The PFL 2019 season has been coming along nicely, with the second batch of regular season fights kicking up again next week in Atlantic City, NJ. In advance of that, the promotion announced via press release Tuesday that its playoffs, which last year were hosted in Long Beach, CA, would be coming to Las Vegas — the first time the MMA league has touched down in the fighting hotspot.

In particular, events will be held October 11, 17 and 31 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas. Key in making this development possible was the Nevada State Athletic Commission approving the PFL playoff format, which involves fighters competing twice in a single night.

“We’re proud to stage the 2019 PFL Playoffs in Las Vegas, the fight capital of the world and home to major league sports and larger than life entertainment events,” said Peter Murray, CEO of the PFL in Tuesday’s press release. “Our focus has been on partnering with leading brands and properties such as ESPN, and we are now excited to team with another world class organization in MGM Resorts as our Playoff partner in October. For the first time ever in Las Vegas, MMA fans will experience fighters fighting twice in one night to reach the PFL Championship, where six elite athletes will earn their divisional championship belts and $1 million each.”

The Professional Fighters League 2019 playoffs will air on ESPN2, ESPN+, and ESPN Deportes, as well as TSN in Canada.

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Kayla Harrison got the biggest test yet of her career at the PFL 2019 season opener, while Sarah Kaufman won big in her promotional debut. PFL 12 (Or PFL 1, as the promotion is calling it, going back to the start for the new season) saw the introduction of the women’s lightweight division. And while the UFC struggles to build a featherweight division, the 155lb women shone Thursday night.

None more so than Canada’s Sarah Kaufman, who pulled off a first-round submission against Morgan Frier, earning her six points towards a playoff berth, and first place in the standings. Kaufman, a former Strikeforce and Invicta FC bantamweight champion, was moving up in weight, looking for a third major title. And a million dollars in prize money at season’s end.

Harrison, the Olympic gold medalist in Judo, is the woman the division was built around. Yet the judoka had never been tested the way she was Thursday night in the PFL 2019 season opener. Larissa Pacheco of Brazil made Harrison go the distance, and even took Harrison’s back at one point, attempting a rear-naked choke.

It was the rare time fans had seen Harrison’s defensive game. She didn’t disappoint, reversing position to get on top. The rest of the fight? Basically one-sided in favor of Kayla Harrison. Still the fight marked the first time she had gone the distance.

Winning big in the welterweight division, Sadibou Sy set the PFL record for fastest knockout when he finished UFC alum David Michaud in just 17 seconds, thanks to a liver kick. Defending champ Magomed Magomedkerimov, meanwhile, won his opening bout as well.

Check below for a selection of highlights from PFL 2019 Week 1! For results and a main card recap, we’ve got you covered as well!

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The quest for a million dollars begins anew at the first even of the PFL 2019 season Thursday night. Going down from the Nassau Coliseum in Long Island, the first event of the year for Ray Sefo and company featured Kayla Harrison atop the card, as the promotion attempts to build a lightweight division around the Olympic gold medalist.

As was the case last season, two weight classes would be featured on each PFL card. Alongside women’s lightweight was the welterweight division. One of the big match-ups to start the season, however, hit a snag at weigh-ins on Wednesday. Zane Kamaka missed weight for his fight with Ray Cooper III — who happens to be his cousin. That means he is ineligible to win any points towards the playoffs, win or loose. Cooper is automatically granted three points, and is now fighting for additional points should he finish the fight.

The action airs live on ESPN 2, ESPN+, and TSN in Canada. Check below for full results, and tune in come fight time for a recap of the main card action from the opening week of the Professional Fighters League 2019 season!

Sadibou Sy vs. David Michaud

Kicking off the main card at the first even of the PFL 2019 season was welterweight action between Sadibou Sy and David Michaud. Sy took part in the 2018 season for the league, while Michaud, a former UFC fighter, was making his PFL debut.

The pair traded kicks early, but Michaud was soon down as the result of a kick to the liver by Sy. He briefly thought about luring Sy into his guard, but quickly covered up in pain as Sy dropped a couple of bombs to secure the win!

