’s still Loughnane with a near-unanimous rout at 12-1 in the picks.
In the MMA Junkie reader consensus picks, Shields (73 percent), Collard (78 percent), Jenkins (82 percent) and Loughnane (67 percent) are the choices.
Check out all the picks above.
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PFL 4 also will feature the MMA debut of boxing champion Claressa Shields.
[autotag]Anthony Pettis[/autotag] didn’t walk away victorious in his first PFL fight, but the former UFC lightweight champion will still headline his next time around.
On Thursday, the promotion announced the second set of 2021 regular-season bouts for lightweights and featherweights, with Pettis (24-11) taking on Canada’s [autotag]Alex Martinez[/autotag] (8-0) in a lightweight main event for 2021 PFL 4 on June 10 at Ocean Casino Resort in Atlantic City, N.J.
In the co-main event, [autotag]Bubba Jenkins[/autotag] (15-4) looks to continue his momentum after an upset win over Lance Palmer last time out. He’ll take on [autotag]Anthony Dizy[/autotag] (13-4) at featherweight.
The four-fight main card will be rounded out by popular U.K.-based fighter [autotag]Brendan Loughnane[/autotag] (20-3) taking on [autotag]Tyler Diamond[/autotag] (12-1), and the MMA debut of boxing champion [autotag]Claressa Shields[/autotag], who was previously announced to meet Brittney Elkin in a non-regular season matchup.
On the prelims, [autotag]Clay Collard[/autotag] (19-8), who defeated Pettis in their first regular-season matchup, fights [autotag]Joilton Lutterbach[/autotag] (34-9). Additionally, 2019 PFL lightweight champion Natan Schulte (20-4-1) looks to rebound against [autotag]Mikhail Odintsov[/autotag] (18-3) and 2019 PFL featherweight champion [autotag]Lance Palmer[/autotag] (22-4) fights [autotag]Lazar Stojadinovic[/autotag] (14-8).
#2021PFL4 Featherweight and Lightweight matchups are OFFICIAL! pic.twitter.com/bFNqftIOZh
— PFL (@PFLMMA) May 13, 2021
The full 2021 PFL 4 lineup includes:
MAIN CARD (ESPN 2, 10 p.m. E.T.)
PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, 6 p.m. E.T.)
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