It certainly seemed that way on Friday at The Theater at Virgin Hotels. Lightweights and light heavyweights continued to find the finish, despite the talent pool being arguably deeper than ever.

That’s something PFL CEO Murray addressed after the event with media outlets including Cageside Press.

“The theme this season, the toughest test in MMA just got a lot tougher. With the addition of the Bellator fighters, half of that roster for the global season is made up of Bellator fighters” noted Murray. “When you really look at the caliber of talent within the PFL, the roster is second to none. And all of these fighters, not only are they taking on the top talent, but they’re taking on this format. To get to the championship and be in that fight, four fights in seven months.”

Suggesting that names like Randy Couture and Tyron Woodley, both now serving as analysts for the league, had been talking about the format, “this is grueling. It’s the gauntlet,” Murray added.

Perhaps some of the bigger news on Friday was that the PFL would be hitting some new destinations. Already, the league is headed to Chicago, and a Utah date will soon follow.

“New market for us,” noted Murray, adding “great fans in Salt Lake City, so we’re excited.”

The PFL Championship will also be leaving New York City, where it has been run for years.

“It will likely be a global destination for the first time for the global world championship, which we’re excited about.”

Watch the full PFL 2 press conference with PFL CEO Peter Murray above.

The post Peter Murray Reveals 2024 PFL Global Championship Not in NYC, Likely International Destination appeared first on Cageside Press.

The bout, at The Theater at Virgin Hotels, was Yagshimuradov’s first visit to Las Vegas. “Very beautiful. A good atmosphere,” he said of the city.

Yagshimuradov (22-7-1) was one of five light heavyweights on the night to earn a “quick six” points with a first round finish. In his case, the TKO of Jakob Nedoh arrived just prior to the three minute mark.

It was a strong performance, and a big night for American Top Team, with Josh Silveira also among the winners. Of course, that is a bit of a concern for Yagshimuradov.

“My only concern is the guys from American Top Team, because we work as a family. So I don’t know if I’m going to face one of them,” he told media outlets including Cageside Press following the fight. “That might be the only concern.”

That said, Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov is bullish on his prospects this season, and on the depth of the light heavyweight division as a whole.

“For me, I have everything ready. Now, this moment, it’s here. This season,” he stated. “I’m the best of the best. I’m Mr. Champion. For me, everything’s ready. I don’t underestimate any of my possible opponents below me.”

“Especially this season, we have a lot of the best fighters out there, so I don’t underestimate any of them,” added Yagshimuradov, then gave a laugh. “Especially me being here.”

Watch the full PFL 2 post-fight press conference with Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov above.

The post PFL 2: Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov Says He’s “Best of the Best” But Not Underestimating Opponents appeared first on Cageside Press.

Carlos Junior (16-5, 2NC) won the PFL‘s 2021 season at light heavyweight, but after two wins the following year suffered an ACL injury that sidelined him for the rest of the season, and all of 2023. With that in mind, the nerves are certainly understandable. But they came before ACJ got into the cage.

Once he stepped inside, the feeling became “I know this place. I missed this place here, and it’s so good to be back, it’s so good to be inside this cage,” he told media outlets including Cageside Press.

From there, it was all about “trying to get the right moment to do what I know.”

That moment came in the opening round, with “Shoeface” locking up a rear-naked choke on Simon Biyong with just under 30 seconds left in the round.

“We always try to get the first round [finish], especially here in the PFL, you’ve got to finish in the first round to get a better chance to go to the playoffs and then fight for the belt,” he said when asked if the finish was something he had been pursuing, or if it just presented itself. “But it’s hard to force things in the fight, because all the guys are tough here.”

“You have to make things present itself, and that’s what I did. I tried to mix it up. The right moment, I feel it was time to go for the takedown, I got it. Go to the back, it’s my best movement, and I got it.”

As for how he’ll celebrate, “I’m going to buy some shoes now,” ACJ said with a laugh.

Watch the full PFL 2 post-fight press conference appearance by Antonio Carlos Junior above.

The post PFL 2’s Antonio Carlos Junior Admits to Being “A Little Nervous” in Return appeared first on Cageside Press.

