Professional Fighters League (PFL) News
REPORT | PFL signs former UFC prospect Sage Northcutt for 2025 debut
Josh Evanoff - December 12, 2024
According to a recent report, PFL has signed former UFC and ONE Championship star Sage Northcutt. ‘Super Sage’ hasn’t been seen in action since a trip to the cage last May in Colorado. The bout was Sage Northcutt’s first since being flattened by Cosmo Alexandre in 2019, and he looked stellar. It took less than a round for the welterweight prospect to earn a submission victory over Ahmed Mujtaba via heel hook.
UFC boss Dana White claims "things aren't looking good" for rival promotion PFL
BJ Penn Staff - December 8, 2024
UFC CEO Dana White believes the Professional Fighters League (PFL) is in financial trouble. The PFL as long been one of the UFC’s chief rivals, but after purchasing Bellator MMA late last year, established itself as the clear cut No. 2 in the sport of MMA.
Bellator champions Patricio Pitbull and Patchy Mix request release due to inactivity: "Let me go respectfully"
Josh Evanoff - December 5, 2024
Bellator champions Patricio Pitbull and Patchy Mix have become the latest to request a release. It’s been just over a year since Donn Davis and the PFL bought Bellator. When the deal was first announced, there was a lot of excitement among fighters, because of what they were told. PFL executives including Davis promised fighters the opportunity to compete in either the tournament format, or hop over to Bellator and fight in one-off events.
Turki Alalshikh reveals options for Francis Ngannou's next fight: "One in MMA and one in Boxing"
Josh Evanoff - December 4, 2024
Saudi Arabian promoter Turki Alalshikh has opened up on what’s next for PFL champion Francis Ngannou. ‘The Predator’ is fresh off his return to the cage earlier this year in Saudi Arabia. In October, Francis Ngannou competed in his first MMA fight in nearly three years against Renan Ferreira. Due to injuries, as well as a stint in the boxing ring, the former UFC champion hadn’t competed since a January 2022 win over Ciryl Gane.
Video | Andre Onana play fights with PFL champion Francis Ngannou at Old Trafford: “I demand a rematch”
Josh Evanoff - November 29, 2024
Manchester United star Andre Onana recently fought with PFL heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou. ‘The Predator’ is fresh off his return to the cage in Saudi Arabia last month. In the main event of PFL: Battle Of The Giants, Francis Ngannou collided with former tournament winner Renan Ferreira. For the former UFC champion, the bout was his first in MMA since a decision victory over Ciryl Gane in January 2022.
2024 PFL World Championships Results and Highlights
Josh Evanoff - November 29, 2024
The PFL cage touched down in Saudi Arabia earlier today for their final card of 2024. In the main event, Timur Khizriev met Brendan Loughnane in the featherweight tournament finale. For his part, the Russian entered the cage with a stellar 18-0 undefeated record. However, Loughnane was also riding a wave of momentum. The Brit entered the finals fresh off a three-fight winning streak, last defeating Kai Kamaka in August.
WATCH | Dakota Ditcheva bludgeons Taila Santos to secure stunning PFL title victory
Josh Evanoff - November 29, 2024
PFL flyweight Dakota Ditcheva has officially arrived with her win over Taila Santos. ‘Dangerous’ entered the PFL 10 card earlier today riding a wave of momentum. With a stellar 13-0 undefeated record, Dakota Ditcheva stamped earned her way to the tournament final with three straight knockout wins. The last of which came in August, when the British prospect dominated Jena Bishop to score a first-round stoppage.
Cris Cyborg and Claressa Shields go back-and-forth over future boxing match: "Beat the s*it out of her!"
Josh Evanoff - November 27, 2024
PFL women’s featherweight Superfights champion Cris Cyborg has called out Claressa Shields. The current Bellator women’s featherweight champion returned to the cage last month in Saudi Arabia. There, Cris Cyborg finally made her PFL debut against former tournament winner Larissa Pacheco. Despite the 39-year-old entering the cage as an underdog, she turned the clock against her Brazilian counterpart.
REPORT | Francis Ngannou's PFL debut did abysmally low numbers on pay-per-view
Josh Evanoff - October 28, 2024
According to a recent report, Francis Ngannou’s PFL debut earlier this month didn’t do great on pay-per-view. ‘The Predator’ returned to the cage in Saudi Arabia, competing in MMA for the first time since January 2022. Just a few months after the tragic passing of his son, Kobe, and his loss to Anthony Joshua, Francis Ngannou faced Renan Ferreira. With massive question marks around the former UFC champion, he looked excellent.
