It hasn’t taken the Peruvian star, who leaves the UFC off a November win over Miles Johns, long to land on his feet.

On Tuesday, Marcos revealed on social media that he has signed on with the Professional Fighters League. Length and terms of the deal have not been confirmed, nor has a debut date or opponent.

Marcos (18-1, 1NC) went 5-1, 1NC across seven bookings for the UFC. He joined the company in 2023 after winning a contract on Dana White’s Contender Series the previous year.

Picking up wins over Davey Grant, Adrian Yanez, and Miles Johns among others during his UFC run, the 33-year old from Lima, Peru appeared to have a bright future with the company. However, it appears the fighter and promotion failed to come to terms on a new deal after his last contract expired.

Daniel Marcos joins a PFL bantamweight division that currently features the likes of Sergio Pettis, Mitch McKee, Rafeon Stots, Renat Khavalov, Taylor Lapilus, and even RIZIN star Naoki Inoue. The weight class does not currently have a reigning champion; Pettis sits ranked #1, while McKee, who recently defeated him, holds the #2 spot.

The post Daniel Marcos Joins PFL Days After UFC Exit appeared first on Cageside Press.

The PFL is returning to the Big Apple for their biggest card of the year so far as the promotion announced the return of two of its superstars for bouts at UBS Arena in Long Island on July 31. Lightweight champion Usman Nurmagomedov will take on fellow undefeated Bellator veteran Archie Colgan in the main event while 2024 tournament winner Dakota Ditcheva will face Denise Kielholtz in a bout that was previously scheduled for earlier this year.

USMAN NURMAGOMEDOV CHOKES OUT ALFIE DAVIS TO DEFEND THE TITLE 😱🏆#RoadToDubai | LIVE NOW | 📺Streaming on the ESPN App: https://t.co/dT2Kk7I7VV pic.twitter.com/8CZn9bJScR

— PFL (@PFLMMA) February 7, 2026

Nurmagomedov, 28, will look to continue his run dominant run going back to his time in Bellator as he looks to notch the second defense of his title. At 28-0, the prospect turned bonafide force has wins over former champions Patricky Pitbull, Benson Henderson, fellow Grand Prix finalist Alexandr Shabliy, back-to-back wins over Irish contender Paul Hughes, and 2025 tournament winner Alfie Davis. If there wasn’t enough attention him, Nurmagomedov is quickly approaching free agency and with his longtime teammate Islam Makhachev no longer occupying the lightweight division in the UFC there is great speculation on the kind of offer he could receive to bring his talents to the Octagon.

Opposing him will be the unbeaten 30 year-old Archie Colgan who’s developed as a professional under the LFA, Bellator, and most recently the PFL banner. At 13-0 Colgan has long been working his way to the title. Last fighting in October, “King” will be looking to shake off a layoff en route to claiming his first professional belt.

Striking Ace @dakotaditcheva returns to the SmartCage on Friday, November 25th! #PFLWorldChampionship pic.twitter.com/Lzhrr4MmDC

— PFL (@PFLMMA) October 8, 2022

In the co-feature, undefeated Dakota Ditcheva will make her long-awaited first appearance of 2026 after being forced out of a previously scheduled date due to a broken hand. The former winner of both the mainland and European tournament winner for the promotion, “Dangerous” has run roughshod over the competition with wins over former UFC title challenger Taila Santos, Jena Sumiko Inaba, Jena Bishop, and more. The 15-0 professional also signed a contract extension with the company last year and the company will undoubtedly be looking to flex her star power as talks ramp up for a potential new broadcast partner going into 2027.

Denise Kielholtz will be fighting for the first time since 2023 and notably will be making her first appearance in the PFL in any form since the company absorbed her former promotion. The former Bellator kickboxing champion is riding back-to-back victories but has been inactive since 2023. She was forced to withdraw from a regular season bout with Taila Santos in 2024. Her next scheduled bout was set to be against Ditcheva earlier this year but was postponed due to Ditcheva’s injury.

This will be the first time that the PFL returns to New York since 2023 when The Theater at Madison Square Garden hosted a pair of playoff events for the promotion.

The post Nurmagomedov, Ditcheva, Return on July 31 in New York for PFL appeared first on Cageside Press.

