Professional Fighters League (PFL) News

Cole Shelton - May 13, 2025

The PFL announced they have parted ways with bantamweight champion Patchy Mix. Mix won the Bellator bantamweight title in 2023 with a submission win over Sergio Pettis and has defended it once. Yet, after the PFL-Bellator merger, Mix only fought once and expressed his frustration with his lack of fights on social media.

BJ Penn Staff - May 2, 2025

Francis Ngannou has broken his silence after he was involved in a fatal vehicle accident in his home country of Cameroon. Ngannou is the former UFC heavyweight champion. Given that he vacated that title to leave the promotion, he remains the lineal heavyweight king in MMA. Unfortunately, he is dealing with yet another unspeakable tragedy in his life outside the cage. Just years after the passing of his infant son, Ngannou was involved in a fatal motorcycle crash in Cameroon. The incident left a 17-year-old girl dead.

Harry Kettle - May 1, 2025

PFL star Paul Hughes is confident that a rematch against Usman Nurmagomedov will happen at some point in the near future. When it comes to Irish MMA, there are few bigger names right now than Paul Hughes. Yes, you’ve got Conor McGregor and Ian Machado Garry, but, Paul Hughes is really carving out a name for himself these days in one ways than one. The fight that really helped him get to that next level came against Usman Nurmagomedov, when he took the champion to the limit and came close to claiming the belt.

Cole Shelton - April 25, 2025

Former Manchester United superstar Patrice Evra will be making his MMA debut. The PFL announced they signed Evra, and he’s set to make his debut at PFL Paris on May 23. The event will take place at the Accor Arena.

Josh Evanoff - April 1, 2025

PFL executive Dan Hardy doesn’t believe Jake Paul will ever step into the cage. ‘The Problem Child’ hasn’t been seen in action since his high-profile meeting with Mike Tyson in the boxing ring last year. That bout saw the 28-year-old dominate the heavyweight legend thirty years his senior, outboxing him en route to a lopsided decision victory. Following the win, Jake Paul called for a longshot bout with Canelo Alvarez. While the Mexican star entered talks with him, he instead signed a deal to fight Terence Crawford under Turki Alalshikh’s Riyadh Season banner.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - March 31, 2025

Ryan Bader has given an explanation for his PFL departure. Bader became a free agent success after fighting out of his UFC contract back in Nov. 2016. He ended up signing a lucrative contract with Bellator MMA and made the most of the opportunity. Bader became a two-division Bellator champion and only had two losses under the promotion before the purchase from PFL.

Josh Evanoff - March 27, 2025

Former Bellator heavyweight champion Ryan Bader is now a free agent after parting ways with the PFL. There are few fighters who benefited from leaving the UFC more than ‘Darth’. After eight years under Dana White, Ryan Bader left in favor of Scott Coker and Bellator in 2016. Quickly, the light-heavyweight wrestler found success. Bader won gold in his first night in the promotion, scoring a split-decision win over Phil Davis. He would follow that up with a title defense against Linton Vassell, before heading up to heavyweight.

Josh Evanoff - March 19, 2025

GLORY Kickboxing star Rico Verhoeven has revealed talks are ongoing for a fight against PFL champion Francis Ngannou. ‘The Predator’ hasn’t been seen in the cage since a clash against Renan Ferreira in the PFL cage last October. Fighting for the first time since his destructive knockout loss to Anthony Joshua in March, Francis Ngannou handed ‘Problema’ a first-round stoppage loss. The bout was his first time stepping into the cage since his win over Ciryl Gane in January 2022, his final UFC appearance.

Cole Shelton - March 13, 2025

Former Strikeforce lightweight champion Josh Thomson isn’t a fan of the PFL. Thomson has been retired since 2020, despite not fighting since 2017. Since then, he has gotten into commentary as he was an analyst for Bellator and even did some commentary for the PFL. Yet, he says after being around the PFL he realized they won’t be a top promotion, especially with how they are run.

Josh Evanoff - March 10, 2025

PFL lightweight star Paul Hughes will be returning to the cage in May. ‘Big News’ hasn’t been seen in action since his meeting with Bellator champion Usman Nurmagomedov in January. Despite entering the title bout a heavy underdog, Paul Hughes brought the fight to the undefeated Russian. For five rounds, the two young lightweights went back-and-forth in the main event of PFL Champions Series 1.

Josh Evanoff - March 5, 2025

PFL Superfights women’s featherweight champion Cris Cyborg hopes to return to the cage in the fall. The 39-year-old is fresh off an appearance in the boxing ring earlier this month. Over the weekend, Cris Cyborg scored a second-round knockout win over Karen Fernandez, in her fifth professional boxing match. Fresh off that stoppage victory, the PFL champion is turning her attention to a return to the cage.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - February 25, 2025

One ex-UFC fan favorite has an axe to grind with PFL over its treatment of Aaron Pico. It’s no secret that the UFC brass are interested in Pico. During a recent press conference, Dana White told reporters that UFC matchmaker Sean Shelby has been gushing over the 28-year-old star. The only problem is that Pico is under PFL contract.

Josh Evanoff - February 10, 2025

PFL lightweight star Usman Nurmagomedov is opening up on his close title fight with Paul Hughes. The two lightweights faced off in the main event of PFL Champions Series 1 last month in Dubai. In what will likely go down as the final Bellator title fight, Usman Nurmagomedov and Paul Hughes went to war. Despite the Russian entering the cage as a huge betting favorite, ‘Big News’ gave the champion all he could handle.

Josh Evanoff - February 7, 2025

Former Bellator featherweight contender Aaron Pico is now a free agent. The once-hyped prospect famously signed with Scott Coker’s Bellator over a decade ago. A former collegiate wrestler, Aaron Pico quickly caught the attention of the MMA world. However, the featherweight was famously upset by Zach Freeman in his first fight back in 2017. The defeat was just the first of three losses Pico would suffer in the first two years of his career.

Josh Evanoff - February 3, 2025

Bellator bantamweight champion Patchy Mix still wants out from the PFL. ‘War Ready’ hasn’t been seen in the cage since an appearance at Bellator Champions Series 2 in May. Back for the first time since unifying bantamweight gold with a submission win over Sergio Pettis the previous year, Patchy Mix met Magomed Magomedov. There, the champion scored a split-decision win, his second over ‘Tiger’.

Josh Evanoff - January 29, 2025

Khabib Nurmagomedov has sided with PFL prospect Paul Hughes in his war against Conor McGregor. ‘Big News’ returned to the octagon in the main event of PFL Champions Series 1 last Saturday. In the main event of the Dubai-based card, Paul Hughes met Usman Nurmagomedov. The event heavily played into the Dagestan vs. Ireland rivalry, given the champion’s relation to former UFC champion Khabib Nurmagomedov.

Josh Evanoff - January 29, 2025

PFL lightweight star Paul Hughes doesn’t care about Conor McGregor’s recent tirade. ‘Big News’ returned to the cage on Saturday night in Dubai. Back for the first time since defeating former Bellator champion A.J. McKee in October, Paul Hughes finally met Usman Nurmagomedov. The undefeated Russian is a cousin of Khabib Nurmagomedov, and the PFL played heavily into the Dagestan/Ireland rivalry heading into the event.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - January 26, 2025

Jeremy Stephens is happy to prove the doubters wrong, especially Conor McGregor. Stephens entered a hostile environment when he went one-on-one with Eddie Alvarez this past Saturday. Their fight headlined BKFC KnuckleMania V inside the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, PA. “Lil Heathen” was able to silence the Philly crowd, scoring two knockdowns on Alvarez in round three before the fight was waved off.