Professional Fighters League (PFL) News
PFL CEO Peter Murray reveals Claressa Shields to return in November
Josh Evanoff - August 4, 2022
PFL women’s lightweight Claressa Shields will return to the cage before the end of the year. The 27-year-old has been out of the cage since her decision defeat to Abigail Montes last October. The victory set her to 1-1 in the MMA cage, as he had previously signed to the PFL in 2020. She debuted with an impressive knockout defeat of Brittney Elkin in June 2021.
Anthony Pettis believes more fighters should test free agency: "As fighters, you’re supposed to take care of yourself"
Josh Evanoff - August 3, 2022
PFL lightweight star Anthony Pettis believes fighters should be more open to fighting outside the UFC. ‘Showtime’ is set to return to action this Friday against Stevie Ray at PFL 7. The bout is set to be the semifinals of the lightweight tournament. The winner will advance to face the winner of Olivier Aubin-Mercier, and Alex Martinez for one million dollars.
Anthony Pettis on last year of PFL contract, believes winning lightweight title will cement him as “one of the best of all time"
Cole Shelton - August 2, 2022
Anthony Pettis is glad to be rematching Stevie Ray. Pettis and Ray fought at PFL 5 in June and heading into the fight it was an odd one for ‘Showtime’ given that he already had his playoff spot booked. With that, he says the plan going into that fight was to play it safe and not get hurt which ended up costing him as Ray got the second-round submission win.
Anthony Pettis admits complacency led to submission loss to Stevie Ray: "I don’t think it will happen again"
Josh Evanoff - July 29, 2022
PFL lightweight star Anthony Pettis has discussed his loss to Stevie Ray last month at PFL 5. Heading into the main event, ‘Showtime’ had already secured its spot in the playoffs. One month prior, he defeated Myles Price by first-round submission, handing him a bid. With that playoff spot in mind, Pettis decided to take the safe approach at PFL 5.
Anthony Pettis pockets $750k, Kayla Harrison makes second most as PFL salaries from Atlanta events revealed
Cole Shelton - July 6, 2022
Anthony Pettis and Kayla Harrison led the salaries from the recent PFL event in Atlanta. For the longest time, many fans have wondered how much PFL is paying their key fighters as salaries have not been revealed. However, when the promotion went to Atlanta, the Georgia Athletic and Entertainment Commission revealed the purses to MMAJunkie and Pettis led the way making $750K with Kayla Harrison coming up the rear in second at $500K.
PFL's Larissa Pacheco blasts Kayla Harrison for GOAT talk: "Her fights are boring, they are not interesting to watch"
Josh Evanoff - July 1, 2022
PFL women’s lightweight Larissa Pacheco believes most of Kayla Harrison’s success is due to marketing. Since the Judoka burst onto the MMA scene in 2018, she’s been one of the faces of the PFL. Harrison went on to win two PFL women’s lightweight tournaments from that time forward and became one of the hottest names in the sport.
Kayla Harrison reveals hate she received following Julia Budd cancelation: "At this point, I get backlash for how I brush my hair"
Josh Evanoff - June 30, 2022
Kayla Harrison received a lot of hate following the cancelation of her fight with Julia Budd. That’s despite the fact that she didn’t pull out. The former lightweight tournament winner was set to face the former Bellator featherweight champion this Friday at PFL 6. However, a week before the fight, Budd pulled out due to injury. She was replaced by women’s pioneer Kaitlyn Young.
Kayla Harrison vs. Kaitlin Young set for PFL 6 following Julia Budd injury
Josh Evanoff - June 24, 2022
Kayla Harrison has a new opponent for PFL 6. The former lightweight tournament winner will face former Invicta FC title challenger Kaitlin Young. The 31-year-old was set to face former Bellator featherweight champion Julia Budd at PFL 6. The bout was expected to be the biggest test of Harrison’s career to date. However, the matchup is no more.
Jeremy Stephens forced to shave his head and beard to make weight for PFL fight (Photo)
Cole Shelton - June 16, 2022
Jeremy Stephens appeared to have a tough weight cut ahead of his PFL 4 fight against Myles Price on Friday. Throughout fight week in Atlanta, Stephens was full of energy – especially now that he is at lightweight – but when he came into weigh-in he surprised many as he was completely bald. The fan-favorite was forced to shave his hair and beard to make weight as he weighed in at 156lbs on the dot.