Sadibou Sy def. David Michaud by knockout (body kick), Round 1, 0:17

Sarah Kaufman vs. Morgan Frier

Second up on Thursday’s PFL card, former UFC fighter and Strikeforce/Invicta FC bantamweight champ Sarah Kaufman moved up to the lightweight division. There, she met Morgan Frier in her first regular season bout.

Before long, Kaufman had the fight to the groun, and quickly moved to mount, dropping a number of punches to the head. She locked in an arm-triangle choke shortly after, and while Frier would try a couple of punches to the ribs, she was unable to escape, and soon tapped.

Sarah Kaufman def. Morgan Frier by submission (arm-triangle choke), Round 1, 2:22

Ray Cooper vs. Zane Kamaka

Cousins Ray Cooper III and Zane Kamaka threw down in welterweight action. However, with Kamaka missing weight, only Cooper was eligible to win any points.

Cooper opened by forcing Kamaka to the outside; Kamaka tried to escape with some lateral movement, but wound up on his back. Kamaka threatened with upkicks, but soon enough, Cooper was in guard, then half guard, after briefly threatening to mount. Cooper then worked on controlling from the back, as Kamaka worked his way to the feet. After dragging Kamaka back down, some heavy shots from Cooper followed. Kamaka managed to survive, while Cooper worked to tie him up and find a finish, which wasn’t there before the end of the round.

Round two opened with Cooper immediately taking his cousin back to the ground. He quickly tied up a leg, working from half guard then moving to guard and posturing up. Kamaka was tying Cooper up, but found himself unable to escape; he certainly wasn’t scoring points off his back. Eventually, Cooper would get the back, and the rear-naked choke, ending the fight in the second.

Ray Cooper III def. Zane Kamaka by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 2, 4:29

Magomed Magomedkerimov vs. John Howard

It wasn’t long before defending champ Magomed Magomedkerimov had former UFC fighter John Howard to the ground in Thursday’s co-main event for the PFL 2019 season opener. Howard utilized a butteryfly guard, and later tried to maintain a whizzer off his back. Magomedkerimov, meanwhile, looked to create space to make something happen, but wound up back on his feet, navigating upkicks. He soon wound up back in guard, however. Soon enough, the champ was landing some big strikes; as Howard covered up and rolled over, Magomedkerimov locked in a guillotine, moving to it from full mount. That forced the tap, for another first round finish!

Magomed Magomedkerimov def. John Howard by submission (guillotine choke), Round 1, 4:54

Kayla Harrison vs. Larissa Pacheco

Kayla Harrison was back in action in the main event of the PFL season opener, taking on Larissa Pacheco. And not surprisingly, Harrison had the fight down early, and completely dominated in the grappling department. Harrison moved to side control for a time, landing a number of thunderous punches, then added more ground n’ pound, returning to her feet to drop bombs before moving back to half guard. Trying to make her way back up, Pacheco gave up the back, with Harrison slipping in the rear-naked choke. However, the Brazilian was saved by the bell.

In the second, Harrison backed Pacheco up, but this time, it was Pacheco who took Harrison down! She got the body triangle locked in, and looked for a rear-naked choke. Harrison, however, fought hands, then reversed, dropping some big punches in guard.  From there, Harrison was able to dominate the round as she had in the first, working from half-guard, dropping ground n’ pound, and controlling throughout.

Round three saw Harrison get the fight down a minute in. She passed to side control, and was once again able to dictate the fight from the top. Back in guard, she dropped more strikes from above. Pacheco attempted to find a last minute submission from her back, but never really came close, as Kayla Harrison walked away with the win.

Kayla Harrison def. Larissa Pacheco by unanimous decision (30-25, 30-27, 30-27)

PFL 2019 Week 1 Results:

Kayla Harrison def. Larissa Pacheco by unanimous decision (30-25, 30-27, 30-27)
Magomed Magomedkerimov def. John Howard by submission (guillotine choke), Round 1, 4:54
Ray Cooper III def. Zane Kamaka by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 2, 4:29
Sarah Kaufman def. Morgan Frier by submission (arm-triangle choke), Round 1, 2:22
Sadibou Sy def. David Michaud by knockout (body kick), Round 1, 0:17
Handesson Ferreira def. Bojan Velickovic by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Bobbi Jo Dalziel def. Genah Fabian by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Glaico Franca def. Gamzat Khiramagomedov by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 1, 4:06
Chris Curtis def. Andre Fialho by TKO, Round 3, 4:17
Roberta Samad def. Moriel Charneski by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

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The Professional Fighters League continues to make waves in the MMA world — and this time, it has recruited a former WWE talent in the process. The PFL, which earlier this year announced a two-year broadcast deal with ESPN and Canada’s TSN, on Monday announced that it had inked ex-WWE ring announcer Lilian Garcia to a deal. Garcia, who spent 15 years with the WWE (occasionally getting involved with storylines, but mostly as an announcer and interviewer), will be the In-Cage Announcer of the PFL.

