The PFL’s inaugural season continues to look impressive on paper, with Will Brooks and Kayla Harrison coming out for the year’s second event.
On Wednesday, the Professional Fighters League announced the full line-up for PFL 2, its second show this year. The event will unfold Thursday, June 21 at The Chicago Theatre in Chicago, IL, headlined by a lightweight tournament bout between former Bellator champ ‘Ill’ Will Brooks and Luiz Firmino. In addition to the tournament fights that make up the bulk of the card, the evening will also feature the debut of Olympian Kayla Harrison in a standout scrap against an opponent to be named later.
Brooks (18-4) was last seen in the UFC, where he struggled to reproduce the success he found in Bellator. After winning his promotional debut against Ross Pearson, Brooks dropped three straight against Alex Oliveira, Charles Oliveira, and Nik Lentz. That saw him handed his walking papers. However, prior to that slump Brooks had won eight straight fights in Bellator, including key wins over Saad Awad, Marcin Held, and two victories over Michael Chandler.
Luiz Firmino (20-8), meanwhile, is a former WSOF title challenger (against Justin Gaethje). He has fought just once since that loss in December 2016, picking up a win last year against Eddy Ellis at PFL: Everett.
Also on the card, ex-UFC fighters Jason High, Ramsey Nijem (a TUF finalist no less), Vinny Magalhaes, and others. Former WSOF heavyweight champ Smealinho Rama, meanwhile, will move to light heavyweight to take on Brandon Halsey. Halsey is a former Bellator middleweight champion who was stripped of his title after missing weight.
Kayla Harrison’s debut, at lightweight, will likely be a focal point of the card. The American judoka won gold medals at two Olympic games, in London in 2012 and Rio in 2016. Check below for the full card.
Full PFL 2 Card:
Luiz Firmino (20-8) vs. Will Brooks (18-4)
Rashid Magomedov (22-2) vs. Jason High (21-6)
Rashid Yusupov (8-0) vs. Rakim Cleveland (18-9-1)
Brian Foster (27-10) vs. Ramsey Nijem (9-6)
Ronny Markes (17-5) vs. Sean O’Connell (17-9)
Smealinho Rama (10-3) vs. Brandon Halsey (10-3)
Islam Mamedov (14-1) vs. Yuki Kawana (14-1-5)
Maxim Grishin (25-7) vs. Jason Butcher (11-2)
Thiago Tavares (21-7-1) vs. Robert Watley (10-1)
Chris Wade (12-3) vs. Natan Schulte (11-3)
Dan Spohn (16-5) vs. Bazigit Ataev (17-1)
Vinny Magalhaes (14-8) vs. Jamie Abdallah (7-2)
PFL Women’s Lightweight Showcase Fight
Kayla Harrison (0-0) vs. TBA
