In addition to van Steenis vs. Edwards, AJ McKee returned to action, at featherweight, taking on Hungarian standout Adam Borics in another clash of Bellator MMA veterans. Also on the card, Linton Vassell was back. Originally scheduled to face 2024 PFL Global heavyweight champ Denis Goltsov, Vassell instead drew replacement opponent Jose Augusto, known as Anthony “Rumble” Johnson’s final adversary in MMA.

Where to Watch PFL Madrid

PFL Madrid takes place on Friday, March 20, 2026 at the Palacio Vistalegre in Madrid, Spain. The event airs live in the U.S. on the ESPN App, Movistar Plus+ in Spain, and talkSPORT YouTube Boxing in the U.K. Full results from the card can be found below.

PFL Madrid: van Steenis vs. Edwards Results

Costello van Steenis (c) def. Fabian Edwards by knockout, Round 3, 1:48 – for the PFL middleweight championship
AJ McKee def. Adam Borics by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Franco Tenaglia def. Yassin Najid by TKO (injury), Round 2, 5:00
Jacinta Austin def. Benita Van Rodij by knockout, Round 1, 2:40
Linton Vassell def. Jose Augusto by TKO (punches), Round 2, 2:48

Preliminary Card

Luciano Pereira def. Kevin Cordero by knockout (punch), Round 1, 2:10
Borja Garcia def. Rafael Calderon by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Gino van Steenis def. Mark Ewen by knockout (punch), Round 1, 2:43
Mattia Giordano def. Ernesto Schisano by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Claudio Pacella def. David Mora by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-26, 30-27)
Ignacio Campos def. Mathys Duragrin by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

The post PFL Madrid: van Steenis vs. Edwards Full Results 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

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Professional Fighters League CEO John Martin announced on Wednesday that McKee (23-2), a former Bellator MMA featherweight champion, had signed a new contract to remain with the promotion. McKee was one of the big names to come over from Bellator when the PFL absorbed the rival MMA promotion after acquiring it over a year ago.

In 25 fights, McKee has just two losses, to former Bellator double-champ Patricio Pitbull, and PFL lightweight contender Paul Hughes. He’s never been finished, with both fights going to the judges.

The 30-year old, son of lightweight pioneer Antonio McKee, claimed featherweight gold under the Bellator banner with a win over Pitbull, capping off an 18-0 start to his professional mixed martial arts career. He’d lose the title back to the Brazilian in his next fight, and eventually make the move up to lightweight.

McKee holds notable wins over Pitbull, RIZIN champ Roberto “Satoshi” de Silva, UFC vet and PFL finalist Clay Collard, and former Bellator champs Darrion Caldwell and Pat Curran, among others.

A.J. McKee was most recently seen earning a unanimous decision victory over Akhmed Magomedov at the PFL Champions Series 2 card in July.

The post Former Bellator Champ A.J. McKee Re-Signs with PFL appeared first on Cageside Press.

McKee is at a crucial turning point in his career heading into PFL Cape Town. Coming into this fight off just the second loss of his 24-fight career, McKee is hungry to return to title contention. Following a four-fight win streak at lightweight, McKee dropped a split decision against Paul Hughes in a title eliminator, forcing his hand to make a decision he had long seen coming: his return to 145 pounds.

AJ McKee ready to reclaim status as top featherweight

McKee made his plans clear ahead of his return to featherweight, speaking during the PFL Cape Town media day.

“Just coming back to the 145-pound division and showing everyone again who the best in the world is at this division.”

“I think now it’s honestly a bit easier going back down. When I was younger, I didn’t really diet properly. Just young and a little reckless, so you do wild things, but being a bit older now, I’d say it’s not as hard.”

McKee’s move to 155 had been criticized, as his performances seemed less impressive than when at 145. Despite this, he still fought his way into the title picture, all while knowing his return to featherweight was imminent.

“I was a fight away from the title at 155, lost a split decision, I wasn’t healthy, hadn’t been healthy. I just figured, what better time? I’m healthy and I wanna reclaim being the best in the world.”

McKee continued, “I think that everything happens the way it’s supposed to, the way that it needs. I’ve always said it, I’m really not a 155-pounder; everyone knows I’m a 145-pounder, so I was just having fun. I was eating blueberry banana pancakes and chicken parm every day. Going back to 145 pounds, I’m just meaner, hungrier, and that’s where my advantage is.”