“I’m looking forward to stepping in the cage and getting back to introducing fighters to the masses, something I truly love and have missed,” said Garcia in a press release Monday. “What I find most intriguing about the PFL is that every fight matters. Each fighter enters the cage knowing they are competing for a shot at a title and million-dollar prize. There is so much drama surrounding that moment, and I’m honored to help bring it to life for fans in the arena and watching at home.”

In addition to her announcing duties, Garcia is a singer, and has performed the national anthem at numerous sporting events. She was also the first female in history to host WrestleMania.

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On Monday, the Professional Fighters League announced the latest additions to their upcoming season. Among the new names joining the PFL 2019 roster are Japanese heavyweight Satoshi Ishii, and Canadian standout Jeremy Kennedy, last seen competing in the UFC. The promotion revealed those names, and several others, via press release.

The most interesting addition, without question, is Satoshi Ishii, who has long been one of the most notable heavyweight competitors outside the UFC. A gold medal winner in Judo at the 2008 Olympic games, Ishii went 12–2–1 to start his career, before running up against Mirko Cro-Cop and suffering a pair of defeats in back-to-back fights against the Croatian legend. Ishii would later begin training with Cro-Cop, and now represents Croatia, becoming a citizen earlier this year.

Interestingly, Ishii (21-8-1) signed with KSW just months ago, after letting slip that he was headed to the PFL. That made it seem like any appearances with the PFL were off. Something underlined by Ishii’s debut win in that promotion in March, which saw him win a split decision against Brazil’s Fernando Rodrigues Jr. at KSW 47. KSW heavyweight champ Phil De Fries expected to face Ishii next, but he’ll now be tied up in the PFL tournament for quite possibly the remainder of the year.

Jeremy Kennedy (13-1), meanwhile, is a huge addition to the PFL’s featherweight division. He went 3-1 in the UFC, but could not come to terms with the promotion on a new deal, and made his exit last year. Just 26 years old, the B.C. native has won his last two fights, under the Brave CF banner.

Also joining the PFL this year, Mexico’s Jorge Gonzalez, at 15-4 light heavyweight on a six fight win streak. In his most recent outing, he knocked out former UFC talent Luke Barnatt.

Current LFA interim featherweight champ Damon “The Leech” Jackson, also a former Legacy FC featherweight champion, steps into the PFL for the 2019 season as well. Jackson (16-2-1 (1)) is currently on a five fight win streak under the LFA banner. His only loss since 2016 came against Kevin Aguilar, who fought at UFC Philadelphia over the weekend.

At 37–6, Brazil’s Ronys Torres likely has the deepest record of any of the new additions. He’ll be joining the promotion’s lightweight division. Chris Curtis (20-5) is a Contender Series alum (he won, but didn’t get a contract) currently on a seven fight win streak. He steps in at welterweight.

Returning to the PFL in 2019 are Francimar Barroso, who was the number one seed at heavyweight in 2018, and Rashid Yusupov, a light heavyweight whose season ended early after a broken jaw knocked him out of the tournament.

The PFL 2019 season launches Thursday, May 9 on ESPN2, ESPN+, ESPN Deportes, as well as on TSN in Canada.

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The Professional Fighters league is continuing to unveil its roster for the upcoming PFL 2019 season. And among the most recent additions are a couple of UFC veterans. Plus a handful of returning names. PFL officials announced the news in a press release on Thursday. Among the standouts, undefeated UFC light heavyweight Jordan Johnson (10-0), who won four straight fights under the UFC banner, but could not come to terms on a new deal with the promotion.

The shot at a million dollars in the PFL, quite bluntly, will likely represent more  money than he could have made through another UFC deal anyway.