The kickboxer’s first MMA fight since 2019 didn’t last long, and ended in controversial fashion when Schilling was left irate after being headbutted on the ground.

With Abena getting the fight down early, Schilling had a chance to show whether he’d improved his ground game, but soon enough, Abena threw a very blatant headbutt from inside Schilling’s guard. Referee Mike Beltran immediately yelled stop while Schilling called out “headbutt” and pushed Abena off of him.

An irate Schilling briefly got in Abena’s face before Beltran ushered him away, with “Stitch ’em Up” overheard exclaiming “f*ck that, headbutt?!? Fight’s over. Fight’s over!” It was not, however, a DQ, with ref Beltran instead choosing to deduct a point.

Still fuming, Schilling initially didn’t seem like he was willing to continue, but continued to glare at Abena across the cage and eventually relented. That allowed Beltran to put him back on the ground, with Abena on top, only for Schilling to become upset again when Abena was awarded double overhooks. “F*cking foul and you’re going to give me bad position? F*ck this, fight’s over!” an increasing agitated Schilling said after getting back to his feet.

That led to Ateba being awarded a TKO victory via Schilling’s retirement from the fight, despite the obvious foul. After briefly getting in Abena’s face again before being separated, Schilling hollered “that’s your boy, that’s who you sign? PFL that’s your boy?” to promotion officials before the result was announced.

Schilling (4-7 MMA), a tournament champion in GLORY in his heyday, hasn’t won a fight in MMA since a decision over Keith Barry in Bellator in 2019. His last action came in Karate Combat, where he was knocked out by Luke Rockhold.

Donegi Abena, a kickboxer himself, was making his MMA debut in the fight. The win, such as it was, came 37 seconds in.

Not a fight, clearly, that Joe Schilling will remember fondly.

😱 C'EST DU JAMAIS VU !

Joe Schilling met fin au combat après avoir pris un coup de tête de son adversaire, parce qu'il n'est pas d'accord avec la position pour reprendre l'action ! pic.twitter.com/hggZdvQlsU

— RMC Sport Combat (@RMCSportCombat) May 23, 2026

The post Joe Schilling’s MMA Comeback Short-Lived, Refuses to Continue After Headbutt appeared first on Cageside Press.

The main event sees the return of former WEC and UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson, emerging from retirement to to take on Patrick “The Belgian Bomber” Habirora. Through eight professional fights, Habirora remains undefeated but will be getting a step up in both talent and name value with “Smooth.”

Kickboxing star Joe Schilling also returns to action on the PFL Brussels card, while Movsar Ibragimov gets a last-minute change of opponent. With Youssouf Binate out of the fight, he instead takes on Shane Campbell.

PFL Brussels: Habirora vs. Henderson Weigh-In Results

Main Card

Welterweight: Patrick Habirora (170.9 lbs) vs. Benson Henderson (171.0 lbs)
Bantamweight: Taylor Lapilus (135.7 lbs) vs. Jake Hadley (136.0 lbs)
Middleweight: Boris Atangana (184.6 lbs) vs. Jared Gooden (184.9 lbs)
Bantamweight: Marcirley Alves (135.5 lbs) vs. Naoki Inoue (135.5 lbs)
Featherweight: Asaël Adjoudj (145.9 lbs) vs. Keisuke Sasu (145.3 lbs)

Preliminary Card

Bantamweight: Baris Adiguzel (136.0 lbs) vs. Gustavo Oliveira (135.9 lbs)
Light Heavyweight: Donegi Abena (205.5 lbs) vs. Joe Schilling (204.9 lbs)
Catchweight: Movsar Ibragimov (135.9 lbs) vs. Shane Campbell (146)*
Welterweight: Khamzat Abaev (170.4 lbs) vs. Luca Poclit (170.9 lbs)
Featherweight: Adam Meskini (145.8 lbs) vs. Keweny Lopes (145.3 lbs)
Welterweight: Rustam Serbiev (169.0 lbs) vs. Ashley Reece (168.7 lbs)

* Campbell weighed in at 146lbs per PFL officials. Fight is a catchweight due to switch in opponents for Ibragimov

The post PFL Brussels: Habirora vs. Henderson Weigh-In Results appeared first on Cageside Press.

The news was first reported by the Miami Herald.

The post Logan Storley Arrested, Charged With Felony Sexual Battery in Key West appeared first on Cageside Press.

