Albeit undefeated and a former LFA champ, McKee is unranked, little known, and not the pairing Pettis (25-7) was expecting after going 2-0 in 2025.

“Interesting, I thought it was interesting for sure,” Pettis told Cageside Press in an interview ahead of the promotion’s return to the Wintrust Arena in Chicago. “The whole tournament mix-up thing kind of threw off everything. I was ready to fight the championship winner, [Marcirley] Alves. Things got a little held-up on his end, he was hurt at the time.”

When the PFL offered Mitch McKee in Chicago, Pettis jumped at it. “I’m okay with it, man. I’m here to fight every single one of them, I’ve never said ‘no’ to a fight throughout my whole career, so I’m not going to start now. Even when it’s a risky fight for me to take. He definitely could come and beat me, number one, and him being not ranked would definitely look bad on me.”

With McKee’s low profile but high-level wrestling and overall talent, Pettis admitted that “it’s a risky fight for sure, risky to my position,” but added that “I think it’s also a risky fight for him, for his health. I’m going to go out there and be a veteran, go out there and try to hurt the man.”

Asked whether there was one particular thing, one area within McKee’s game that he’d taken notice of and needed to watch out for, Pettis suggested that “I think everybody who fights me does that one particular thing, and it’s going to be wrestling me. Putting me on the cage, trying to get me in referee position, front headlock position, trying to stall me out.”

Pettis also admitted that Mckee has some power in his hands. “He’s not afraid to throw. That’s the thing about fighting these up-and-coming fighters, they haven’t been hit with anything yet, so they’re very confident, it’s unknown to them. Having that confidence is definitely important in a fight for sure.”

It’s hard not to look at Sergio Pettis’s return at PFL Chicago and not think of what’s missing. Primarily, legendary coach (and former kickboxer) Duke Roufus, founder of Roufusport, the gym Pettis has long called home. Roufus was a constant presence in Pettis’s corner and in his life; he passed away suddenly just weeks after the Milwaukee native’s early October win against Magmed Magomedov.

While some might find it hard to get back into the fighting spirit after such tragedy, “I almost feel like it was easier to get back into fight camp mentality, because I have something to prove in this fight,” Pettis explained. “Not having Duke in my corner, it definitely hurts but at the same time, everything he taught me, I’m going to implement into my game plan and show the world that Duke Roufus’s style is going to be everlasting.”

Pettis still has a solid crew in his corner including brother Anthony, a former WEC and UFC lightweight champ. And Roufus will no doubt be there in spirit. “I obviously miss Duke, it’s crazy not to have him, it’s hard to accept this reality without him. But to be honest I think I’m going to go out there and still get the job done, do what I need to do and be a professional fighter.”

Watch our full interview with PFL Chicago headliner Sergio Pettis above. The event takes place on Saturday, April 11, 2026 at the Wintrust Arena in Chicago, IL.

The post PFL Chicago’s Sergio Pettis Looking to Prove That “Duke Roufus’s Style is Going to be Everlasting” appeared first on Cageside Press.

It just wasn’t supposed to come in a main event with former Bellator champ and UFC contender Sergio Pettis.

“Then like a week later my manager called me while I was shopping at WalMart and just asked me if I wanted to fight Sergio Pettis, because I guess whoever I was supposed to fight pulled out,” McKee (10-1) told Cageside Press in a recent interview. “Right away I was like ‘yeah.'”

“Getting that opportunity right off the bat, I’m never going to say no to an opportunity like that.”

McKee’s entry into the PFL is something rarely seen in the days of Dana White’s Contender Series and the PFL Challenger Series (the latter of which has been, at least for now, on hiatus). No job interview, just a straight step up into the big leagues after McKee spent most of his career in LFA, claiming gold there.

It wasn’t just the PFL knocking at his door. There was interest from other promotions, the UFC included. The PFL, however, had the more appealing offer.

“Honestly, it’s things like this. They wanted to invest in me, they wanted to give me opportunities, they wanted to build me into an American star. And that’s what they’re looking to do, is moving forward over the next years, they want to build their base in America, build their stars in America,” explained McKee when asked about the decision to sign with the league. “And I think that’s really important to growing, because that’s where you main viewership is coming from. So yeah they just, from the get-go they said how much they wanted to build me and how much they wanted to invest in me and give me opportunities.”

