The MMA landscape changed forever. A new era has 𝗔𝗥𝗥𝗜𝗩𝗘𝗗@PFLMMA acquires @BellatorMMA creating a 𝗚𝗟𝗢𝗕𝗔𝗟 𝗠𝗠𝗔 𝗣𝗢𝗪𝗘𝗥𝗛𝗢𝗨𝗦𝗘 pic.twitter.com/fWldsDNpPC

— PFL (@PFLMMA) November 20, 2023

The PFL has officially acquired Bellator and it means a new day has officially arrived in the MMA landscape.

Per a press release, Bellator will continue as a “reimagined brand” in 2024 with “all Bellator fighters becoming available to compete in PFL franchises.”  Exactly how this is expected to be divided is still uncertain but it does confirm that the contracts of all Bellator fighters will indeed go under the umbrella of the PFL, thus adding a significant amount of elite talent to their already respectable roster.

The Todd Atkins MMA Show first reported news of a potential sale of Bellator to the PFL earlier this year. In late October, journalist Al Zullino reported that the sale had been finalized.

PFL CEO Donn Davis announced that the Bellator brand would operate primarily outside of the US as “Bellator International Champions Series” which hints that the brand would continue their strong presence in Europe where fan reception to events has been astronomical.

Davis also announced that the plan was to host a super-event next year that would feature the Bellator champions against the PFL champions, the latter of which will be determined at their event this Friday which concludes the 2023 season.

As of this writing, it has not been established exactly which fighters will continue to anchor the Bellator brand and which will be part of the PFL vs Bellator event.  It should be noted, however, that the PFL does not currently have divisions for several of the weight classes that Bellator does such as men’s bantamweight, men’s middleweight, and women’s flyweight.  Another point to address is that it is completely possible that just because the fighters are in a division that the PFL houses it does not mean that they will fight in the PFL immediately.

Exactly where Bellator goes with their lightweight Grand Prix is unclear and has not yet been addressed.  On Friday, Alexandr Shabliy defeated Patricky “Pitbull” Freire to reach the finals of the tournament.  A week earlier, champion  Usman Nurmagomedov had his victory over Brent Primus overturned to a No Contest after testing positive for a banned substance.  What the promotion’s plan, if there was one at all with the impending merger, for the tournament going forward was not made official.  Whether there is a tournament final at all as part of the Bellator International Series has not been announced.

PFL CEO Donn Davis is scheduled to make a media appearance later today to discuss the merger.

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Two-time champion Kayla Harrison went (virtually) face-to-face with her new opponent Aspen Ladd who it was announced was replacing Julia Budd last week.  While the other featherweights on the call had plenty to say to each other, Ladd and Harrison were cordial and never met in a war of words during the call.

Harrison, who will be making her first appearance of 2023, took the time to explain what the last twelve months outside of the cage has been like for her after having been an active competitor going back to her time as an Olympic hopeful.  An outspoken survivor of sexual abuse, Harrison has recently used her platform on social media to bring attention back to her book Fighting Back and to promote her charitable organization, The Fearless Foundation, which helps survivors of sexual abuse.

“I also believe that everything happens for a reason and I’ve been given this platform for a reason. To not use it to make a difference in the world would be a crime.  So I do want to shine a light on what child sexual abuse is. I do want to help make a difference in people’s lives and I do want to help kids not only survive but thrive and overcome. I want them to know most importantly that they’re not alone.”

Also on the call was lightweight standout Clay Collard who missed the last call where he would have been opposite defending champion Olivier Aubin-Mericier ahead of the final.  Collard, who had been eliminated from the playoffs last year, discussed the opportunity to be the one to hand Aubin-Mercier his first loss in the PFL cage.

“I just gotta be me man.  I’ve been calling it since the beginning of the year that it was going to be me and him in the finals. I’ve got my eye on him. I’ve got him figured out and I think I’m the man to beat him. I’ve just gotta be me.”

