2023 in Professional Fighters League

2023 in Professional Fighters League
2023 in Professional Fighters League
Information
First date	March 25, 2023
Last date	December 8, 2023
Events
Total events	14
Fights
Title fights	10
	← 2022 in Professional Fighters League 2024 in Professional Fighters League →

This is a list of events and standings for the Professional Fighters League, a mixed martial arts organization based in the United States, for the 2023 season.

Events

The PFL 2023 season started off with three shows planned in Las Vegas, Nevada, making a return to the city for the first time in three years. The first show aired on April 1, 2023, with the two subsequent shows airing on the Fridays afterward, on April 7 and 14.^[1]^[2]

The second half of the regular season was held in Atlanta, Georgia, on June 8, June 16 and June 23.^[3]

The first playoff event, PFL 7, was held in San Antonio, Texas on August 4, and two following playoff events in New York City, New York on August 18 and 23, respectively.^[4]^[5] The season finals were held in Washington, D.C., on November 24.^[6]

#	Event	Date	Venue	Location
14	PFL Europe 4	December 8, 2023	3Arena	Dublin, Ireland
13	PFL 10	November 24, 2023	The Anthem	Washington, D.C., U.S.
12	PFL Europe 3	September 30, 2023	Zénith Paris - La Villette	Paris, France
11	PFL 9	August 23, 2023	The Theater at Madison Square Garden	New York City, New York, U.S.
10	PFL 8	August 18, 2023	The Theater at Madison Square Garden	New York City, New York, U.S.
9	PFL 7	August 4, 2023	Boeing Center at Tech Port	San Antonio, Texas, U.S.
8	PFL Europe 2	July 8, 2023	Verti Music Hall	Berlin, Germany
7	PFL 6	June 23, 2023	Overtime Elite Arena	Atlanta, Georgia, United States
6	PFL 5	June 16, 2023
5	PFL 4	June 8, 2023
4	PFL 3	April 14, 2023	The Theater at Virgin Hotels	Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
3	PFL 2	April 7, 2023
2	PFL 1	April 1, 2023
1	PFL Europe 1	March 25, 2023	Vertu Motors Arena	Newcastle, England

2023 World champions

2023 PFL World champions

Division	Upper weight limit	Champion	Date
Heavyweight	265 lb (120 kg; 18.9 st)	Renan Ferreira	November 24, 2023 (PFL 10)
Light Heavyweight	205 lb (93 kg; 14.6 st)	Impa Kasanganay	November 24, 2023 (PFL 10)
Welterweight	170 lb (77 kg; 12 st)	Magomed Magomedkerimov (2)	November 24, 2023 (PFL 10)
Men's Lightweight	155 lb (70 kg; 11.1 st)	Olivier Aubin-Mercier (2)	November 24, 2023 (PFL 10)
Featherweight	145 lb (66 kg; 10.5 st)	Jesus Pinedo	November 24, 2023 (PFL 10)
Women's Featherweight	145 lb (66 kg; 10.5 st)	Larissa Pacheco	November 24, 2023 (PFL 10)

2023 PFL Europe World champions

Division	Upper weight limit	Champion	Date
Light Heavyweight	205 lb (93 kg; 14.6 st)	Jakob Nedoh	December 8, 2023 (PFL Europe 4)
Lightweight	155 lb (70 kg; 11.1 st)	Jakub Kaszuba	December 8, 2023 (PFL Europe 4)
Bantamweight	135 lb (61 kg; 9.6 st)	Khurshed Kakhorov	December 8, 2023 (PFL Europe 4)
Women's Flyweight	125 lb (57 kg; 8.9 st)	Dakota Ditcheva	December 8, 2023 (PFL Europe 4)

PFL Challenger Series

PFL Challenger Series is an American mixed martial arts promotion. Young and up-and-coming male and female MMA prospects will compete for a slot in the PFL tournament season and a chance at $1 million. Each week, the PFL Challenger Series will consist of a celebrity guest panel featuring personalities in film, athletics, and music.^[7]^[8]^[9] The PFL Challenger Series will debut on fuboTV. The eight events will stream on consecutive Friday nights starting Feb. 18, and run through March. It will also air on its linear network, Fubo Sports Network.^[10]

2023 Contract Winners:

HW: Abraham Bably,^[11] Denzel Freeman^[12]
LHW: Impa Kasanganay^[13]
WW: Thad Jean^[14]
LW: Elvin Espinoza^[15]
FW: Brahyan Zurcher^[16]
W FW: Amanda Leve^[17]
W FLY: Desiree Yanez^[18]

PFL Europe

Starting in 2023, PFL Europe will feature the top emerging European MMA fighters, and will be broadcast during prime local hours with all events staged in Europe. The format will follow the same as the regular PFL Season, with the winner receiving a $100,000 prize and a chance to earn a spot in the 2024 PFL regular season.^[19]^[20]^[21]

Light Heavyweight

Quarter-finals		Semi-finals		Final



Mohamed Amine	2r.

Simeón Powell	SUB
		Simeón Powell	UD

		Daniel Ladero ^[a]	3r.
Abdellah Er-Ramy	TKO

Mădălin Pîrvulescu	1r.
				Simeón Powell	2r.

				Jakob Nedoh	TKO
Riccardo Nosiglia	1r.

Jakob Nedoh	KO
		Jakob Nedoh	TKO

		Anthony Salamone	1r.
Anthony Salamone	TKO

Daniel Ladero	1r.

^ Er-Ramy wasn not medically cleared and was replaced by Daniel Ladero

Lightweight

Quarter-finals		Semi-finals		Final



Aleksandr Chizov^[a]	DRAW

Acoidan Duque	3r.
		Geysim Derouiche ^[b]	3r.