Undefeated 2025 PFL World Tournament winner Thad Jean (11-0) will face Shamil Musaev (20-1-1) for the organization’s vacant welterweight title at PFL D.C. on Saturday, July 25, 2026.

The event, which takes place at the CareFirst Arena in Washington, D.C., was announced via press release on Wednesday.

The PFL welterweight title was previously held by Ramazan Kuramagomedov, who retired immediately after winning the belt against Musaev in February. The league suggested in Wednesday’s press release that the Russian fighter had been stripped of the title, something PFL CEO John Martin stated on The Ariel Helwani Show on Wednesday.

It’s unclear why the promotion felt the need to strip Kuramagomedov of the title if he was in fact retired.

Thad Jean had a breakout 2025 en route to winning the World Tournament, defeating a trio of former Bellator fighters including two former champs. After defeating Mukhamed Berkhamov in the World Tournament quarterfinals, Jean went on to get the better of ex-Bellator welterweight champ Jason Jackson, then former Bellator interim welterweight champion Logan Storley in the tournament final.

Shamil Musaev has not fought since his title fight loss to Kuramagomedov, but had been undefeated prior to that. He was also the 2024 PFL Global tournament champion.

No other fights have been announced for PFL D.C. as of yet.

The post Thad Jean vs. Shamil Musaev Headlines PFL D.C. in July appeared first on Cageside Press.

Announced by the promotion on Wednesday, the Austin, Texas card on July 18, 2026 at Moody Center will be headlined by champ Costello van Steenis (18-3) taking on Johnny Eblen (17-1) for the second time.

The pair’s first meeting saw van Steenis claim gold, sinking in a rear-naked choke to win via submission late in the fifth and final round. Since that July meeting, van Steenis successfully defended his title against Fabian Edwards, a longtime contender in Bellator and the PFL who won the promotion’s World Tournament last year.

Eblen, who suffered his first and only loss against van Steenis last July, bounced back at the end of March with a submission win against UFC veteran and Ultimate Fighter winner Bryan Battle. Eblen, an American Top Team standout, holds notable victories over Gegard Mousasi, Impa Kasanganay, Fabian Edwards, and others.

Winning the Bellator MMA middleweight title in 2022, he defended it three times before facing van Steenis for the inaugural PFL middleweight championship last year.

“This is the fight that fans have been asking for since the moment Costello secured the rear-naked choke in the final seconds of their first world championship fight,” said PFL CEO John Martin in a press release issued on Wednesday. “There were a lot of opinions about how that fight ended, and both fighters have something to prove. Now we have a massive rematch with everything on the line, validation for The Spaniard, or redemption for Pressure. I can’t wait to see how it plays out on July 18.”

No other fights have been announced for PFL Austin thus far.

The post Costello van Steenis vs. Johnny Eblen 2 Booked for PFL Austin appeared first on Cageside Press.

On Saturday, PFL Sioux Falls will see Logan Storley competing close to home, as he takes on Florim Zendeli in the welterweight main event of PFL Sioux Falls.

Storley went to the final of the World Tournament last year, coming up short against Thad Jean. The former Bellator interim champ remains ranked at #3 in the 170lb division, however, and meets the #6-ranked Zendeli to cap off the fight.

Gadzhi Rabadanov, Emiliano Sordi, and Renan Ferreira, Francis Ngannou’s last opponent in MMA (at least for a few more weeks) also feature on the PFL Sioux Falls card.

Results from Friday’s official weigh-in are below.

PFL Sioux Falls: Storley vs. Zendeli Weigh-In Results

Main Card

Welterweight: Logan Storley (170.4lbs) vs. Florim Zendeli (171lbs)
160-Pound Catchweight: Gadzhi Rabadanov (159.6lbs) vs. Alex Chizov (160lbs)
Light Heavyweight: Simeon Powell (205.6lbs) vs. Emiliano Sordi (205.8lbs)
Heavyweight: Renan Ferreira (262.8lbs) vs. Sergei Bilosteeniy (262.2lbs)
137-Pound Catchweight: Magomed Magomedov (136.8lbs) vs. Leandro Higo (135.6lbs)

