The Professional Fighters League debuted two weeks ago at Madison Square Garden’s Hulu Theater in New York City. The main card was broadcast on NBCSN while the early fights streamed on Facebook.
The endlessly troubled World Series of Fighting was acquired by a remarkable investor group, and rebranded as PFL. The new owners include Washington Capitals and Washington Wizards owner Ted Leonsis, and the family of Washington Nationals owner Ted Lerner. The rebranding is not lipstick on a pig, it is a reimagining of mixed martial arts.
The PFL have established a season, and contracted 72 fighters in six weight divisions. They will fight in a single-elimination tournament, with the winner in each division receiving $1,000,000. The two losers in the quarterfinals will each make $50,000, and the loser in the finals will make $200,000. The money has attracted a deep talent pool.
The 8 fighter playoff round is preceded by a two-event regular season, during which fighters qualify by earning points. Tournament seeding is determined by points totals:
Win – 3 points
Draw – 1 point
Loss – 0 points
Round 1 finish – 3 extra points
Round 2 finish – 2 extra points
Round 3 finish – 1 extra point
Decision – 0 extra points
The second event of the series takes place on Thursday, June 21st at the Chicago Theater in Chicago, Illinois. The main event features a lightweight bout between Will Brooks and Luis Palomino.
A STAR IS BORN:
https://twitter.com/ProFightLeague/status/1009987620049444865
Another PFL Another INCREDIBLE Flying Knee:
https://twitter.com/Grabaka_Hitman/status/1009988515076206592
Main Card (Live on NBC Sports, 9:00 PM EST)
-Will Brooks defeated Luiz Firmino by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
-Brian Foster defeated Ramsey Nijem by KO (Knee and punches, Round 3, 0:23)
-Kayla Harrison defeated Brittney Elkin by Submission (Armbar, Round 1, 3:18)
-Efrain Escudero defeated Jason High by Submission (Guillotine, Round 3, 0:35)
-Sean O’Connell defeated Ronny Markes by TKO (Punches, Round 2, 0:41)
Preliminary Bouts (Live on Facebook, 6:00 PM EST)
-Brandon Halsey defeated Smealinho Rama by TKO (Cut, Round 3, 0:01
-Islam Mamedov defeated Yuki Kawana by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
-Vinny Magalhaes defeated Jamie Abdallah by Submission (RNC, Round 1, 1:37)
-Rakim Cleveland defeated Rashid Yusupov by TKO (Injury, Round 3, 0:01)
-Maxim Grishin defeated Jason Butcher by TKO (Knee injury, Round 1, 1:40)
-Robert Watley defeated Thiago Tavares by TKO (Accidental Low Blow, Round 2, 0:35)
-Natan Schulte defeated Chris Wade by Unanimous Decision (30-26, 30-26, 29-28)
-Dan Spohn defeated Bazigit Ataev by TKO (Punches, Round 3, 4:29)
