Professional Fighters League (PFL) News
Marlon Moraes expects to finish Brendan Loughnane at PFL 1 and prove he's still "one of the best in the world"
Cole Shelton - March 29, 2023
Marlon Moraes still believes he can be a world champion. After Moraes lost his fourth fight in a row to Song Yadong, he announced his retirement from MMA. Yet, not even a year later, he unretired and signed with PFL to face Sheymon Moraes last November where he ultimately suffered a third-round knockout loss.
Thiago Santos expecting "fireworks" against Rob Wilkinson at PFL 1 but confident he will finish him: "I can finish anyone, so it's what I'm going to do"
Cole Shelton - March 28, 2023
Thiago Santos is set to make his PFL debut on Saturday against the reigning champion Rob Wilkinson. Santos asked for his UFC release and was granted it so he could sign with the PFL. The news caught many by surprise but at 39 years old, the Brazilian said he wanted a new challenge given he doesn’t have much time left.
Just Scrap Radio Ep. 116 with Thiago Santos, Marlon Moraes, and Brendan Loughnane
Cole Shelton - March 28, 2023
The 116th episode of Just Scrap Radio on BJPENN.com with host Cole Shelton is live ahead of PFL 1 2023. We’re first joined by former UFC light heavyweight title challenger and current PFL light heavyweight Thiago Santos (1:18). Next, former UFC bantamweight title challenger and now PFL featherweight Marlon Moraes (12:54) stops by. Closing out the program is reigning PFL featherweight champ Brendan Loughnane (23:01).
Former PFL tournament winner Larissa Pacheco admits fourth fight with Kayla Harrison unlikely for 2023
Josh Evanoff - March 27, 2023
Former PFL women’s lightweight tournament winner Larissa Pacheco doesn’t expect to face Kayla Harrison for a while. The two last faced off at PFL 10 last November, in the company’s first offering on pay-per-view. While it was the first time the company was on pay-per-view, it wasn’t the first time that Harrison and Pacheco clashed. In fact, they had fought on two prior occasions, with the Judoka winning every single round.
Kayla Harrison admits PFL championship loss to Larissa Pacheco might be "best thing" to happen: "Working on the areas I need to work on"
Josh Evanoff - March 17, 2023
PFL women’s lightweight contender Kayla Harrison is seemingly grateful for her loss to Larissa Pacheco. The former Judoka has been out of action since her trilogy bout with the Brazilian last November. The two female lightweights headlined PFL’s championship card, but few expected the main event to be competitive. In their prior two outings, Harrison dominated Pacheco, and many figured that would be the case in the third matchup.
Former UFC champion Francis Ngannou reveals that he's close to signing to next MMA promotion: "We are very close"
Josh Evanoff - March 15, 2023
Former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou has revealed that he will sign with PFL or ONE Championship. ‘The Predator’ walked out of the UFC in January, as he declined to re-sign after fighting out his contract. As a result, the promotion stripped Ngannou of his title, and later set Jon Jones vs. Ciryl Gane for the vacant heavyweight championship.
Jake Paul believes fight with Nate Diaz will be made after return against Tommy Fury: "I think they are ready"
Josh Evanoff - February 24, 2023
PFL’s Jake Paul believes his clash with Nate Diaz will be made after this weekend. ‘The Problem Child’ is slated to return to the ring this Sunday night in Saudi Arabia against Tommy Fury. While it’ll be the first time the two share the ring, it’s not the first time they’ve been scheduled to clash. For their two prior meetings, ‘TNT’ withdrew due to injury and visa issues.
Jake Paul reveals discussions underway with Francis Ngannou to join the PFL: "There's massive things we can do"
Josh Evanoff - February 22, 2023
According to Jake Paul, Francis Ngannou could be making his way to the PFL. ‘The Predator’ famously walked out of the UFC last month as heavyweight champion. He was later stripped of his title, with the promotion setting Jon Jones vs. Ciryl Gane for the vacant championship in March. Nonetheless, Ngannou was undeterred and set July as a likely return date.
Tyron Woodley interested in facing Jake Paul in PFL, blasts people for saying he took a dive: "If you stand still and let someone punch you as hard as they can, you can die!"
Cole Shelton - February 21, 2023
Tyron Woodley believes he and Jake Paul could fight again, but this time in MMA. Woodley made his boxing debut against Paul in August of 2021, with Jake winning a split decision in a fight the former UFC champion thought he won. The two then rematched a few months later in December but this time around, it was Paul winning by KO.