Kicking off the conversation were featherweight rivals Bubba Jenkins and Chris Wade who will meet for the third time in their careers.  The pair have split their first two meetings with Wade winning their first matchup in 2021 while Jenkins eliminated Wade from the tournament in their meeting last year.  Jenkins in particularly wasted little time in stoking the flames for the trilogy in stating:

“I’m completely focused on (Wade) for this fight.  Next time you all want to do an interview with us together maybe call me after he’s done because I can not stand hearing this dude’s voice talk.  He is a terrible interview and this is dry and I’m already ready to go to sleep.”

The PFL World Championships will take place on November 24 at The Anthem in Washington, D.C.

The post Highlights From the 2023 PFL Championships Featherweight Conference Call appeared first on Cageside Press.

Doumbe left kickboxing in 2021 after defeating his bitter rival Murthel Groenhart and vacating his GLORY welterweight championship to pursue mixed martial arts. After four TKO victories on the French scene, and a botched signing between him and the UFC in 2021, Doumbe entered the PFL ranks as a potential welterweight contender for the 2024 season. However the world-class kickboxer would only be a small favorite on the betting lines as he faced off against Jordan Zebo, one of the bright prospects coming out of French Promotion ARES FC.

Doumbe came out orthodox against a southpaw Zebo, who had his opening kick caught by Cedric. Doumbe countered with three strikes: a leg kick, a left hook which slumped Zebo, and a right hand while he was on the way down which was purely academic. Zebo was out cold five seconds into the fight and the referee stepped in as Doumbe went for follow up ground strikes. A crowd which included the entire Paris St. Germain soccer team, there just to see Doumbe, went into a frenzy.

Already a star in kickboxing, this fight represented a huge stepping stone on Doumbe’s path to stardom in MMA. In his post-fight interview he said he will fight anyone, declaring, “I am the best, so they have to call me out.” When asked if he was ready for the global PFL tournament, he showed his ever-present confidence, asking, “Are they ready for me?”

We will see in 2024.

Official Result: Cedric Doumbe def. Jordan Zebo by KO (left hook) Round 1, 0:09

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After the UFC declined to sign Abdouraguimov, the French and Dagestani wrestler took his talents to the PFL, where he looked to secure his spot in the 2024 PFL regular season with a win. Brad Wheeler, who replaced Quemuel Ottoni, hoped to play spoiler as a steep underdog in enemy territory, but it was not to be for the Brit as ‘Lazy King’ submitted him in the first rounds in front of global soccer superstar Kylian Mbappe.

The fight started and Abdouraguimov did not go for a takedown immediately. Brad began to throw hands and grow in confidence as the Lazy King only threw leg kicks. Suddenly, Abdoul clinched up, reaped the leg, and took Brad down. He transitioned into full mount immediately, forcing Wheeler to give up his back. It took some time but Abdouraguimov transitioned fluidly between mount, back takes, and an arm triangle choke attempt before finding the submission. The rear-naked choke came after Abdoul trapped one of Brad’s hands with a leg. He switched back and forth between face cranks with each hand before getting the elbow under the chin at last and forcing his foe to tap.

In his post-fight interview, Abdouraguimov declared his intention to fight in the 2024 PFL season, but to compete at lightweight. Despite winning his belts at welterweight and middleweight, Abdoul has always been small at 170-lbs, so now it makes sense to fight at 155 since he will be facing the best fighters he has seen thus far in his career.

Official Result: Abdoul Abdouraguimov def. Brad Wheeler by Submission (rear-naked choke) Round 1, 2:43

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At 8-0 to start the night, the undefeated Ditcheva had been the favorite to go all the way in the freshly launched European league since it launched earlier this year. A title, and $100,000 in prize money, awaits the tournament champ. And coming out of Saturday’s PFL Paris, she remains the favorite to win it all.

With Valentina Scatizzi earning a walkover win after opponent Manuela Marconetto missed weight on Friday, one half of the final was already set. It took the better part of three rounds, but Ditcheva joined her soon enough.

Underdog Holm got straight to work and landed a takedown off the opening bell on Saturday, but Dakota was not content to work off her back and quickly scrambled to her feet. Holm stayed on her opponent, with Ditcheva employing a wide base, defending with a whizzer and doing everything she could to stay off her back. Jostling for head position and hand fighting kept the fighters occupied, with Holm occasionally firing a knee.