McKee gets the chance to throw his name back into title contention at 145 pounds this weekend in South Africa, a new location with cultural meaning for McKee.

“I think it’s awesome to be here in South Africa, especially with my family coming from Africa. We’ve talked about it for many years. Being able to come here and have business and have fans here already, it’s phenomenal. It’s awesome to be embraced by the people embraced by the culture and showcase my skillset at the same time.”

Watch the full PFL Africa media day appearance by AJ McKee above.

The post AJ McKee Coming Back to “Show Who The Best in The World Is” at 145 Pounds appeared first on Cageside Press.

Announced on Friday, PFL Cape Town has added former Bellator featherweight champ A.J. McKee (22-2), taking on Akhmed Magomedov (11-1, 1NC) at 145lbs – a return from his recent endeavors at lightweight. As well, Bellator light heavyweight champ Corey Anderson (18-6, 1NC) will return to action for the first time since winning his title, taking on Denis Goltsov (36-8) in a heavyweight fight.

Goltsov claimed heavyweight gold in the PFL tournament in 2024, making the fight a champ versus champ affair of sorts, weight classes not withstanding.

Since moving to lightweight in 2022, McKee has posted a 4-1 record, competing for Bellator MMA (and on a co-promotion with RIZIN) and the PFL. He’ll be looking to bounce back from just his second career loss, a split decision dropped to Paul Hughes last October.

McKee last fought as a featherweight when he lost his Bellator title in a rematch with Patricio Pitbull at Bellator 277 in April 2022, after having won the belt the year prior.

PFL Cape Town is headlined by Johnny Eblen, taking on Costello Van Steenis in a middleweight title fight. Dakota Ditcheva has been booked opposite Sumiko Inaba; the card is part of the PFL Champions Series, taking place live on July 19, 2025 in Cape Town, South Africa.

The post AJ McKee vs. Akhmed Magomedov, Corey Anderson vs. Denis Goltsov Added to PFL Cape Town appeared first on Cageside Press.

McKee had moved to lightweight since losing his Bellator title back to Patricio Pitbull, the man he had won it from. As a 155’er, after years of teasing a move up in weight, McKee was unbeaten through four fights, including a win over RIZIN champ Roberto de Souza.

Hughes had earned his first win under the PFL/Bellator banner in June, finishing Bobby King.

This was a major step up in competition for the young Irish standout, but one he proved to be ready for.

From the opening bell Hughes walked McKee down, forcing the former Bellator champion to fight of his back foot against the cage. McKee desperately attempted to get the fight to the ground, but Hughes showed impressive takedown defense throughout the contest. In the final thirty seconds of round one, Hughes landed a massive right hand that almost finished the fight. The first five minutes were clearly in favor of Hughes.

In round two McKee again tried for takedowns but was unsuccessful, Hughes showed patience not entering into the guard of the former champion. On the feet it was all Hughes, stalking forward with big punches. On my scorecard Hughes was ahead 2-0 entering the final round.

McKee pushed Hughes to the cage and tried to land takedowns in the clinch but was again unsuccessful. For the first time in his career McKee looked tired and stiff on the feet. Hughes out landed McKee again in the third round, finishing off an impressive performance and the biggest win of his career.

When the fight went to the scorecards most watching believed a 30-27 victory for Hughes was a forgone conclusion. To everyone’s surprise the judges in attendance scored the fight a split decision. Hughes had to overcome a scare on the cards but likely propelled himself into a title opportunity opposite Usman Nurmagomedov with this victory.

Official Result: Paul Hughes def. AJ McKee by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

The post Paul Hughes Becomes Second to Beat AJ McKee at PFL Battle of the Giants appeared first on Cageside Press.

On Friday, both Francis Ngannou and Renan Ferreira successfully made weight for PFL’s Battle of the Giants, with Ngannou coming in just shy of 257 pounds, while Ferreira was a half pound over 261. The fight marks both Ngannou’s return to MMA after a stint in boxing, and his PFL debut, after signing with the promotion as a free agent following another battle – that one with the UFC.