Johnson began his pro career in 2014, and joined the UFC in 2017, quickly rattling off a number of decision wins before submitting Adam Yandiev in his final fight with the company at UFC Moscow. That fight marked Johnson’s middleweight debut, but he’ll be back to light heavyweight with the PFL.

Also joining the Professional Fighters League in 2019, UFC and Bellator MMA vet David Michaud (15-4). Among his fifteen wins as a pro, thirteen have come via stoppage. Michaud fought for the UFC from 2014-2015, going 1-2 with the promotion. He’ll enter the PFL 2019 season on a three fight win streak, with his most recent win coming under the LFA banner.

Other new fighters joining the league for 2019 are welterweight Zane Kamaka (13-3), a cousin of PFL standout Ray Cooper III, and featherweight Luis Rafael Laurentino. Laurentino has a mind-boggling pro record of 33-1. A good number of those opponents boast sub-.500 records, but his past two victories have come against Carlisson Diego Dos Santos (13-5) and Cleverson Silva (11-3).

Lightweight Nate Andrews (15-1) rides a nine-fight win streak into the PFL 2019 season, with all victories coming by stoppage. Australia’s Ben Edwards (4-0), a heavyweight, has the least MMA experience of the bunch, but had a successful kickboxing career, setting the record for the fastest kickboxing tournament win in K-1 history: three first-round knockouts across a grand total of 3:28. Russia’s Denis Goltsov (22-5) also joins the heavyweight division.

Returning to the PFL roster for a second season, meanwhile, are Smealinho Rama (light heavyweight, former WSOF heavyweight champ), Alex Nicholson (PFL 2018 heavyweight semi-finalist), Kelvin Tiller (heavyweight), Sadibou Sy (welterweight), Chris Wade (PFL 2018 lightweight semi-finalist), and Andre Harrison (PFL 2018 featherweight semi-finalist).

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Just in time for International Women’s Day, the Professional Fighters League has announced its women’s lightweight division. With the PFL 2019 season launching in May in Long Island, it’s the perfect timing to introduce what is essentially the only 155lb division for women among the major promotions. Eight fighters will compete this year, for a one million dollar prize.

While it’s no surprise that two-time Olympic gold medalist Kayla Harrison (3-0) remains the centerpiece of the division, she will find some real competition among her competitors. First and foremost, that should come from Canada’s Sarah Kaufman (20–4 (1)), a Strikeforce and Invicta FC champion who also competed in the UFC. Kaufman is the reigning women’s bantamweight champion in Invicta, but after struggling to find a fight there, it appears she’s opted to look for greener pastures.

Kaufman’s fellow Canadian Bobbi Jo Dalziel (3-0) has also joined the fray. She’s coming off a win over former PFL competitor (against Harrison) Jozette Cotton.

Brazil’s Larissa Pacheco (11-2) has competed at featherwieght and bantamweight, and fought twice in the UFC, losing to Germaine de Randamie and Jessica Andrade. She also holds a win over UFC alum Irene Aldana.

Another Brazilian, former Bellator featherweight Roberta Samad (4-1), will join her in the upcoming season. All four of her wins have come via stoppage, with three knockouts and a submission.

New Zeland kickboxer Genah Fabian (1-0) may be a long shot in the division, as is Russia’s Svetlana Khautova (2-0).

Rounding out the women’s lightweight division in the PFL is Morgan Frier (4-1). The American has won four straight after losing her debut. None of her wins have gone past a minute.

“As we continue to elevate our roster and reimagine the sport, we are proud to introduce the first-ever women’s 155-pound division,” said Peter Murray, CEO, PFL in Friday’s press release. “These athletes are breaking down barriers every day, and through our unique-to-the-sport season format, fans will be able to follow their journeys and engage in their stories from PFL Regular Season kick-off May 9 to PFL Championship New Year’s Eve.”

Update, 5:30 PM EST: Kaufman has confirmed to Cageside Press she is vacating the title, saying that “I love Invicta and will always support them. PFL is the opportunity that makes sense for me right now.”

