Professional Fighters League (PFL) News

Harry Kettle - October 14, 2021

PFL star Claressa Shields has insisted she isn’t homophobic after questioning DC Comics’ decision to make Superman bisexual. It was revealed earlier this week that in an upcoming comic book story, Jon Kent – the son of Clark Kent – will be involved in a romantic relationship with a man. That led to quite the divide within the community regarding whether or not it was a good or bad move and based on her comments, Shields clearing wasn’t happy about it.

Adam Martin - October 10, 2021

Former UFC fighter Brendan Loughnane was among the alternate fighters named for the upcoming PFL $1 million tournament finals. Loughnane competed once in the Octagon in 2012, losing a decision to Mike Wilkinson. After putting in the work on the regional scene, Loughnane made his way to Dana White’s Contender Series in 2019. However, while he did win a decision over Bill Algeo, White passed on signing Loughnane to a UFC contract due to shooting for a takedown in the final 10 seconds of the fight. In a cruel twist of fate, Algeo would later be signed to the UFC.

Drake Riggs - October 1, 2021

FORT LAUDERDALE — Claressa Shields is fully committed to forging a strong and viable MMA career. The former three-division 11-0 boxing champion and two-time Olympic gold medalist joined MMA as a PFL lightweight in 2021. The tournament formatted promotion currently has Shields on the outside looking in as she keeps gaining experience after successfully debuting in June with a third-round TKO against Brittney Elkin.

Drake Riggs - October 1, 2021

FORT LAUDERDALE — Kayla Harrison is as dominant of a force as anyone in MMA in 2021. But with great success comes great detractors – or at least several in abundance. Beginning her run in June 2018 and now 11-0 in her professional MMA career, the Judo master has found the fans to be a lot more vocal than she’d experienced prior.

Drake Riggs - August 26, 2021

Cris “Cyborg” Justino and Ronda Rousey were never too fond of one another. A super-fight between the two all-time greats was something fans fantasized about for years as the two went from Strikeforce to the UFC. However, it never came to fruition.

Harry Kettle - August 26, 2021

Bellator champion Cris Cyborg has given her thoughts on a potential superfight with PFL star Kayla Harrison. While both women are doing their own thing in their respective promotions, this feud certainly has a “sharks circling each other” feeling to it right now. Cyborg and Harrison have proven themselves to be amongst the most dominant female stars in the sport alongside Amanda Nunes and while fighting “The Lioness” in the UFC could happen in the future, right now Harrison’s future is up in the air as she comes towards the end of her PFL deal.

Harry Kettle - August 20, 2021

Rory MacDonald has issued a statement following his PFL semi-final defeat to Ray Cooper III last week. MacDonald, who was also beaten by Gleison Tibau in a controversial split decision defeat just two months ago, has been on quite the rollercoaster ride ever since leaving the UFC and joining Bellator – and then PFL.

Drake Riggs - August 19, 2021

Lightweights Kayla Harrison and Genah Fabian battled it out in the main event of PFL 8 to advance to the finals and a shot at a million dollars. To reach the semifinals, the former two-time Olympic Judo gold medalist and PFL champion in Harrison dispatched of Mariana Morais and Cindy Dandois in effortless fashion. New Zealand’s Fabian, on the other hand, picked up a unanimous decision win over Laura Sanchez before finishing Julija Pajic via strikes in round two.

Drake Riggs - August 16, 2021

Kayla Harrison calls it as she sees it. The PFL held a media call over Zoom on Monday to promote this weekend’s upcoming event headlined by Harrison and New Zealand’s Genah Fabian. The winner will advance to the playoff finals for their opportunity at 1 million dollars against either Larissa Pacheco or Taylor Guardado.

Adam D Martin - August 12, 2021

Boxer-turned-MMA fighter Claressa Shields will make her second walk to the PFL cage later this year when she faces a promotional newcomer. The Washington Post revealed that Shields will take on Abigail Montes at the PFL Championship on Wednesday, October 27. Montes is 2-0 as a professional MMA fighter and is just 21 years old. She has previously competed in the Combate Americas and iFF organizations in her native Mexico, where she has defeated both of her opponents.

Drake Riggs - August 11, 2021

Rory MacDonald has fought some of the biggest and best names in MMA. “The Red King” initially rose to prominence in the UFC welterweight division often touted as the heir to Georges St-Pierre as the two trained together at TriStar in Montreal. MacDonald started off his career with a strong 13-1 record but it wasn’t until his 14th victory that many believed he was ready for the upper-echelon of the weight class.

Drake Riggs - August 2, 2021

Russia’s Marina Mokhnatkina is on her way to the PFL. After achieving everything she could in Sambo, her intentions are clear: conquer MMA. Mokhnatkina made the move to Florida’s Sanford MMA in February 2021 after initially negotiating with the neighboring American Top Team. The male-dominated gym originally greeted the 33-year old with skepticism, but she was quickly welcomed after her skills were displayed. Now, Mokhnatkina is the lone woman training at the gym daily.

Drake Riggs - July 28, 2021

The PFL has added to their 155-pound weight class as they begin looking ahead to the 2022 season. Made official on Wednesday, the promotion announced that they have signed the likes of former 145-pound featherweight competitors Marina Mokhnatkina and Martina Jindrova.

Adam D Martin - July 21, 2021

A welterweight matchup pitting Rory MacDonald vs. Ray Cooper III is among the newly-announced PFL season three playoff semifinal matchups. PFL announced the complete list of its season three semifinal bouts this week on its social media, with three events scheduled to take place on August 13, August 19, and August 27.

Harry Kettle - July 13, 2021

Anthony Pettis has released a great throwback to the start of his mixed martial journey as his PFL run continues. While Pettis may no longer be known as a world class, elite lightweight in the eyes of many fans, the former UFC 155-pound champion will forever be remembered as one of the best of his generation – when he was in his prime, that is.

Adam D Martin - June 29, 2021

MMA manager Ali Abdelaziz says that his client, PFL women’s lightweight star Kayla Harrison, is “Ronda Rousey 6.0.” Harrison is currently running through the field in the PFL season three women’s lightweight tournament and looks to be one of the best female fighters in the sport right now. A former Olympic gold medalist in judo, Harrison’s MMA career has always — fairly or unfairly — been compared to Rousey’s since she was also an Olympic gold medal judoka before turning over to mixed martial arts. Since making the transition to MMA in 2018, Harrison is a perfect 10-0 in MMA with eight wins by stoppage. She has been dominating everyone in her weight class, and she doesn’t appear to be on the verge of losing any time soon.

Chris Taylor - June 25, 2021

Former UFC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis will need to finish Raush Manfio this evening at PFL 6 if he hopes to advance to the 155lbs playoffs. Pettis (24-11 MMA) made his PFL debut this past April where he was upset by Clay Collard via unanimous decision. The loss, which snapped a two-fight winning streak for ‘Showtime‘, has forced Anthony into a must-win and must-finish situation this evening in Atlantic City.

Adam D Martin - June 23, 2021

Boxer-turned-MMA fighter Claressa Shields returns to the PFL cage in August when she competes for the second time in mixed martial arts. Shields made her MMA debut earlier this month when she finished Brittany Elkin via third-round TKO for a successful first foray into mixed martial arts. It wasn’t an easy fight for Shields, who struggled with her takedown defense for the first two rounds of the fight as Elkin dominated her on the mat. However, Shields was able to conserve her gas tank, and when Elkin started to get tired in the third round of the fight, Shields started to unload massive ground and pound on her opponent and pick up the first win of her MMA career.