Silveira (13-2) welcomed former welterweight champ Sadibou Sy to the light heavyweight division in the bout (the PFL does not feature a 185lb weight class). “He’s definitely not a 170lb’er, I noticed it right away,” the American Top Team standout said following the bout, speaking with media outlets including Cageside Press.

“For a second I thought I was going to go play his game with him, that little pitter-patter thing that he does.” Silveira, however, added that “the word of this camp was attitude.” So when he heard his coaches say “attitude,” Silveira told himself that “I’ll eat a knee, I’ll eat a front kick going in there, but once I get to those legs, they’re mine.”

Silveira didn’t eat a knee or a front kick to land the takedown. And when he did land it, the fight was over awfully quick, after Sy quickly began calling for the ref, signaling an injury.

From his perspective, Silveira knew something was wrong. And it’s not the first time he’s seen an opponent injured off a takedown.

“All his fights, all the takedowns people attempt on him are head inside. So it was a big focus, head outside. He even came out orthodox, I thought he was going to come out southpaw,” recalled Silveira. “I got him to the cage, got him to the outside and did a good old— in the wrestling world it probably wouldn’t have been the greatest takedown, but this is MMA.”

“I think he posted with his thumb awkwardly. I don’t know, it’s the second time this has happened to me with an opponent with the takedown, I don’t know if my takedowns are just cool like that, but I’ll take it,” continued Silveira. “A win is a win. Obviously I hope he recovers well. His thumb was kind of out of play, it was crooked for sure. Prayers to him and a speedy recovery.”

Watch the full PFL 2 post-fight press conference with Josh Silveira above.

The post Josh Silveira Gives His Side of Injury TKO at PFL 2 appeared first on Cageside Press.

The bout was the PFL regular season debut of Dufort (13-4), who won a fight on the Challenger Series in 2022, and now sits on a five-fight win streak.

Burnell and Dufort kicked off at a frantic pace on Friday, but that never bothered Dufort, who has ample faith in his cario.

“I know my cardio is the best in the division, so I don’t care,” he told media outlets including Cageside Press following the fight. “If the guy wants to put on a high pace, let’s have a high pace for f*cking three to five rounds. I don’t care. I know my cardio is better than all those guys. So if you want to push it to the limit, we’ll go to the limit.”

As for the finish, Burnell later told him that it wasn’t the choke that got him. Instead, it was a blow to the body that had landed moments before.

“Not at all. The guillotine wasn’t tight at all. He told me at the end of the fight, it wasn’t the guillotine,” revealed Dufort when asked about how tight the choke was. “‘It was the shot you landed on me’,” Burnell told him. “He wanted to vomit. When I caught his neck, he was already throwing up in his mouth I think. That’s what finished him. But he’s a tough guy, tough opponent. Fun guy.”

Dufort later cut a little promo, with a reference to sponsor Dude Wipes.

“Dude Wipes is going to send more wipes because I’m wiping the division. I’m there to f*cking go for the million.”

Watch the full PFL 2 post-fight press conference with Michael Dufort above.

The post PFL 2’s Michael Dufort Plans on “Wiping” Lightweight Division appeared first on Cageside Press.

It didn’t come easy, with Brazil’s Pitbull willing to stand with the heavy-handed Collard, at least until the second round when Collard (25-12, 1NC) put him away. When it came to Pitbull landing some heavy shots of his own, Collard gave credit to his chin.

“I’m the ‘Crimson Chin,’ man. So he caught me with a pretty good one, but I wouldn’t say that I was hurt,” Collard told media outlets including Cageside Press following the bout. “He kind of knocked me off-balance a little bit, but my head was still 100% in the game.”

A win over a former champ and popular Brazilian, meanwhile, has Collard satisfied, at least for now. “We just keep adding them up at this point, so it’s just another feather in the cap. On to the next.”

Other feathers in the cap for Collard have included Jeremy Stephens, Shane Burgos, and Anthony Petts. Getting back in the win column, after losses to A.J. McKee and Olivier Aubin-Mercier, was also key.

“You know what they say, you’re only as good as your last fight. As of right now, we’ve got a finish so that’s a bonus. We’re back in the winning column, and that’s what we were looking for so we’re happy about that.”