In the final 90 seconds of round one, Ditcheva came off the fence, keeping Holm in the clinch and firing knees. At least three appeared to hit the mark, though perhaps only partially, as Holm then pushed Ditcheva to the other side of the cage.

Having effectively instituted her game plan in the opening round, Holm opened the second with a kick, but soon found herself under fire, a Ditcheva right hand connecting. Holm caught a kick, threatening to dump her opponent, but Ditcheva stayed upright. Another takedown attempt just over a minute in brought out the boo birds in the crowd; Holm stayed on the attempt as Ditcheva fought hands leading to a stalemate. A slowdown the ref didn’t have patience for, as he restarted the action at center.

At range, Ditcheva showed some stance switches, leading with lefts and rights at various times. Holm answered with a desperation takedown, and gave up position doing so. Ditcheva soon found herself on top, in half guard, landing a bit of ground n’ pound. Holm would eventually escape, and drive into another takedown attempt, straight into a Ditcheva guillotine. No luck on the choke, however, and Ditcheva was left defending yet another takedown attempt, which she did successfully, while landing punches to the ribs of Cornelia Holm.

In the third round, Ditcheva put the fight away in violent, sudden fashion about halfway through the frame. She connected clean to the liver, and Holm dropped, body locking up. As she moved, a left hand connected flush to the jaw, and down went Holm, put away for good. A follow-up head kick just missed, thankfully given Holm was already done, and unable to get up or even move for a minute.

The finish came as no surprise to Dakota Ditcheva. “I drop my brother with it all the  time as well, I’m not surprised she went down to be honest,” she exclaimed. As for Cornelia Holm, Ditcheva was no fan of her grinding approach to the bout. “She’s boring! You want to see a fight, right?”

Official Result: Dakota Ditcheva def. Cornelia Holm by TKO (punches), Round 3, 2:55

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Kickboxing standout Cedric Doumbe, briefly signed by the UFC last year before the French athletic commission waved off his fight, had been expected to take part in the 2023 PFL season. But injury postponed his debut, and instead, he debuted in the main event of PFL Paris, the promotion’s French debut.

Also making his promotional debut, the highly touted Abdoul Abdouraguimov, a double-champ in ARES FC who had been coveted by all the major promotions.

Beyond those two names, the PFL Europe tournament continued on Saturday at PFL Paris, with semifinal action scheduled for the light heavyweight, women’s flyweight, bantamweight, and lightweight divisions. Of note, with Manuela Marconetto missing weight, Valentina Scatizzi was granted a walkover win, meaning there was just one flyweight semifinal on Saturday. That saw another top prospect in Dakota Ditcheva take on Cornelia Holm.

Full results from PFL Paris can be found below. The card gets underway at 11AM ET.

PFL Paris: Doumbe vs. Zebo Results

Welterweight: Cedric Doumbe def. Jordan Zebo by KO (punches), Round 1, 0:09
Catchweight 180lbs: Abdoul Abdouraguimov def. Brad Wheeler by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 1, 2:43
Light Heavyweight: Jakob Nedoh def. Anthony Salamone by TKO, Round 1, 1:35 — Semifinal
Light Heavyweight: Simeon Powell def. Daniel Ladero by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) — Semifinal
Women’s Flyweight: Dakota Ditcheva def. Cornelia Holm by TKO (punches), Round 3, 2:55 — Semifinal
Lightweight: Yazid Chouchane def. Henrique Madureira by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Catchweight 180lbs: Laureano Staropoli def. Baba Nadjombe by TKO (corner stoppage), Round 2, 5:00
Bantamweight: Khurshed Kakhorov def. Ali Taleb by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-27, 29-27) — Semifinal
Bantamweight: Frans Mlambo def. Mokhtar Benkaci by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28) — Semifinal
Lightweight: Jakub Kaszuba def. Dylan Tuke by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27) — Semifinal
Lightweight: John Mitchell def. Geisym Derouiche by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) — Semifinal
Women’s Flyweight: Shanelle Dyer def. Luisa Cifuentes by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

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Both of Wednesday night’s welterweight semifinals went the distance, with Magomed Magomedkerimov handily winning a unanimous decision over replacement fighter Solomon Renfrew. While Magomedkerimov, a former PFL champ, dominated that fight, things were much closer in Sadibou Sy vs. Carlos Leal. It was Sy, last year’s 170lb kingpin, picking up the split decision win, resulting in a champ versus champ fight of sorts at the finale on November 24 in Washington, D.C.

