The Professional Fighters League (PFL), the first organization ever to present MMA in the sport-season format of Regular Season, Playoffs, and Championship, today announced the fight cards and schedule for the first half of the regular season – PFL 1, 2 and 3 at NYCB Live on Long Island, N.Y. PFL 1 will feature welterweights and women’s lightweights, PFL 2 will spotlight featherweights and lightweights and PFL 3 will showcase light heavyweights and heavyweights. Tickets are now available for purchase at ticketmaster.com.
“Starting May 9, Thursday night is MMA night with the PFL on ESPN. Top fighters from around the world across six divisions will compete in a regular season, playoffs and championship with the opportunity to earn a title and one-million dollars.” said Peter Murray, CEO of the PFL. “This season we’re excited for fans to experience the first-ever women’s lightweight division, anchored by Kayla Harrison, and real-time delivery of fighter data and analytics incorporated into each broadcast on ESPN2, ESPN+ And ESPN Deportes.”
“In the PFL, there is no undercard, every fight counts. Every fighter on our roster enters the regular season knowing that if they win, and score maximum points, they will enter the postseason with a chance to compete for a PFL Championship and one-million dollars,” said Ray Sefo, President of PFL Fighter Operations. “The journey begins at PFL 1, 2 and 3. These are tone-setting fights and fans will see quality, action-packed matchups featuring the best fighters across six weight divisions from over 14 countries around the world.”
PFL 1 – May 9, 6:00pm ET – 11:00pm ET
At PFL 1, fans will witness the 2019 debuts of two-time Olympic judo gold medalist Kayla Harrison and former Strikeforce and Invicta FC bantamweight champion Sarah Kaufman in the first-ever Women’s lightweight division. Harrison will take on Svetlana Khautova, who will make her US debut, and Kaufman squares off against Morgan Frier, who enters the PFL season on a four-fight win streak, all by way of first-round stoppage. In welterweight action, a Hawaiian rivalry is brewing, as 2018 PFL breakout star Ray Cooper III takes on fellow Hawaiian and cousin Zane Kamaka.
PFL 2 – May 23, 7:00pm ET – 12:00am ET
Long Island natives Chris Wade (lightweight) and Andre Harrison (featherweight) begin their 2019 campaigns in their own backyard at NYCB Live. Nate Andrews, who will square off with Wade, has won nine straight fights, seven by submission. Lance Palmer (featherweight) and Natan Schulte (lightweight) begin their title defenses against two newcomers in Alex Gilpin and Bao Yincang. 26-year-old Gilpin holds an impressive 12-1 career record and Yincang, hailing from China, makes his US debut. One of the top young fighters from Canada, Jeremy “The Bandit” Kennedy, whose 13-1 career record includes a 3-1 run in the UFC, also makes his PFL debut against Alexandre Bezerra. Bezerra produced one of the best knockouts of the inaugural season – a flying knee KO that vaulted him into the 2018 playoffs.
PFL 3 – June 6, 7:00pm ET – 12:00am ET
2018 PFL heavyweight champion Philipe Lins begins defense of his title at PFL 3 against Satoshi Ishii, an Olympic judo gold medalist with a 20-8-1 career MMA record. 2018 light heavyweight runner-up Vinny Magalhaes returns to the PFL cage seeking the title that eluded him last season. Magalhaes won each of his first four fights of the 2018 season by stoppage, all in less than two minutes. He will look to replicate that success against Argentine slugger Emiliano Sordi. Sordi scored a lighting quick 16 second knockout of Jason Butcher, the fastest in PFL history. Jordan Johnson, who went 4-0 in the UFC, makes his PFL debut and will look to extend his undefeated streak (10-0) against 2018 PFL quarterfinalist Maxim Grishin.