One thing that did not surprise Clay Collard at PFL 2 was Patricky Pitbull’s willingness to stand and trade with him. Ahead of the fight, Pitbull had been marketed as Bellator MMA’s Knockout King.”

“You can’t claim you’re the ‘Knockout King’ and then go wrestling,” noted Collard. “I would have dogged him hard if he would have wrestled claiming he’s the Knockout King.”

As for the toughness displayed on Friday, “you have to be tough to fight, that’s kind of a no-brainer,” said Collard. “I don’t think there’s any single person in the game tougher than me, hands down.”

Watch the full PFL 2 post-fight press conference with Clay Collard above.

The post Clay Collard Credits “Crimson Chin” at PFL 2, Sees Himself as Toughest in MMA appeared first on Cageside Press.

As it happens, every other winner on the night also picked up six points, so it’s still a very close race. Which may be at least in part why Kasanganay is so bullish on the 2024 light heavyweight field in the PFL.

“At the end of the year you’ll see the belt around my waist. Right now it’s a shout out to the light heavyweight division, because we have the best light heavyweight division in the world currently, and it rivals many of the 85’ers in the UFC and other divisions,” Kasanganay told Cageside Press and other media outlets backstage at The Theater at Virgin Hotels on Friday. “So to be leading from the front, to be champion in this division with other champions as well, I’m honored.”

Coming off a loss in the PFL vs. Bellator Champions card back in February, a close one against Johnny Eblen, it would appear from the outside that Impa had some demons to exercise. Only, that’s not how he would put it.

“There are no demons to exercise, but definitely angels,” said the former UFC athlete, who has been very vocal about his faith over the years. Beyond just staying true to those beliefs, “for me, it’s like, I don’t have to be angry to go ‘kill’ somebody. I’ve got a job to do, and I’ll go do it anyway.”

When it comes to the PFL’s stacked 205lb division, Kasanganay now wants the hardest fights possible.

“A rising tide raises all ships. Everybody saw. Shout out to Rob Wilkinson, Josh [Silveira], Shoeface [Antonio Carlos Junior]. All those guys. They come to fight,” he stated. “These are things we expect, and I pray they keep doing it. I want the most dangerous guy next. I want the killer, I want the guys that are coming to kill, because I’m going to go kill them.”

Watch the full PFL 2 post-fight press conference with Impa Kasanganay above.

The post Impa Kasanganay Wants “Most Dangerous Guy Next” After PFL 2 appeared first on Cageside Press.

Still, the benefits were clear, with a bigger media turnout than might otherwise be expected for the second regular event of the year.

Davis, the brains behind the operation, had a variety of topics to cover on Friday. Among them, the newly rebranded Bellator Champions Series, which will run eight cards in 2024.

“Fights have more meaning,” Davis told media outlets including Cageside Press of the Bellator brand. “The fights are bigger. The fights are staged better. I believe it’s going really well, but I always like to figure out what the fighters are thinking, and I think so far it’s really, really delivered. And obviously the distribution in the United States on MAX, HBO MAX is better distribution, and around the world we’ve got better distribution for that Bellator Champions Series. So I think you’ll see a lot of growth his year.”

One fighter that could soon compete for Bellator is PFL Europe star Cedric Doumbe. He recently suffered his first loss in MMA, an injury TKO just last month. France’s Doumbe now has his eye on the Bellator Paris card next month.

“He wants to fight soon. He wants to come back on the Bellator card, so we’re working to try to make that happen,” revealed Davis. “Nothing’s official yet, but that’s what Cedric has asked for and I think that’s what we’re trying to make happen.”

Another big PFL name, former UFC standout Shane Burgos, may be out for a while on the other hand. On the Burgos front, Davis stated that “It [last season] took a lot out of him emotionally, and he needs a year off, then he’s going to come back strong.”

Finally there’s Francis Ngannou, the PFL’s biggest free agent pickup to date. Previously the former UFC heavyweight champ noted that when it came to an MMA return and his foray into boxing that “if I lose sooner, if I win later. So it’s going to be sooner.”