McKee sees the promotion as backing up their words by giving them the opportunity against Pettis. “I’m gonna prove that they made the right choice.”

A two-time All-American NCAA Division I wrestler, McKee’s transition to MMA stemmed from a conversation with Bellator star Logan Storley. Primarily, Storley questioned why more Division I wrestlers didn’t fight. McKee immediately threw his name in the hat.

By his fifth or sixth fight, a main event for LFA, McKee found he’d become comfortable with his striking, in addition to his wrestling. “The whole entire 15 minutes was on the feet striking pretty much. Maybe like one minute was on the ground, and I won that unanimous decision. And that’s when I kind of realized, you kind of have to have a fight like that. Now you trust all the work you’ve been putting in, and then it helps you just grow even more from there. Because now you trust it, now you can keep building on that trust of your hands.”

Comfortable with striking or not, however, he’ll be breaking out the takedowns against the Duke Roufus-trained Pettis at some point. “It would be kind of a terrible game plan if I didn’t try to wrestle.”

“I think the more you wrestle, the more it opens up striking. The more you kind of, you get a couple takedowns, now you can start faking the takedown, coming over the top with strikes, stuff like that,” added McKee.

“The key is pressuring him, putting his back against the cage, and then going and getting my takedowns.”

Mitch McKee finds himself in an interesting position at PFL Chicago to say the least. The bantamweight title is vacant, and he’s fighting the number one contender despite being an unranked fighter making his promotional debut. Stranger things have happened than a title shot with just one win, however, and it would be hard to argue against him should he defeat Pettis.

“That’s why I’m going in there next week, I’m going in there looking for a finish next week. I think that will cement me as one half of the title contention talks,” stated McKee.

“I’m definitely going in there for a finish next week. I would think that, if you beat the number one contender, even if it’s your debut in the promotion, that that would get you a title fight. I’m going to try to advocate for that as much as I can.”

Should the title fight not come to pass, meanwhile, “I’m willing to fight anyone, anywhere. Anyone in the division, I’ll fight,” McKee added.

McKee also respects Pettis for doing the same. “That’s what I respect Sergio for, taking the match-up with me. Someone that’s making their debut, not ranked, he’s the number one contender, like you said he has everything to lose. It takes balls, especially nowadays when people are picking and choosing who they want to fight. I just want to fight the best people, so hopefully that’s for the title after this fight.”

Watch our full interview with PFL Chicago headliner Mitch McKee above. The event takes place on Saturday, April 11, 2026 at the Wintrust Arena in Chicago, IL.

The post Mitch McKee Reveals Motivation for Signing with PFL appeared first on Cageside Press.

The former Bellator champ has been away from fighting since a split decision loss to Sergio Pettis, a longtime training partner, last summer. It seems there was never a plan to come back sooner, however, as Stots (21-3) told Cageside Press in a recent interview. With the changes to the PFL organizational structure over the past six months or so, instead, Stots turned his focus to a different pursuit: flipping houses.

“I started it, I pretty much just jumped straight in. I bought a house that was a good deal, I flipped that one, and then I finished that and bought another one and kind of did the same thing,” Stots explained ahead of his fight with Renat Khavalov at PFL Chicago. “It’s something that I’ve been wanting to do. I have a little alter ego, ‘Rauf the Builder’ that I like to do every now and then. I like doing stuff with my hands, so that’s like fun for me.”

There was no apprenticeship for Rauf the Builder. “I jumped in and I did it, I’m happy I did it,” continued Stots. “It’s something that I’ll use for extra income and financial stability later on. That’s something I did in my downtime. It actually was a lot of hard work and a lot of time for me, because I did all the work myself in the houses.”

Drywalling, tiling, plumbing — Stots got the full renovation experience. He plans to keep on going in the house flipping business, and has a rental property as well, but now it’s back to fighting, against a dangerous, unbeaten opponent out of Khabib Nurmagomedov’s camp in Khavalov.

The match-up is a step up for Khavalov, a perfect 11-0 in his career to date. “I looked at it like, he’s a guy that has passed every test, so he deserves a step up. I’m a guy that dropped his last decision against the number one contender, which I could have won. So I have to prove that I’m in the position that I am for a reason,” explained Stots when asked for his thoughts on the pairing.