The first lightweight semifinal of the night on Wednesday at The Theater at Madison Square Garden saw another returning champ, Olivier Aubin-Mercier, in action. The Canadian was paired up with Brazil’s Bruno Miranda, who was forced to block a head kick about halfway through the opening round, one of a number of attacks that appeared to have Miranda off his game. OAM fought out of a southpaw stance, which appeared to compound the Brazilian’s struggles; the left hand also found success for champ OAM, while Miranda did land to the body with some authority later in the frame.

To open the second, Aubin-Mercier dropped Miranda with a left, and got on top, landing a right hand as well. Miranda appeared to have recovered quickly, but Miranda worked in punches and soon passed to half-guard. With roughly 90 seconds to go, OAM moved to mount, landing some punishing left hands. Miranda would manage to reclaim guard, but it was an ugly spot for Bruno Miranda, with OAM moving back to mount and smashing his way to a TKO victory shortly thereafter!

That set one half of the lightweight final. The second finalist came via Clay Collard vs. Shane Burgos, about as fan-friendly a match-up as the PFL could offer. And while the league utilizes a sports-based format, they had opted to assemble this final after yanking Natan Schulte from the post-season following a low-action affair with Raush Manfio in June.

Burgos got in the driver’s seat early in the contest, opting to clinch up rather than stand and trade with the heavy-handed Collard, who had dabbled in boxing over the years. But when the clinch game failed, Burgos was forced to contend with Collard’s stand-up after all, with Clay’s game plan clearly to rely heavily on body shots. Burgos answered by chopping at Collard’s lead leg, but Clay turned up the heat in the final minute, backing Burgos up and hurting him.

Early in the second, it began to feel like it came down to who could execute their game plan first, and more effectively – as Burgos’ leg kicks were adding up, hampering Collard’s movement, while Clay’s own standup was taking its toll. After some hard shots had landed from both men, Burgos took Collard down with a leg kick! Collard somersaulted over backwards, but got back up — and soon dropped Burgos with a left! Collard got on top, in guard, with a minute and a half left to work. Burgos would scramble out; escape to his feet and survive what turned out to be the best round of the night.

The leg kicks continued to flow for Burgos in round three, and Collard soon went to one knee, grimacing. He also found a home for his right hand, then again, followed by another calf kick. With just over two minutes to go, Burgos landed a takedown from the back, but Collard was quickly back to his feet. Collard’s output had become stunted but he wasn’t out of it entirely, and fought through the pain of a relentless leg kick attack to make it to the final bell, albeit hobbled in the process. That was key, however — Collard had done enough in the first two rounds to win the fight on all three scorecards, setting up a date with Olivier Aubin-Mercier in the final.

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After a big night in the Big Apple a week ago — all four semifinals in the heavyweight and women’s featherweight divisions finished inside the distance — the league was no doubt hoping that lightning would strike twice. And it certainly had the chance to, with explosive, action-packed fighters Clay Collard and Shange Burgos in the main event.

Burgos, it’s worth nothing, was not supposed to be in the post-season. He finished just outside the playoff bracket. But with the final fight of the regular season between Natan Schulte and Raush Manfio deemed lacking, the league opted to (rather controversially) pull Schulte, a former champ, from the playoffs. Giving Burgos the nod as a result.

Defending lightweight champ Olivier Aubin-Mercier, meanwhile, was in the co-main event against Brazil’s Bruno Miranda.

The 2023 PFL Playoffs continue at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York, NY with PFL 9 on Wednesday, August 23, 2023, airing live on ESPN+ (prelims) and ESPN (main card). Full results from the event can be found below. The event gets underway at 6:30 PM ET.