Update from @mmasarah – who has confirmed she is vacating the Invicta FC bantamweight title. "I love Invicta and will always support them. PFL is the opportunity that makes sense for me right now." #MMA #PFL #PFL2019

— Jay Anders🍁n 🇨🇦 (@CageSideJay) March 8, 2019

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The Professional Fighers League (PFL) recently secured a broadcast deal with ESPN, securing its spot on the network and its streaming service ESPN+ for the next two years. Now, the league, with its merit-based format, has announced the first names for the coming season. Not surprisingly, there were no surprises. That is, the first batch of names for PFL 2019 were the returning champions, plus a few challengers.

The news was delivered in a press release from the promotion on Tuesday. Among the names heading back for a second go is middleweight champion Louis Taylor. However, with the 185lb division being eliminated to make way for women’s lightweight, Taylor will drop to welterweight and hunt for a second title — which would be a first for the PFL.

Sean O’Connell, the league’s inaugural light heavyweight champion, will not return, as he rode off into the sunset following his win last year. At least, he won’t return to the cage — O’Connell is likely to pop up in the broadcast booth.

Also back, Lance Palmer (Featherweight), Natan Schulte (Lightweight), Magomed Magomedkerimov (Welterweight), and Philipe Lins (Heavyweight). All will look to repeat as champions. And in the aforementioned women’s lightweight division, Olympian Kayla Harrison will star.

Non-champions returning to the PFL in 2019 include Steven Siler, (Featherweight), Rashid Magomedov (Lightweight), Ray Cooper III (Welterweight) and Vinny Magalhaes (Light Heavyweight). All made it to the finals last year.

“We are excited to announce our returning PFL champions and other great athletes who competed in the League last season. The 2019 PFL Roster Selection Process has been incredibly competitive, as the best MMA fighters from around the world want to join the PFL, especially now that we’ve established the Regular Season, Playoffs and Championship format and will be distributed Thursday nights on ESPN this May,” said Ray Sefo, President, PFL Fighter Operations. “The PFL’s goal is to continually elevate our fighter roster and provide fans with the best MMA action in the world. Over the coming weeks, we’ll continue to unveil the sport’s top new and returning fighters who will be joining the PFL for the 2019 season.”

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Over the weekend at Bellator 214 in Los Angeles, Cageside Press had a chance to ask Jon Fitch about whether any part of him regretted moving on from the Professional Fighters League, and missing out on a chance at one million dollars. In comments that have since circulated widely, Fitch questioned whether the PFL champions crowned on New Year’s Eve would ever get paid.

“I think those guys who won that tournament are going to be thinking about ‘what happened to my million?'” Fitch told Cageside’s Gabriel Gonzalez back stage at The Forum in Los Angeles. “I don’t have any faith that those guys are going to get paid the full amount. That’s one of the reasons why I left. All their money comes from investors. At a certain point in time, if you’re not turning a profit, those investors aren’t going to come around any more.”

“Those guys didn’t get paid a lump sum after the end of the fight. They’re getting paid as time goes on,” claimed Fitch. “So if the company goes out of business, there’s no more money.”

Asked a follow-up question as to what made him think that, Fitch answered “just they’re not making any money. Being a part of it, and seeing how they promote.”

“The shows they put on are amazing,” Fitch stated, “but no one ever knows that the fight’s going on. That’s a problem.”

To be fair, the league format did get plenty of coverage, though it didn’t translate to stellar ratings at times. “Something’s missing business wise,” said Fitch. “The fights are great, the fighters are great, there’s nothing wrong with them. But you’ve got to turn a profit. You’ve got to make money.”

Fitch, of course, was the World Series of Fighting welterweight champion. When the promotion rebranded as the PFL, he defended the title once, but departed before the league format kicked in.

When Fitch’s comments were brought up, however, PFL President Ray Sefo was quick to refute the claim that champs won’t get paid. In fact, they already have been paid out, in full. “All the ProFightLeague champions have been paid,” Sefo stated on Twitter.

Yes that’s right Mike all the @ProFightLeague Champions have been paid !! https://t.co/pzrCF3qqaJ

— Ray Sefo (@SugarRaySefo) January 27, 2019

The Professional Fighters Leauge recently saw League President Carlos Silva depart for a job in the tennis world. The promotion told Cageside Press earlier this month that it would begin building its roster for the 2019 season in the coming weeks.

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