“I think it’s a great match-up, I think he’s a tough character, I think he’s passed every test that he’s been given thus far, but I’m here to prove that I’m a tougher test than he’s been given. I feel that I’ve passed tougher tests. We get to see who’s deserving of this top ranking.”

The fact that Khavalov is a prodigy from Khabib’s camp, meanwhile, is something Stots called the “cherry on top.”

A win this Saturday at the Wintrust Arena in Chicago opens up all sorts of possibilities. Marcirley Alves, the PFL bantamweight World Tournament winner last year, was widely expected to fight for the promotion’s vacant 135lb title next. Instead, he’s got a date with Naoki Inoue in RIZIN next month, in a crossover fight.

“I think that opens, I mean the door’s wide open. It’s [the title] truly vacant if he’s doing stuff in a different organization,” suggested Stots.

Which means that, with a win, the #2-ranked Stots himself could end up competing for the belt. Whether it be against Alves, should he win, or in a rematch with Sergio Pettis, who faces Mitch McKee in the PFL Chicago main event. “I feel like the title is wide open. I think whatever the case, I’m in the position, I could fight for the title. It would be legitimate for me to fight for the title now. I could also see, obviously Sergio is the number one contender. Anything in that top five can happen, I feel like.”

“I could definitely see me fighting for the title as an option.”

Watch our full interview with PFL Chicago’s Raufeon Stots. The event takes place Saturday, April 11, 2026 at the Wintrust Arena in Chicago, IL.

The post Raufeon Stots on House Flipping, Taking on Khabib’s Prodigy, and the PFL Title Picture appeared first on Cageside Press.

Weigh-ins for the PFL’s first visit to Pittsburgh, PA took place on Friday, with middleweights Johnny Eblen and Bryan Battle both making weight for the card’s headliner. Eblen, the former Bellator and PFL middleweight champion, will be looking to rebound from a loss to Costello van Steenis that cost him both his title, and his undefeated record in MMA.

Up against the American Top Team star is Battle, an Ultimate Fighter star who later struggled with his weight in the UFC, leading to an untimely exit. He’s since gone 2-0 under the Dirty Boxing banner, but returns to MMA and goes straight into a high-profile opportunity with the Professional Fighters League.

All fighters successfully made weight for Saturday’s card on Friday morning (Cartweight vs. Begosso was a planned catchweight, as Begosso is replacing Bryce Mitchell on short notice in the fight).

PFL Pittsburgh: Eblen vs. Battle Weigh-In Results

Main Card

Middleweight: Johnny Eblen (185.8) vs. Bryan Battle (186)
Middleweight: Impa Kasanganay (185.8) vs. Dalton Rosta (185.8)
Women’s flyweight: Ariane da Silva (125.8) vs. Sumiko Inaba (124.6)
Featherweight: Julio Arce (146) vs. Alexei Pergande (146)
Bantamweight: Lazaro Dayron (135.8) vs. Jacob Thrall (136)

Preliminary Card

Catchweight (140lb): Allan Begosso (139.6) vs. Jack Cartwright (140)
Lightweight: Jakub Kaszuba (155.4) vs. Natan Schulte (155.8)
Lightweight: Dakota Bush (155.8) vs. Robert Watley (155.4)
Welterweight: Masayuki Kikuiri (169.6) vs. Ernesto Rodriguez (171)
Women’s flyweight: Elora Dana (125.2) vs. Tatiana Postarnakova (125.8)
Middleweight: Josh Fremd (185.6) vs. Jarrah Al-Silawi (185.6)
Featherweight: Fred Dupras (145.8) vs. Ethan Goss (145.8)

The post PFL Pittsburgh: Eblen vs. Battle Weigh-In Results appeared first on Cageside Press.

On Friday, promotion officials on both sides announced a crossover fight, one that sees former RIZIN bantamweight champ Naoki Inoue (20-5) take on PFL World Tournament winner Marcirley Alves (15-4).

The high-profile 135lb match-up takes place at PFL Brussels at the ING Arena in Brussels, Belgium on May 23, 2026. It marks the first time the promotions have collaborated, though the PFL did absorb Bellator, which hosted several crossover events with the Japanese organization.