“We think it could be fall. It could be as early as September, it could be as late as October. But I think it’ll be one of those two. And he’ll be ready,” Davis stated, adding that it’s been essentially two years since Ngnannou last competed in the cage.

When Ngannou returns, expect Bellator women’s featherweight champ Cris Cyborg to be on the bill as well.

“My good friend, Cris Cyborg, will as I’ve said before be fighting Larissa Pacheco, and it will be the biggest and best women’s fight of the year. And that will happen when Francis fights on Pay-Per-View.”

Donn Davis went on to add that “she’s a Pay-Per-View fighter, and she’s earned that. I think when Francis is ready to go, I think that is a deserving co-main event. It’s that big.”

Watch the full PFL 2 post-fight press conference with Donn Davis above.

The post Here’s When Francis Ngannou, Cris Cyborg Will Likely Fight Next, Per PFL’s Donn Davis appeared first on Cageside Press.

The second event of the PFL’s regular season featured lightweights and light heavyweights, including some exciting finishes from the likes of Antonio Carlos Junior, Rob Wilkinson, and Clay Collard, who survived an early knockdown to secure a TKO finish of one-time Bellator MMA lightweight champ Patricky Pitbull in the second round.

Kasanganay vs. Polizzi continued that trend, resulting in another big finish to close out the night.

After some brief exchanges early, it was returning champ Kasanganay landing a takedown just over a minute into the PFL 2 main event. Polizzi was right back up, a scene that repeated itself moments later with a second takedown attempt. From there, the pair went to the fence, with some rather spirited grappling and jockeying for position. This time, it ended up with Polizzi in on a takedown attempt, but he couldn’t land it; after reversing, Impa went after a front choke, then began lighting up Polizzi, knocking him down.

While he managed to work his way back up, Polizzi was soon rocked once more, and it appeared a stoppage was close with the ref moving in, at least until Polizzi dove in on a leg! No one would have questioned the fight being called there, but Polizzi, showing considerable heart, escaped up. Still, back on his feet, he wound up eating another barrage of strikes, leaving him wobbled once again. Despite not going down, Polizzi looked out of it and the ref finally had the good sense to wave things off.

With the big finish by Impa Kasanganay, all 205’ers on the PFL 2 card who came away with wins did so in the opening round. That’s six points for Impa, Rob Wilkinson, Josh Silveira, Antonio Carlos Junior, and Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov. Seems like it will be a close race at light heavyweight this year!

Official Result: Impa Kasanganay def. Alex Polizzi by TKO, Round 1, 3:29

The post PFL 2: Impa Kasanganay Lights Up Alex Polizzi, Secures First Round TKO appeared first on Cageside Press.

On paper, the 155lb fight was a fan-friendly banger with the potential for considerably explosive fireworks.

What played out in the cage was exactly as advertised. A scorcher.

It was Patricky Pitbull firing first in what turned out to be an action-packed affair, at least in terms of anything significant. He launched a right hand, while Collard attacked with leg kicks. Another right from the former Bellator champ would come under 90 seconds in, but it was Collard cutting angles and walking the Brazilian down while mixing in his calf kicks with a jab.

Pitbull, not dissuaded, went on the attack, and near the three minute mark charged forward, eventually landing a knockdown! Collard would survive, and later contend with a double-leg attempt from Pitbull.

As the opening frame wound down, Pitbull was showing a bit of damage, but got scrappy, opening open with his combos. Collard continued to march forward, and they finished the round trading.

In the second, it was Clay unloading early, forcing Pitbull to cover up and roll with a punches in the opening minute. Moments later, Collard had the Brazilian champ pinned against the fence under fire again, unleashing fury, lefts and rights landing while mixing in body shots. Pitbull was simply not responding, not returning fire, and after taking a close look, the ref clearly did not like what he saw. He waved things off, with Pitbull still on his feet.

That’s five points for Clay Collard, and one of the biggest wins of his career to date, putting away a former Bellator champ. A solid start to his 2024 campaign, after coming up short opposite two-time champ Olivier Aubin-Mercier last year.

Official Result: Clay Collard def. Patricky Pitbull by TKO, Round 2, 1:32

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