Daniel Cormier believes the PFL's recent event is proof the UFC has no competition: "It's never been more clear to me"
Josh Evanoff - October 25, 2024
UFC commentator Daniel Cormier believes the PFL’s recent event shows a lack of competition. Last Saturday night in Saudi Arabia, the Donn Davis-led company held their biggest show to date. In the main event, former UFC champion Francis Ngannou competed for the first time since 2022 to face Renan Ferreira. Meanwhile, the co-main event featured the legendary Cris Cyborg facing PFL tournament winner Larissa Pacheco.
Francis Ngannou admits he wasn't sure if he'd ever fight again after losing his son
Harry Kettle - October 25, 2024
PFL heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou has admitted that he wasn’t sure he’d ever fight again after the death of his son. Last weekend, Francis Ngannou made his blockbuster return to mixed martial arts. Following his stint in professional boxing, ‘The Predator’ opted to head back into the cage with PFL. In doing so, he signed up to fight Renan Ferreira – a man who many believed was capable of defeating Francis.
Dana White rips PFL's Donn Davis over latest event comparisons: "Talks a lot, but says nothing!"
Curtis Calhoun - October 24, 2024
UFC CEO Dana White quickly responded to PFL founder Donn Davis’s latest claims, comparing the two top MMA organizations. White and the UFC are hours away from one of their biggest cards of the year in Abu Dhabi. UFC 308 is headlined by a featherweight title clash between Ilia Topuria and Max Holloway.
PFL founder Donn Davis responds to Usman Nurmagomedov’s comments about a future UFC move
Curtis Calhoun - October 23, 2024
PFL founder Donn Davis didn’t take long to respond to Bellator champ Usman Nurmagomedov’s timeline for a potential move to the UFC. Nurmagomedov, regarded by many as one of the top fighters outside of the UFC, defeated Alexandr Shabliy by unanimous decision in his last Bellator title defense. Usman is the cousin of UFC Hall of Famer Khabib Nurmagomedov, considered one of the greatest fighters of all time.
Francis Ngannou's coach shares emotional pre-fight team conversation before PFL debut win
Curtis Calhoun - October 22, 2024
Former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou had an internal fight hours before making his highly-anticipated return to the cage in his PFL debut. Ngannou defeated 2023 PFL heavyweight title winner Renan Ferreira in the Battle of the Giants main event last weekend in Riyadh. After almost three full years away from MMA, Ngannou looked dominant in his return, finishing Ferreira in the first round.
Francis Ngannou provides an update on his next fight
Harry Kettle - October 22, 2024
PFL heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou has provided an interesting update on his next fight. Last weekend, Francis Ngannou made his long-awaited return to mixed martial arts. He took on Renan Ferreira and, to put it bluntly, he dominated. After taking Ferreira to the ground, he was able to unleash some vicious shots on his opponent en route to an impressive knockout victory.
Cris Cyborg teases Misfits Boxing debut against Jully Poca after PFL title win: "She wanted to fight me next..."
Josh Evanoff - October 21, 2024
PFL and Bellator women’s featherweight champion Cris Cyborg has her sights set on Misfits Boxing star Jully Poca. The Brazilian is fresh off her return to the cage in the co-main event of PFL pay-per-view offering on Saturday. Back in the cage for the first time since knocking out Cat Zingano last October, Cris Cyborg faced Larissa Pacheco. For her part, the latter entered the cage riding a ten-fight winning streak, handing Kayla Harrison her only career defeat in that stretch.
Conor McGregor responds to PFL's Paul Hughes' cornering plea for potential fight vs. Usman Nurmagomedov
Curtis Calhoun - October 21, 2024
UFC superstar Conor McGregor might be a key presence in Paul Hughes’ corner for a potential title fight against Bellator lightweight champ Usman Nurmagomedov. Hughes earned the biggest win of his young mixed martial arts career when he defeated former Bellator champ AJ McKee at PFL: Battle of the Giants last Saturday. Despite the short-notice nature of the fight, Hughes dominated McKee from start to finish and nearly finished McKee in the opening minutes.
Francis Ngannou reacts to Jon Jones' post-fight tweet after his successful PFL debut
Curtis Calhoun - October 21, 2024
Former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou has answered Jon Jones’ tweet after a successful PFL debut against Renan Ferreira. Ngannou’s return to MMA went about as well as he could’ve expected on Saturday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. After nearly three full years away from the cage, Ngannou quickly took down Ferreira and finished the fight with brutal ground-and-pound strikes.