Preliminary Card

Light Heavyweight: Rasul Magomedov (205.2lbs) vs. #10-Rafael Xavier (204.8lbs)
134-Pound Women’s Catchweight: Cheyanne Bowers (131.8lbs) vs. Sabrinna de Sousa (133.2lbs)
Featherweight: Humberto Bandenay (145.6lbs) vs. Sang Won Kim (145.6lbs)
Women’s Flyweight: Taila Santos (125.8lbs) vs. Qihui Yan (126lbs)
Lightweight: Angel Alvarez (155.2lbs) vs. Bryce Logan (156lbs)
Welterweight: Brett Bye (169.8.lbs) vs. Taylor Michels (170.4lbs)
Heavyweight: Maxwell Djantou Nana (262.2lbs) vs. #10-Karl Williams (256.8lbs)

The post PFL Sioux Falls: Storley vs. Zendeli Weigh-In Results appeared first on Cageside Press.

“I switched to management and within like three weeks of working with my new manager he was like ‘hey, I know we’re still kind of like getting to know each other, but I want to know how you feel about PFL as an option,” Bowers recalled, “At this point I am open to anything bigger and better, so he presented me with the opportunity.”

Not only is the option bigger than where she was, but Bowers believes that the 125lbs division in PFL might be as good as anywhere. She’s excited for the challenges on the way – especially the one at the top.

“It’s a step-up – there’s a ton of really good girls in the PFL. Within the next year to two years I would love to fight Dakota [Ditcheva],” she said. “I don’t think it’s really any different in my eyes compared to the UFC. I feel like it’s very well-rounded and it has a deep 125 pool right now.”

It’s not only flyweight kingpin Dakota Ditcheva that has her interested. When looking up and down the division, Bowers sees plenty of exciting matchups as well as fighters she looks up to.

“I actually just noticed yesterday they added another girl fight to the Sioux Falls card with Talia Santos on it. I’ve always been a huge fan of hers even before she fought Valentina for the the UFC belt. Super pumped to see that in person,” Bowers said. “Other girls like Jenna Bishop and Angela Hill I’ve always like been googly-eyed in love with – they’re just such cool fighters. So to know that I’m in the same pool as Jenna Bishop is super awesome because I’m a big jiu-jitsu girl.”

However, it’s not just the existing stars that makes PFL’s flyweight division so good. Their commitment to grabbing the top upcoming talent in the division also gives it real growth potential.

“Overall like there’s a lot of up-and-comers like myself that are that are entering the division a lot of girls that are undefeated like 6-0, 7-0 somewhere like that,” she said. “There’s a lot of rising talent that I think we’re going to see kind of explode over the next year or two.”

Bowers will get her first crack at one of those undefeated names when she faces Sabrinna de Sousa at PFL Sioux Falls. That fight takes place as part of the prelim portion of the card, which begins at 7pm EST this Saturday on ESPN 2.

The post PFL Sioux Falls’ Cheyanne Bowers: PFL 125ers as Good as Anywhere appeared first on Cageside Press.

Carmouche (25-8) will face fellow UFC alum Viviane Araujo (13-7) in the co-main event of PFL San Diego on June 27, 2026, promotion officials announced on Wednesday. The card takes place at the Pechanga Arena in San Diego, California.

“The Girl-Rilla” is Louisiana born but called San Diego home for years, fighting out of the San Diego Combat Academy. The PFL World Tournament winner, former Bellator MMA women’s flyweight champion and UFC title challenger has more recently called Tennessee home, but has continued to train both in San Diego and Virginia as well.

Last year, Carmouche, who turned 42 in February, went on a three-fight tear to defeat Ilara Joanne, Elora Dana, and BJJ star Jena Bishop to claim the PFL’s World Tournament crown at flyweight. Most then widely suspected a fight with #1 ranked flyweight and promotional darling Dakota Ditcheva, but that has not yet come to pass.

Ditcheva had been paired up with Denise Kielholtz in February, but was forced out of the fight due to injury.

Instead, Carmouche gets the #8-ranked women’s flyweight in the PFL, with Liz herself sitting at #2. Araujo made her PFL debut earlier this month, earning a unanimous decision over Shanna Young.

PFL San Diego is headlined by a featherweight match-up featuring the #2-ranked AJ McKee taking on #6-ranked Salamat Isbulaev.

The post Liz Carmouche vs. Viviane Araujo Added As PFL San Diego Co-Main appeared first on Cageside Press.