*Times and matchups subject to change
PFL 1 – May 9, 6:00pm ET – 11:00pm ET*
ESPN2 (9:00pm ET – 11:00pm ET)
Kayla Harrison (Middletown, OH) (3-0) vs. Svetlana Khautova (Russia) (2-0)
Magomed Magomedkerimov (Russia) (23-5) vs. John Howard (Boston, MA) (27-14-1)
Ray Cooper III (Hawaii) (17-6) vs. Zane Kamaka (Hawaii) (13-3)
Sarah Kaufman (Canada) (20-4-1) vs. Morgan Frier (Las Vegas, NV) (4-1)
Sadibou Sy (Sweden) (7-4-1) vs. David Michaud (Phoenix, AZ) (15-4)
ESPN+ (6:00pm ET – 9:00pm ET)
Handesson Ferreira (Brazil) (13-2-1) vs. Bojan Velickovic (Serbia) (16-8-2)
Genah Fabian (New Zealand) (1-0) vs. Bobbi Jo Dalziel (Canada) (4-0)
Gamzat Khiramagomedov (Russia) (7-0) vs. Glaico Franca (Brazil) (19-5)
Andre Fialho (Portugal) (10-1) vs. Chris Curtis (Cincinnati, OH) (20-5)
Larissa Pacheco (Brazil) (11-2) vs. Roberta Samad (Cincinnati, OH) (4-1)
PFL 2 – May 23, 7:00pm ET – 12:00am ET*
ESPN+ (9:00pm – 12:00am ET)
Lance Palmer (Columbus, OH) (17-3) vs. Alex Gilpin (Madison, WI) (12-1)
Chris Wade (Long Island, NY) (14-5) vs. Nate Andrews (Providence, RI) (15-1)
Andre Harrison (Long Island, NY) vs. TBD
Ramsey Nijem (Orem, UT) (10-7) vs. Ronys Torres (Brazil) (37-6)
Akhmed Aliev (Russia) (17-4) vs. Carlao Silva (Brazil) (11-1)
Alexandre Almeida (Brazil) (20-9) vs. Luis Rafael Laurentino (Brazil) (33-1)
Islam Mamedov (Russia) (16-2) vs. Ylies Djiroun (France) (16-4)
Rashid Magomedov (Russia) (22-3-1) vs. Loik Radzhabov (Tajikistan) (11-0)
ESPN2 (7:00pm ET – 9:00pm ET)
Natan Schulte (Brazil) (15-3-1) vs. Bao Yincang (China) (12-6, 1NC)
Alexandre Bezerra (Brazil) (22-6) vs. Jeremy Kennedy (Canada) (13-1)
Damon Jackson (Dallas, TX) (16-2-1) vs. Movlid Khaybulaev (Russia) (13-0)
Steven Siler (Provo, UT) (32-18-1) vs. Gadzhi Rabadanov (Russia) (10-3-1)
PFL 3 – June 6, 7:00pm ET – 12:00am ET*
ESPN+ (9:00pm – 12:00am ET)
Philipe Lins (Brazil) (14-3) vs. Satoshi Ishii (Croatia) (20-8-1)
Kelvin Tiller (Topeka, KS) (10-2) vs. Muhammed Dereese (Titusville, FL)
(7-0)
Maxim Grishin (Russia) (28-7-1) vs. Jordan Johnson (Gilbert, AZ) (10-0)
Valdrin Istrefi (Switzerland) (13-2) vs. Ali Isaev (Russia) (4-0)
Rakim Cleveland (Coconut Creek, FL) (19-11-1, 1NC) vs. Viktor Nemkov (Russia) (26-7)
Ronny Markes (Brazil) (18-7) vs. Sigi Pesaleli (New Zealand) (3-0)
Rashid Yusupov (Russia) (10-1) vs. Mikhail Mokhnatkin (Russia)
(11-3-2)
Alex Nicholson (Apopka, FL) (13-7) vs. Francimar Barroso (Brazil) (22-7-1, 1NC)
ESPN2 (7:00pm ET – 9:00pm ET)
Vinny Magalhaes (Brazil) (18-10-1) vs. Emiliano Sordi (Argentina) (17-8)
Dan Spohn (Columbus, OH) (18-6) vs. Bozigit Ataev (Russia) (19-3)
Jared Rosholt (Sandpoint, ID) (17-6) vs. Denis Goltsov (Russia) (22-5)
Ben Edwards (Australia) (4-0) vs. Ante Delija (Croatia) (15-3)
About Professional Fighters League
The Professional Fighters League (PFL) presents MMA for the first time in the sport-season format where individual fighters control their own destiny, competing in a regular season, playoffs, and championship. PFL’s differentiated format and exciting fights sparked breakout growth for the league. PFL 2019 and 2020 Season events are Thursday nights primetime live on ESPN2 and ESPN+.
PFL Season 2 features elite MMA athletes across six weight classes, including the first-ever 155-pound women’s division, with each fighter having two fights during the PFL Regular Season in May, June, July, and August. The top eight fighters in each weight class advance to the single-elimination PFL Playoffs in October, where fighters must fight twice and win twice in the same night to advance to the finals. PFL Championship is New Year’s Eve with the winners of each title bout being crowned PFL World Champion of their respective weight class and earning $1 million. Viewers will be delivered next-gen stats never before seen in MMA through the PFL’s proprietary SmartCage™ platform and Cagenomics™ technology.
PFL is backed by an investor group of sports, media, entertainment, and business titans. Watch PFL live Thursday nights on ESPN2. For more info visit www.PFLmma.com and follow PFL on Instagram (@PFLmma), Twitter (@ProFightLeague), and Facebook (/ProFightLeague).