Inoue, who has also fought in the UFC, had won four straight and defended his RIZIN bantamweight belt twice before running into Danny Sabatello in his last outing. He lost a split decision against the American, ending his title reign roughly a year and a half after it kicked off.

Brazil’s Alves, who previously fought for Bellator, was something of a dark horse in the PFL’s 2025 bantamweight world tournament. He went 3-0 to win the grand prix format, beating former Bellator star Leandro Higo and ex-UFC fighter Jake Hadley along the way.

Many had expected Alves to be paired up in a title fight next, perhaps with Sergio Pettis. Pettis, however, faces Mitch McKee next month in a non-title bout at PFL Chicago.

PFL Brussels, meanwhile, is headlined by unbeaten Belgian Patrick Habirora and the returning Benson Henderson.

The post PFL/RIZIN Crossover Sees Naoki Inoue Face Marcirley Alves appeared first on Cageside Press.

New not just as in next, Begosso is also filling in for wrestler and former Bellator star Bryce Meredith. Speaking to Cageside Press in a recent interview, Cartwright (13-2) said that the change was “not a massive switch-up to be honest, because I’m always preparing for somebody to try to pull me down.”

“That’s literally what I prepare for, because that’s what everybody who tries to fight me realistically tries to do if I’m being honest. They try and pull me down, negate the fight, slow the fight down as much as they can. Negate the scrambles and keep it as boring as physically possible, and keep themselves as safe as possible realistically.”

Cartwright noted that he’s now facing a shorter opponent, albeit one who is more of a striking and submission threat. “Probably stronger physically than Bryce, but Bryce is more of a ‘shoot, shoot, shoot’ wrestler and then he’ll try to hold you down, whereas this guy’s going to be more of a submission threat and more of a striking threat. He’s a bit more, wild punches, whereas Bryce was never going to entertain really striking with me. He was going to be shooting the majority of the fight I would imagine.”

In some ways, the fight becomes one that sees two combatants good in all areas, though Cartwright sees a distinct difference. While Begosso is “fairly similar to me, to be honest,” he added that “I just think I’m a much better version. I think I’m a much more well-schooled fighter that’s fought a higher level of competition. That’s the way I see it. Full respect to him. I think he’s more dangerous than Bryce is, in my opinion. More dangerous of a fighter, I think Bryce is a better athlete.”

Should any stand-up war break out at the UMPC Events Center in Pittsburgh, however, Cartwright seems to be all for it. “I meet fire with fire the majority of times, it’s just in my nature. I can’t really say no to a good time, to be honest. If somebody’s in there and he tends to hold his feet and throw heavy punches, then I’ll oblige him. I’ll oblige him if that’s what comes to pass on Fight Night.”

A Contender Series alum, Jack Cartwright has been in martial arts since he was five years old, and while “I wanted to be a professional wrestler as a kid,” he soon recognized that he didn’t have the necessary stature. “I realized I would be 70 kilos, five foot nine at a push. I wasn’t going to be six foot four, 270 pounds, so that dream went out the window.”

Aside from that wrestling dream, Cartwright has never wanted to be anything but a professional fighter. While he did attend university, he admits that “I just did it to keep my parents happy to be honest, and to keep training. I was never going to take it seriously. I’m a Plan A guy. I’m a Plan A guy, I never really cared to bother about a backup. I just go all in, balls to the wall and I try to get what I earn out of life.”

Watch our full interview with PFL Pittsburgh’s Jack Cartwright above.

The post PFL Pittsburgh: “Plan A Guy” Jack Cartwright Never Had a Backup to Fighting appeared first on Cageside Press.

Inaba (8-2) finds herself fighting in a new-look Professional Fighters League this year. Gone are the tournaments, promotion founder Donn Davis, and even Francis Ngannou. It’s traditional matchmaking, for the most part, from here on out.

“I think it’s good. PFL started off a little bit different, and I was like ‘okay, just go with it.’ And now it’s like ‘okay, there’s rankings, there’s new things happening.’ I think it’s going in a great direction,” Inaba told Cageside Press in an exclusive interview ahead of her fight. “PFL has only been great to me, so I’m excited for what’s to come.”

Inaba never actually fought under the PFL’s tournament format, after an alternate bout fell through. “I still got to fight the champ, so it turned out being great. I think everything happened the way it did for a reason,” the former Bellator star noted.