Ali Abdelaziz blasts rumored Kayla Harrison vs. Cris Cyborg fight: Nobody gives a s*it"
Josh Evanoff - May 23, 2022
Ali Abdelaziz doesn’t believe anyone really wants to see Kayla Harrison fight Cris Cyborg. Harrison was a free agent following her win over Taylor Guardado last October. Her free agency period saw her negotiate with Bellator and UFC, as well as PFL. Eventually, it became a two-horse race between Bellator and the PFL.
Sean Strickland apologizes for comments about the Professional Fighters League but not Kayla Harrison: “I miss spoke about the PFL”
Susan Cox - May 11, 2022
Sean Strickland is apologizing for comments he made about the Professional Fighters League (PFL), but not about Kayla Harrison. Harrison (13-0 MMA) squared off with Mokhnatkina (6-3 MMA) at PFL 3 in Arlington, Texas on May 6th. While the three round matchup went the distance, and Harrison earned a unanimous decision victory, it wasn’t her best showing.
Sean Strickland blasts Kayla Harrison for struggling with "low level" opponent at PFL 3: "Just reminds me why she's not in the UFC"
Christopher Taylor - May 7, 2022
UFC middleweight fighter Sean Strickland has blasted Kayla Harrison for her performance against Marina Mokhnatkina at PFL 3. Harrison (13-0 MMA) squared off with Mokhnatkina (6-3 MMA) in the headliner of last night’s Professional Fighters League event in Arlington.
PFL 3 Results: Rory MacDonald stops Brett Cooper in Round 1 (Video)
Chris Taylor - May 6, 2022
Tonight’s PFL 3 main card features a welterweight bout between Rory MacDonald and Brett Cooper. MacDonald (23-8-1 MMA) will enter tonight’s fight looking to snap a two-fight losing skid. ‘The Red King’ is coming off decision losses to Ray Cooper III and Gleison Tibau in his most recent PFL appearances. The former Bellator welterweight champion has gone just 2-4-1 over his past seven fights overall.
Kayla Harrison reveals she signed to fight Cris Cyborg before PFL matched Bellator's offer: "I'm not scared"
Josh Evanoff - May 4, 2022
PFL lightweight Kayla Harrison has revealed just how close she was to going to Bellator. The former PFL lightweight tournament champion is set to face Marina Mokhnatkina this weekend at PFL 3. The bout is set to be the return to the promotion for Harrison, but it nearly didn’t happen.
Fabricio Werdum eyes PFL super fight: “Hopefully June 24 or July”
Susan Cox - April 26, 2022
Fabricio Werdum is not done with mixed martial arts after all and is eyeing a PFL super fight this summer. The former UFC heavyweight champion withdrew from the PFL 2022 season earlier this year and claimed he was retired from cage fighting, but not boxing. The Brazilian (24-9 MMA) had suffered a brain injury which had him opt out of the Professional Fighters League.
Cris Cyborg discusses Kayla Harrison re-signing with PFL after rumored fight: "I knew she would stay, it was all marketing"
Josh Evanoff - April 21, 2022
Bellator women’s featherweight champion Cris Cyborg didn’t believe she was ever going to fight Kayla Harrison. The two women’s champions were in discussions for a fight earlier this year. Following Harrison’s contract expiring with PFL, there was widespread talk that she was going to sign with either Bellator or the UFC. As a result, she was quickly linked to a bout with Cyborg. Harrison even challenged the Bellator featherweight champion to a gym fight on social media at one point.
Clay Collard defeats Jeremy Stephens by decision in Fight of the Year contender (Highlights)
Cole Shelton - April 20, 2022
In the main of 2022 PFL 1, Jeremy Stephens is set to make his promotional debut against Clay Collard. Jeremy Stephens (28-19) is on a six-fight winless streak and coming off a 65-second submission loss to Mateusz Gamrot. That setback marked the last fight on his UFC deal and he then signed with PFL. On the losing skid, he suffered a TKO loss to Calvin Kattar, a decision loss to Yair Rodriguez, which took place after a No Contest due to an accidental eye poke. As well, he suffered a decision loss to Zabit Magomedsharipov and a TKO loss to Jose Aldo. His last win came in February 2018 when he knocked out Josh Emmett.
Fabricio Werdum walks back on retirement talks, plans to compete this June in PFL
Harry Kettle - April 19, 2022
Former UFC heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum has done a U-turn on his retirement and plans to compete for PFL this summer. Just a matter of weeks ago, Fabricio Werdum noted in an interview that there was a good chance he would be retiring from competitive mixed martial arts. He was initially scheduled to compete in PFL’s heavyweight tournament this season but after pulling out, the veteran admitted that his days in the sport may well be coming to an end.