Having waited out his contract, which expired due to a sunset clause, Ngannou was able to secure the sort of money most fighters never see. He’ll make millions for his PFL debut, but as a show that he’s serious about helping fellow fighters, he also secured a $2 million dollar purse for his opponent.

Not too shabby. Also on the card is the return of Cris Cyborg, the Bellator women’s featherweight champ, facing off with two-time, two-division PFL champion Larissa Pacheco. And after being postponed weeks ago, the Bellator middleweight title fight between Johnny Eblen and Fabian Edwards also lands on PFL Battle of the Giants, which seems to be made up of more Bellator stars than it is PFL fighters.

Results from Friday’s weigh-in can be found below; the ceremonial weigh-in video gets underway at 11:30AM ET, 8:30AM PT.

PFL Battle of the Giants: Brace for Impact Weigh-In Results

Main Card

Heavyweight: Francis Ngannou (256.8) vs. Renan Ferreira (261.5) – for the PFL heavyweight superfights championship
Women’s featherweight: Cris Cyborg (144.5) vs. Larissa Pacheco (144.1) – for the PFL women’s featherweight superfights championship
Middleweight: Champ Johnny Eblen (184.7) vs. Fabian Edwards (184.9) – for the Bellator MMA middleweight championship
Featherweight: Husein Kadimagomaev (146) vs. Zafar Mohsen (145.8)
Lightweight: A.J. McKee (155.8) vs. Paul Hughes (155.8)

Preliminary Card

Bantamweight: Marcos Breno (136) vs. Raufeon Stots (135.8)
Lightweight: Dedrek Sanders (154.9) vs. Makkasharip Zaynukov (153.6)
Featherweight: Nacho Campos (145.9) vs. Ibragim Ibragimov (145.5)
Featherweight: Taha Bendaoud (145.5) vs. Tariq Ismail (145.1)

The post No Misses, Full Card Makes Weight for PFL Battle of the Giants appeared first on Cageside Press.

Now almost a year into the acquisition of Bellator by the PFL, you could argue that the fighter with the most to gain has been lightweight contender AJ “The Mercenary” McKee.  Following a standout performance last year against Sidney Outlaw on the last show of the old regime, McKee was given the chance to showcase his talents on the PFL vs Bellator event earlier this year.  He made the most of the opportunity, stopping 2023 PFL finalist (and now 2024 semifinalist) Clay Collard in the first round that announced him as a threat to both rosters.

Get your popcorn ready 🍿

🚨𝗜𝗡𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗕𝗔𝗡𝗚𝗘𝗥 𝗔𝗟𝗘𝗥𝗧 🚨

🇺🇸 @ajmckee101 🆚 @paulhughesmma 🇮🇪

[ #PFLSuperFights | #BraceForImpact | Sat, Oct 19th | 4PM ET | BUY NOW https://t.co/rokbhScJA7] pic.twitter.com/R6HpVg37kU

— PFL (@PFLMMA) October 8, 2024

For his second fight of 2024, McKee now has the assignment of spoiling the run of top Irish prospect Paul Hughes.  Hughes made significant noise earlier this year when the former Cage Warriors featherweight champion signed with the PFL after receiving interest from the UFC.  Hughes made his promotional debut in his home country earlier this year to great fanfare and the fight with McKee marks a significant moment for two of the top talents in the world under 30 years old.

While Hughes’ title victory is no small feat, the vast experience behind McKee makes him the one to watch going into the event.  Besides his Grand Prix victory (including the stoppage of featherweight legend Patricio “Pitbull” Freire) under his belt, he also has the experience of having traveled to the Kingdom of Riyadh in Saudi Arabia earlier this year and the process it will take to get dialed in for fight night.

“As far as getting acclimated it didn’t take much.  About halfway through I realized our training time here in California is their nighttime there so there was kind of no need to get acclimated there to their time schedule, I just stayed on my time schedule.  Everything worked out perfect.  My hardest training is in the morning which is their nighttime which is the same time that I’ll be fighting so everything just worked out perfect.”

