Professional Fighters League (PFL) News

Josh Evanoff - October 6, 2023

Derek Brunson has booked his first PFL fight opposite former tournament champion Ray Cooper III. The longtime UFC veteran was released out of the blue last month. At the time, Derek Brunson was scheduled for a November fight with Roman Dolidze but chose to part ways with the company. Suddenly, last night, the longtime middleweight contender signed with the PFL. Furthermore, he’s already got his first opponent in the form of Ray Cooper III.

Josh Evanoff - October 5, 2023

Former UFC middleweight contender Derek Brunson is heading to the PFL. The longtime contender hasn’t been seen since a loss to Dricus du Plessis at UFC 285 in March. That was Derek Brunson’s second loss in a row, previously losing to Jared Cannonier last February. While he was later booked for a rebound fight against Roman Dolidze in November, that bout will no longer be happening.

Josh Evanoff - October 2, 2023

PFL lightweight contender Anthony Pettis is already eyeing Cedric Doumbe. ‘The Best’ is fresh off his promotional debut against Jordan Zébo last Saturday night. In a highlight that will be shown for years to come, Cedric Doumbe got a highlight-reel knockout win in just nine seconds. That victory impressed most of the MMA world, and seemingly got the attention of Anthony Pettis.

Josh Evanoff - October 2, 2023

PFL welterweight contender Cedric Doumbe feels the UFC badly messed up by letting him go. The former Glory Kickboxing champion made his PFL debut against Jordan Zébo over the weekend. The two welterweights headlined a card going down in Cedric Doumbe’s home country of France. He walked out with a mattress for his opponent in his entrance, with the mattress having a sign reading “goodnight”.

Josh Evanoff - September 22, 2023

Former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou has explained how he found himself in the PFL. ‘The Predator’ has been out of the cage for well over a year, last defeating Ciryl Gane last January. That was famously the last fight on Francis Ngannou’s contract, as he became a free agent following the bout. Quickly, he got into talks with PFL, Bellator, ONE Championship, as well as professional boxers.

Josh Evanoff - September 13, 2023

Former PFL tournament champion Kayla Harrison will return against Julia Budd later this year. The Judoka has been out of action since her trilogy with Larissa Pacheco last November. Despite winning the first two fights with ease, Kayla Harrison suffered the first loss of her career last year. In the main event of PFL 10, she lost by unanimous decision, on the company’s maiden voyage on pay-per-view.

Josh Evanoff - September 7, 2023

The saga between PFL star Jake Paul and former UFC title challenger Nate Diaz continues. ‘The Problem Child’ returned to the ring last month on DAZN pay-per-view. Back for the first time since a loss to Tommy Fury in February, he faced Nate Diaz. The Stockton slugger last defeated Tony Ferguson at UFC 279 last year, fighting out his deal with the promotion.

Zain Bando - September 6, 2023

Regarding fighter pay, Dana White and the UFC’s stance has not changed in recent years. During a 2022 GQ video in which White, UFC president since 2001, went undercover to answer fan questions across social media, he reiterated that his roster gets compensated fairly and money is “spread out” among the roster pool.

Cole Shelton - September 1, 2023

The PFL is reportedly in discussions with Bellator to buy the rival MMA promotion. For months now, it has been reported that Bellator was up for sale. With that, the future of the promotion was uncertain. Bellator president Scott Coker had even confirmed the PFL had reached out to talk about potentially buying the promotion.

Josh Evanoff - August 30, 2023

The PFL is the latest sports organization to get a massive investment from Saudi Arabia. Over the last few months, the promotion has been vocal about their desire to challenge the UFC. To their credit, they’ve signed some massive names to make that a reality. In 2023 alone, the PFL has signed free agents such as Francis Ngannou, Jake Paul, Amanda Serrano, Savannah Marshall, and more.

Josh Evanoff - August 22, 2023

Women’s super-middleweight champion Savannah Marshall is headed to MMA and the PFL. ‘Silent Assassin’ is fresh off her return opposite Franchon Crews-Dezurn last month in the U.K. There, Savannah Marshall picked up an important majority-decision win, winning gold in her second weight class. It was also a nice rebound win for the Brit, having dropped a decision loss to Claressa Shields last year.

Josh Evanoff - August 10, 2023

PFL has signed a multi-year agreement with women’s boxing champion Claressa Shields. The ‘GWOAT’ is one of the more colorful figures in the world of boxing. In the last few weeks, she’s called out both Jake Paul and Keith Thurman for intergender boxing matches. While the latter showed interest, it seems that Claressa Shields will now be returning to the world of MMA.

Cole Shelton - August 7, 2023

Nate Diaz has opened as a massive betting favorite for a potential MMA fight against Jake Paul. Diaz and Paul headlined a boxing pay-per-view on Saturday and it was ‘The Problem Child’ who got a decision win. After the fight, Paul confirmed his desire to rematch Diaz in MMA in the PFL as he wanted to prove he can beat the Stockton native under a mixed martial arts ruleset as well.

Harry Kettle - August 3, 2023

Nate Diaz has given his thoughts on Jake Paul’s offer for the two to compete in an MMA fight for $10 million. This Saturday night, Nate Diaz and Jake Paul will collide in the boxing ring. They’ll do so with the world watching and with Diaz making his pro debut after years of teasing a move into the squared circle. Paul, meanwhile, will attempt to bounce back from his recent loss to Tommy Fury.

Harry Kettle - July 21, 2023

Francis Ngannou’s representative Marquel Martin has given his thoughts on the heavyweight’s recent interaction with Jon Jones. Right now, Francis Ngannou must be feeling pretty good about the future. He has signed a lucrative deal with PFL and, in addition to that, he’s also set to enter the boxing ring to take on Tyson Fury. From a financial standpoint, it doesn’t get much more lucrative than that.

Josh Evanoff - July 18, 2023

PFL commentator Randy Couture has reacted to Francis Ngannou vs. Tyson Fury. ‘The Predator’ announced his boxing debut against ‘The Gypsy King’ earlier this month. After months of speculation after Francis Ngannou left the UFC, he somehow got the deal done. In October, the PFL heavyweight will face Tyson Fury, and there are few happier than Randy Couture.

Josh Evanoff - July 11, 2023

The PFL has decided to hire USADA after a recent string of drug failures. In April, the company had a series of fighters fail their drug tests in Nevada. Furthermore, it wasn’t just a prelim fighter or two, it was multiple high-profile competitors. Former tournament winners Rob Wilkinson and Bruno Cappelozza tested positive, as did new signee Thiago Santos.

Josh Evanoff - June 29, 2023

Boxing star Deontay Wilder is still interested in facing Francis Ngannou in the PFL. ‘The Bronze Bomber’ is currently looking to book his return to the boxing ring. Deontay Wilder has been out of the ring since a knockout win over Robert Helenius last Fall. Since then, he’s been linked to several high-profile fights with names such as Anthony Joshua and Andy Ruiz Jr.