That fight against PFL Global champ Ditcheva, the promotion’s #1 flyweight currently, was Inaba’s most recent. The lessons learned in it, which saw Ditcheva win on the scorecards, are something “Lady Samurai” believes she can apply to her next fight.

“I couldn’t just be more proud of how I was able to last. I was able to test myself against the best, someone at her level. I sometimes don’t realize the level that I’m at, and it’s almost a reality check for myself,” she stated.

Spending 15 minutes in the cage with Ditcheva “gives me some confidence boost. All that experience I got from that fight I can just translate and just bring it into this one coming up.”

This time up it’s UFC veteran Lipski da Silva, also a former KSW women’s flyweight champ. Upon getting the offer for the fight, “I was very excited,” admitted Inaba. “UFC vet, she has a great name, I think she has a great style and styles make fights. I think it’s going to great fight between me and her, I think it’s going to be a great win, winning over someone with that name. I think it’s going to be an exciting one for March 28.”

Despite not having fought in the promotion, da Silva is already ranking in the PFL’s top 10 at flyweight. Inaba is ranked a few spots up, which she noted is “fuel to just keep it going and keep my name where that number is.”

The match-up could lead to bigger things. Ditcheva is out injured at the moment. Prior to her hitting the sidelines, she’d been booked into a fight with Denise Kielholtz, not Liz Carmouche as many had anticipated. Inaba for one isn’t trying to get caught up in the what-ifs and possibilities however.

“I just want to have a good win for this next one. I’m not looking past it at all really. It’s hard to predict with PFL. The last one I wasn’t really expecting to get Dakota yet, and then I got Dakota. This one, it’s a great opponent, it’s a great place for me to show my skills and hopefully come out with a great performance. And then from there, that can skyrocket me into different directions.”

Inaba, like many fighters these days, has two jobs: there’s mixed martial artist, and parent. Certainly for women, having children is no longer a barrier to fighting professionally. Which is harder? Well, there’s no ruleset stopping kids from biting or hair pulling for one.

“I’d say being a mom for sure,” Inaba laughed. “I have a now 17-year old, and then a 4-year old. So I have the best of both words right now. It’s fun, they keep me on my toes all the time. Fighting’s like escape time for me almost, it’s like my fun time. So definitely I’d say mom life is tougher, so shoutout to all the moms out there.”

Watch our full interview with PFL Pittsburgh’s Sumiko Inaba above. The event takes place this Saturday, March 28, 2026 at the UMPC Events Center in Pittsburgh, PA.

The post Sumiko Inaba Taking “Confidence Boost,” Experience from Ditcheva Fight into PFL Pittsburgh appeared first on Cageside Press.

Costello van Steenis faces Fabian Edwards as the Professional Fighters League starts to ramp up its 2026. While they’ve already held their successful Road to Dubai card, the next couple of weeks features big shows in Madrid, Pittsburgh, and beyond.

Both middleweight champ van Steenis and Edwards made weight on Thursday, as did co-headliners AJ McKee, back at featherweight, and Adam Borics. Linton Vassell and short-notice replacement Jose Augusto were never in question for their heavyweight fight.

Mathys Duragrin and Kevin Cordero both missed weight for their preliminary card bouts.

PFL Madrid: van Steenis vs. Edwards Weigh-In Results

Main Card

Middleweight: Costello van Steenis (c) (184.7 lbs) vs. Fabian Edwards (184.7 lbs) – for the PFL middleweight championship
Featherweight: AJ McKee (145.4 lbs) vs. Adam Borics (145.9 lbs)
Welterweight: Franco Tenaglia (167.8 lbs) vs. Yassin Najid (169.8 lbs)
Women’s Strawweight: Jacinta Austin (115.7 lbs) vs. Benita Van Rodij (115.4 lbs)
Heavyweight: Linton Vassell (242.5 lbs) vs. Jose Augusto (261.5 lbs)

Preliminary Card

137-Pound Catchweight: Kevin Cordero (136.6 lbs)* vs. Luciano Pereira (134.5 lbs)
Flyweight: Borja Garcia (125.6 lbs) vs. Rafael Calderon (125.6 lbs)
Lightweight: Gino van Steenis (155.8 lbs) vs. Mark Ewen (155.3 lbs)
Bantamweight: Mattia Giordano (136 lbs) vs. Ernesto Schisano (135.6 lbs)
165-Pound Catchweight: David Mora (164.1 lbs) vs. Claudio Pacella (164.7 lbs)
147-Pound Catchweight: Ignacio Campos (146 lbs) vs. Mathys Duragrin (146.5 lbs)*

* missed weight

The post PFL Madrid: van Steenis vs. Edwards Weigh-In Results appeared first on Cageside Press.