The bout with Hughes is another big showcase bout for McKee and is a great example of the opportunities that have been seen in 2024.  It is also an important one given McKee’s status as a lightweight contender as his division has seen fights in not only the PFL regular season tournament but also in the Bellator Champions Series under the same umbrella.  One could argue that the separation of talent under the different brands could lead to logistical headaches to get the fights that would propel you forward, but McKee says it’s all a favorable situation for himself.

“I don’t really see it as them splitting the rosters up.  There’s a lot of things still that are in play on Bellator’s end. I just think it’s a great opportunity because guys have the opportunity to go back-and-forth between two companies that are kind of independently doing their own thing but at the same time they’re still one in unity. For me, I think it’s the best of both worlds to go showcase my skills on PFL’s platform but then again at the same time I’m able to potentially fight for Bellator’s world title. I wouldn’t say there’s really a split. I’d say it’s just a matter of doing what makes sense. That’s what Bellator is into and what PFL is into.”

While the PFL regular season has a fight coming up next month between Brent Primus and Gadzhi Rabadanov to determine a new lightweight champion for the year, McKee has his sights set on the Bellator title holder for his next bout.

“I think the fight to make is Usman [Nurmagomedov]. That’s the fight that everyone wants to see so that’s the fight that I obviously want. He’s the world champ so that the fight that I want to get into…obviously following through with the Bellator tournament that fell through. He was able to fight (Alexander) Shabliy, they were both in the finals. I caught staph before the first round so I wasn’t even able to fight in the tournament but I think leading into it that was the fight everyone wanted to see. He’s been the man since I called Patricky out and he beat Patricky for the world title. He’s been the man, he’s held the world title, so I think that’s the fight to make.”

For now, “The Mercenary” seemingly has the chance to control his piece on the ever-evolving chessboard of the PFL with a victory over Paul Hughes.  With marquee bouts against Nurmagomedov and the 2024 tournament winner, McKee’s already considerable profile could grow exponentially in 2025.

AJ McKee fights Paul Hughes this Saturday on the Battle of the Giants PPV, live from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

The post AJ McKee Eyes Champ Nurmagomedov After Paul Hughes appeared first on Cageside Press.

The return of lineal UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou to mixed martial arts is just under a month away and his new promotion, the PFL, unveiled the complete fight card on Thursday morning for the event taking place on October 19 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

𝗢𝗙𝗙𝗜𝗖𝗜𝗔𝗟: Your Battle Of The Giants Fight Card is set 🔐

The countdown to impact is 𝙊𝙉 ⏳💥#PFLSuperFights | #BraceForImpact | Oct 19th pic.twitter.com/npBUbpv6Bb

— PFL (@PFLMMA) September 26, 2024

Leading the recently announced bouts is a featherweight contest between Husein Kadimagomaev (11-1) from Switzerland against Zafar Mohsen (13-4) of Germany who will be rounding out the pay-per-view portion of the card.  Kadimagomaev has built a strong record overseas where he has two appearances under the BRAVE banner and has trained with current UFC middleweight star Khamzat Chimaev.  Mohsen shares a similar path and enters the bout having finished his last three opponents.

Kadimagomaev and Mohsen join a pay-per-view lineup of pivotal bouts that includes the high stakes co-main event between reigning Bellator champion Cris Cyborg against two-time PFL tournament champion Larissa Pacheco, the middleweight rematch between Bellator champion Johnny Eblen and Fabian Edwards, and a lightweight bout between former Bellator champion AJ McKee and former Cage Warriors champion Paul Hughes.

Leading preliminary action will be former Bellator bantamweight champion Raufeon Stots who takes on Marcos Breno.  Stots is looking to continue building momentum back toward the title after notching his second victory over Danny Sabatello earlier this year.  Brazil’s Breno will be making his second appearance for the Bellator brand and first under the new iteration run by the PFL.  Breno has a previous fight with LFA but has been relatively inactive with only four fights in the past three years.  The two were previously targeted for a fight at the Bellator event earlier this month before it was scratched from the card.

The rest of preliminary card bouts that were announced will see up-and-coming talent from the Middle East and Europe in action with lightweight Makkasharip (15-4) taking on Derek Sanders (9-4), two featherweight bouts Ibragim Ibragimov (7-0) vs Nacho Campos (5-0) and Youssef Al Housani (4-1) vs Taha Bendaoud (3-0), and a middleweight fight Mostafa Nada (9-3) vs Ahmed Sami (11-4-0-1).