Bo Nickal reveals plans to help Jake Paul train for MMA debut: "“I’m super excited to train with him"
Josh Evanoff - February 16, 2023
UFC middleweight prospect Bo Nickal is planning on helping Jake Paul crossover to MMA. ‘The Problem Child’ is slated to face Tommy Fury later this month on ESPN pay-per-view in Saudi Arabia. The bout will be Paul’s first since defeating Anderson Silva last October. In that outing, ‘The Spider’ gave the YouTuber the biggest test of his career but came up short by unanimous decision.
PFL CEO "excited" about the conversations they are having with Francis Ngannou: "We believe we're the perfect fit"
Cole Shelton - February 10, 2023
PFL CEO Peter Murray says talks with free agent heavyweight Francis Ngannou are going well as he believes they are the perfect fit. It was recently announced that Ngannou was released from his UFC deal, and he could sign with whoever he wanted to. Immediately, many thought he would go to boxing and try and secure a fight against Tyson Fury or Deontay Wilder, but Murray says PFL is in solid discussions with Ngannou.
Vitor Belfort slams “Fake Paul” for running from him: “The biggest talker of all time”
Susan Cox - February 10, 2023
Vitor Belfort is slamming ‘Fake Paul’ for running from him. ‘The Phenom’ (26-14 MMA) retired from the UFC back in 2018, after a TKO loss to Lyoto Machida (26-12 MMA) at UFC 224.
UFC veteran Matt Brown sends a warning to Jake Paul ahead of his planned crossover to MMA: “It’s a different beast”
Harry Kettle - February 2, 2023
MMA veteran Matt Brown has issued a warning to Jake Paul as he plans to make the move into mixed martial arts with PFL. Last month, Jake Paul announced that he had signed a deal to compete under the Professional Fighters League umbrella. Some were surprised, whereas others saw it as a natural progression from his time in the boxing ring.
WWE legend Kurt Angle announces he will be a judge on PFL’s Challenger Series: “Oh it’s true, it’s damn true”
Harry Kettle - January 31, 2023
WWE legend Kurt Angle has revealed that he will serve as a guest judge on PFL’s Challenger Series. For so many years now, Kurt Angle has been heralded as a legend in professional wrestling. Rightly so, too, given what he’s accomplished as a multi-time world champion in both WWE and TNA.
Tommy Fury shares theory on why Jake Paul signed an MMA contract with PFL
Harry Kettle - January 31, 2023
Tommy Fury has given his thoughts on why bitter rival Jake Paul signed a mixed martial arts deal with PFL. On February 26, Tommy Fury and Jake Paul will attempt to finally bring their rivalry to a close. After over a year of mocking one another, it seems as if they’ll finally collide in Saudi Arabia.
Kenny Florian believes PFL's best heavyweights "can hang" with Francis Ngannou if the promotion signs him
Cole Shelton - January 26, 2023
Kenny Florian, a commentator for the Professional Fighters League, believes the promotion’s best heavyweights can hang with Francis Ngannou should the free agent sign with the PFL. Once it was revealed Ngannou was free from his UFC contract many pointed to the PFL as a potential option. Ngannou had previously posted a picture with a family member wearing a PFL shirt and he also has a relationship with Ray Sefo who runs the promotion. With that, Florian is hoping Ngannou ends up signing with the PFL if he returns to MMA.
Former UFC champion Chuck Liddell open to fighting Jake Paul if offered enough money: “He’s got no chance”
Harry Kettle - January 17, 2023
Former UFC star Chuck Liddell has admitted he would be willing to fight Jake Paul if he received the right kind of offer. It was announced earlier this month that Jake Paul has signed a deal to fight with PFL. He will head up their new Super Fight division, although it has yet to be seen who he will make his debut against.
Kevin Lee offers himself as Jake Paul's first PFL opponent: "If he wants to make it legitimate, I’ll be around"
Josh Evanoff - January 10, 2023
Kevin Lee believes Jake Paul needs to fight someone like him in the cage to earn respect. ‘The Problem Child’ has been out of action since a decision victory over Anderson Silva in the boxing ring in October. While the fight was the closest of the YouTuber’s career thus far, an eighth-round knockdown for Paul sealed the win. He went on to claim the victory over ‘The Spider’ by unanimous decision.