Then, as often transpires in mixed martial arts, the fight gods threw England’s Vassell (25-10, 1NC) a curveball. Goltsov, the 2024 PFL Global season champion, was out. Jose Augusto was in. Actually, another would-be opponent was offered prior to Augusto, “but for some reason, the guy couldn’t get a visa,” Vassell told Cageside Press in an exclusive interview ahead of the bout.

Augusto was next in line. “Even before I’d even watched his fights, I agreed and signed the contract. Because I’d been training for a fight, I’d been training for Denis. I think when you get offered a replacement, all you can say is yes,” explained Vassell. “So I took the fight, and here we are.”

Denis Goltsov, of course, is a very different opponent from Jose Augusto. Goltsov is a towering figure, Augusto not so much, and outside of teammate Steve Mowry, Vassell had had a tough time finding fighters similar in stature to the Russian PFL star.

“I’ve been sparring with strikers and grapplers. It’s kind of like I was preparing for this fight without even noticing really, if you understand. Because it’s not like everyday you can go down the road and find a 6’8″ guy. So the height adjustment, it kind of just worked out perfectly.”

Jose Augusto might be remembered for fighting Anthony “Rumble” Johnson in Bellator MMA on short notice, replacing Yoel Romero in their 2021 fight. It was Rumble’s last professional bout prior to his untimely passing due to cancer.

Still, Augusto has only flirted with the limelight, which might make him more dangerous in a way. “I don’t doubt he’s going to come and try and knock me out and make a statement for himself,” noted Vassell. “There’s no doubt he’s going to come and bring it, but I’m know I’m ready. I’ve been ready for a long time. Whatever he’s going I’m going to nullify that, and work my game. Eventually take him down after beating him up on the feet, and go for the finish.”

“Either TKO or referee stoppage. That’s how I see this fight going.”

It’s a brand new day, to borrow from the next Spider-Man film, for the PFL in 2026. No more tournaments, traditional matchmaking. Vassell has plenty of experience with both. “Don’t get me wrong, it was fun to get three fights in a year, so obviously I was active and I got paid, but it is taxing on the body. And me getting a little bit older, 42 now, to do that again would have been tough.

With that in mind, Vassell is “pleased” to see things go back to the regular format. “If I win, obviously then you get another ranked guy and like you said, eventually it’s probably a quicker way to get to the belt. For me, I think this works perfect for myself.” Vassell has always trained for one fight at a time, he added. “In a way, I’m glad there’s no more tournaments.”

Watch our full interview with PFL Madrid heavyweight Linton Vassell above.

The post PFL Madrid: Linton Vassell Addresses Opponent Switch, Promotion’s New Format appeared first on Cageside Press.

On Friday, the promotion announced it had officially released the former UFC heavyweight champion from his contract, closing the chapter on a three-year relationship that once promised to reshape the landscape of combat sports.

PFL released a statement on Friday morning.

“The Professional Fighters League has made the decision to part ways with Francis Ngannou. We have great respect for Francis as both an athlete and a person, and we wish him success in the next chapter of his combat sports career. The PFL remains focused on recruiting and signing the best athletes in the sport while continuing to deliver world-class competition for fans around the globe.”

Ngannou (18-3) made just one appearance for the PFL, scoring a first-round TKO victory over Renan Ferreira at PFL Super Fights in 2024.

Despite his limited activity in the promotion, Ngannou spent much of that time competing in the boxing ring. He dropped a split decision to Tyson Fury in 2023 before suffering a knockout loss to Anthony Joshua in 2024.

News of Ngannou’s release quickly spread across social media, with many fans speculating about a possible return to the UFC, particularly for a long-discussed showdown with Jon Jones. UFC CEO Dana White has previously stated there is no path back for the heavyweight, though in MMA, circumstances can change quickly.

The post Francis Ngannou, PFL Part Ways appeared first on Cageside Press.