The event is set to take place in Mayadeen in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and will be broadcast on pay-per-view in the United States.

The Full Battle of Giants: Brace for Impact Fight Card:

Heavyweight Main Event: Francis Ngannou (17-3) vs. Renan Ferreira (13-3, 3 NC)
Women’s Featherweight Co-Main Event: Cris “Cyborg” (27-2) vs. Larissa Pacheco (23-4)
Bellator Middleweight World Title Fight: Johnny Eblen (15-0) vs. Fabian Edwards (13-3)
Featherweight Main Card Bout: Husein Kadimagomaev (11-1-0, 1 NC) vs Zafar Mohsen (13-4)
Lightweight Main Card Bout: AJ McKee (22-1) vs. Paul Hughes (12-1)

Bantamweight Early Card Bout: Raufeon Stots (20-2) vs Marcos Breno (15-3)
Lightweight Early Card Bout: Makkasharip Zaynukov (15-4) vs Dedrek Sanders (9-4)
Featherweight Early Card Bout: Ibragim Ibragimov (7-0) vs Nacho Campos (5-0)
Middleweight Early Card Bout: Mostafa Nada (9-3) vs Ahmed Sami (11-4-0, 1 NC)
Featherweight Early Card Bout: Youssef Al Housani (4-1) vs Taha Bendaoud (3-0)

The post Full Ngannou vs. Ferreira Card Revealed for October 19 PPV appeared first on Cageside Press.

Saturday marks the beginning of a new chapter for AJ McKee, but even he admits there’s a few storylines left to finish as he enters it.  The Bellator lightweight champion who took the world by storm with an undefeated run to win the Grand Prix and shock Patricio “Pitbull” Freire has completed his journey from top prospect to contender who is respected worldwide.

Now under a new umbrella, “The Mercenary” has a new roster of names he could potentially set his sights on.  That said, unfinished business from his days under the Bellator brand could see him target familiar foes sooner rather than later.  With the Bellator events expected to be more spaced out this year, he says potential one offs back at featherweight are options for him.

I’ve always been open to returning to the 145 pound division. I miss having a belt around my waist. At 145 pounds I feel I can jump back into a title shot at any moment so with this event in Saudi I think it’s gearing up for either 45s or 55s. I can kind of go either way. It’s just a matter of sitting down with PFL and seeing what they’d like to do. Sitting down with Bellator, putting together a game plan. If Patricio wins at 145 pounds, there’s a trilogy that’s never happened that everyone wants to see. If Pinedo wins, there’s a AJ McKee who’s the true champ who wants to return and show he’s the best 145 pounder in the world. Period

While there are still decisions to be made, it is noticeable that not all of the stars of the Bellator roster are being immediately brought into the PFL’s regular season structure.  McKee says he is open to a potential turnaround into the regular season in April if all goes well, but that is a business decision that is not solely determined by him after Saturday.  Should he remain in the Bellator International Champions Series in 2024, he acknowledges the fights that are still left to be made from his days in the previous regime at 155 pounds as well.

There’s an Usman Nuramgomedov that is an outstanding undefeated fighter. If I can’t be undefeated, no one can so I’m looking to that 0 on his record. There’s a lot of great names within this 155 pound division. You’ve got Shabliy, there’s a few hitters at 155 pounds that I’ve been wanting to fight that we’ve kind of spoken upon fighting and some things just fell through. We were real close in Bellator’s 155 pound tournament to continue in that hit list and those eight names on that world title but some things fell through the cracks.

While opponents from Bellator are likely on the docket later this year, he first has a fresh face to fight in PFL star and last year’s finalist Clay Collard whom McKee expects to have an exciting bout with.

Clay Collard is a great scrapper, a great boxer and a great fighter. He’s made it to the finals of the PFL’s tournament and in my eyes I see him as the champ since their champ [Olivier Aubin-Mercier] has retired. I’m looking forward to just going in there and doing what I do best and that’s exposing his weakness.

AJ McKee fights Clay Collard this Saturday at the PFL vs Bellator event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

The post AJ McKee Has His Sights Set on Gold in Two Divisions in PFL appeared first on Cageside Press.