2023 PFL 9: Collard vs. Burgos Results

Main Card

Clay Collard def. Shane Burgos by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) — Lightweight Semifinal
Olivier Aubin-Mercier def. Bruno Miranda by TKO (ground n’ pound), Round 2, 4:41 — Lightweight Semifinal
Sadibou Sy def. Carlos Leal by split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28) — Welterweight Semifinal
Magomed Magomedkerimov def. Solomon Renfro by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) — Welterweight Semifinal
Biaggio Ali Walsh def. Ed Davis by TKO, Round 2, 2:23 — Amateur Lightweight Showcase

Preliminary Card

Featherweight: Alexei Pergande def. Shawn Stefanelli by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Middleweight: Mostafa Rashed Nada def. Korey Kuppe by TKO (punches), Round 1, 1:55
Women’s Featherweight: Michelle Montague def. Abigail Montes by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 2, 3:38
Featherweight: Abdullah Al-Qahtani def. David Zelner by unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-25)
Catchweight: John Caldone def. Nathaniel Grimard by TKO (punches), Round 1, 2:32

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Heavyweights and women’s featherweights were in action at PFL 8 on Friday, a card decimated by fight cancellations that wound up having just seven bouts in total. After a slow start with a couple of preliminary card match-ups going the distance, however, all four semifinal fights on the night delivered.

All four, in fact, ended inside the opening round. Marina Mokhnatkina got the semifinal action started, securing an early takedown, then an arm-bar, forcing Amber Leibrock to tap. One fight later, it was Denis Goltsov finding a submission of his own. He softened up Jordan Heiderman on the ground before trapping him in an arm-triangle choke, forcing a tap.

The co-main and main event winners got the job done on the feet. Fighting Olena Kolesnyk for the third time, last year’s women’s lightweight champ Larissa Pacheco took just 14 seconds to get the result she wanted this time around. She lit up Kolesnyk against the fence, which saw the Ukrainian quickly crumble, slumping to the ground.

Pacheco heads to the finals to meet Mokhnatkina with the chance to become the PFL’s first-ever two division champion. The Brazilian defeated Kayla Harrison in a shock upset last fall to capture lightweight gold; that division was mothballed with 145lbs being introduced in 2023.

In the main event, it was a right hand delivered towards the end of the opening round that left Maurice Greene in a daze. Renan Ferreira needed just a few ground strikes to send the ref charging in, but the fight felt over the second the right hand had connected.

Ferreira lands in his first PFL final in his third season with the league, while Goltsov goes to the finale for the first time after making the semifinal round on four separate occasions.

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Injuries, withdrawals, and a massacre at the scale on Friday saw multiple fights cancelled and one co-headliner hit the scales heavy.

Of note, heavyweight Daiqwon Buckley came in at 272.4 pounds, badly blowing the heavyweight limit— nearly unheard of in the major leagues of MMA. While originally shifted to a super heavyweight fight, his bout with Louis Sutherland has instead been scratched from the card, which takes place at The Theater at Madison Square Garden on Friday night.

The modified card also means a modified start time, with action getting underway at 7:30PM ET.

Of the fights that have held together, heavyweights Renan Ferreira and Maurice Greene clash in the main event, in one of two semifinals in the weight class on the night. Denis Goltsov meets Jordan Heiderman in the second.

In the co-main event, meanwhile, Olena Kolesnyk came in heavy for her featherweight fight with Larissa Pacheco. It’s the third time the pair have met, with Pacheco winning the first two encounters.

2023 PFL 8: Ferreira vs. Greene Results

Main card

Heavyweight: Renan Ferreira def. Maurice Greene by knockout (strikes), Round 1, 4:46 — Semifinal round
Women’s Featherweight: Larissa Pacheco def. Olena Kolesnyk by TKO (strikes), Round 1, 0:14 — Semifinal round
Heavyweight: Denis Goltsov def. Jordan Heiderman by submission (arm-triangle choke), Round 1, 4:16 — Semifinal round
Women’s Featherweight: Marina Mokhnatkina def. Amber Leibrock by submission (arm-bar), Round 1, 1:45 — Semifinal round
Featherweight: Nathan Kelly def. Damion Nelson by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

Preliminary card

Heavyweight: Danilo Marques def. Satoshi Ishii by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Women’s Flyweight: Maíra Mazar def. Kaytlin Neil by split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)

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