		John Mitchell	UD
John Mitchell	UD

Geysim Derouiche	3r.
				John Mitchell	2r.

				Jakub Kaszuba	TKO
Connor Hughes	3r.

Dylan Tuke	UD
		Dylan Tuke	3r.

		Jakub Kaszuba	UD
Maxim Radu	1r.

Jakub Kaszuba	SUB

^ Officially a Unanimous decision victory for Duque, Chizov advanced due to the weight miss by Duque
^ Chizov missed weight and was replaced by Geysim Derouiche

Bantamweight

Quarter-finals		Semi-finals		Final



Francesco Nuzzi	KO

Farbod Iran Nezhad	1r.
		Moktar Benkaci ^[a]	3r.

		Frans Mlambo	SD
Frans Mlambo	MD

Rachid Haz	3r.
				Frans Mlambo	2r.

				Khurshed Kakhorov	TKO
Moktar Benkaci	3r.

Khurshed Kakhorov	UD
		Khurshed Kakhorov	UD

		Ali Taleb	3r.
Ali Taleb	TKO

Kenji Bortoluzzi	1r.

^ Francesco Nuzzi pulled out of the bout and was replaced by Moktar Benkaci

Women's Flyweight

Quarter-finals		Semi-finals		Final



Dakota Ditcheva	SUB

Malin Hermansson	1r.
		Dakota Ditcheva	KO

		Cornelia Holm	3r.
Marta Waliczek	3r.

Cornelia Holm	SD
				Dakota Ditcheva	TKO

				Valentina Scatizzi	1r.
Lorena Cubero	3r.

Griet Eeckhout	UD
		Manuela Marconetto ^[a]	—

		Valentina Scatizzi	BYE^[b]
Valentina Scatizzi	SD

Lizzy Gevers	3r.

^ Griet Eeckhout pulled out of the bout and was replaced by Manuela Marconetto
^ Marconetto missed weight and Scatizzi therefore got a bye to the finals

Playoffs

2023 PFL Heavyweight playoffs

Semifinals			Finals

1	Denis Goltsov	SUB

4	Jordan Heiderman	1
			1	Denis Goltsov	2

			2	Renan Ferreira	TKO
2	Renan Ferreira	KO

5	Maurice Greene*	1

Marcelo Nunes was originally scheduled to face Renan Ferreira but was unable to continue in the tournament. He was replaced by #5 ranked Maurice Greene.

2023 PFL Light Heavyweight playoffs

Semifinals			Finals

1	Josh Silveira	TKO

4	Ty Flores	1
			1	Josh Silveira	5

			3	Impa Kasanganay	UD
2	Marthin Hamlet	1

3	Impa Kasanganay	KO

2023 PFL Welterweight playoffs

Semifinals			Finals

1	Magomed Magomedkerimov	UD

5	Solomon Renfro*	3
			1	Magomed Magomedkerimov	SUB

			3	Sadibou Sy	3
2	Carlos Leal	3

3	Sadibou Sy	SD

Magomed Umalatov was originally scheduled to face Magomed Magomedkerimov but was unable to continue in the tournament. He was replaced by #5 ranked Solomon Renfro.

2023 PFL Lightweight playoffs

Semifinals			Finals

1	Clay Collard	UD

4	Shane Burgos	3
			1	Clay Collard	5

			2	Olivier Aubin-Mercier	UD
2	Olivier Aubin-Mercier	TKO

3	Bruno Miranda	2

2023 PFL Featherweight playoffs

Semifinals			Finals

1	Bubba Jenkins	2

4	Jesus Pinedo	TKO
			4	Jesus Pinedo	KO

			2	Gabriel Alves Braga	3
2	Gabriel Alves Braga	SD

5	Chris Wade*	3

Movlid Khaybulaev was originally scheduled to face Gabriel Braga but was unable to continue in the tournament. He was replaced by #5 ranked Chris Wade.

2023 PFL Women's Featherweight playoffs

Semifinals			Finals

1	Larissa Pacheco	TKO

4	Olena Kolesnyk	1
			1	Larissa Pacheco	UD

			2	Marina Mokhnatkina	5
2	Marina Mokhnatkina	SUB

3	Amber Leibrock	1

**Legend**
(SD)		(Split Decision)
(UD)		(Unanimous Decision)
(MD)		(Majority Decision)
SUB		Submission
(T)KO		(Technical) Knock Out
L		Loss

Standings

The PFL points system is based on results of the match. The winner of a fight receives 3 points. If the fight ends in a draw, both fighters will receive 1 point. A no-contest will be scored as a draw. The bonus for winning a fight in the first, second, or third round is 3 points, 2 points, and 1 point respectively. The bonus for winning in the third round requires a fight be stopped before 4:59 of the third round. No bonus point will be awarded if a fighter wins via decision. For example, if a fighter wins a fight in the first round, then the fighter will receive 6 total points. A decision win will result in three total points. If a fighter misses weight, the opponent (should they comply with weight limits) will receive 3 points due to a walkover victory, regardless of winning or losing the bout, with the fighter who missed weight being deducted 1 standings point; if the non-offending fighter subsequently wins with a stoppage, all bonus points will be awarded. A fighter who was unable to compete for any reason, will receive a 1-point penalty (-1 point in the standings). The fighters who made weight will not receive a walkover, but will earn points and contracted purse amounts based on their performance in the altered matchup.^[22]

Nine PFL fighters were suspended by the Nevada State Athletic Commission after failing drug tests; which included former UFC title challenger Thiago Santos and former PFL heavyweight champion Bruno Cappelozza. Additional fighters impacted by the suspensions are Krzysztof Jotko, Rizvan Kuniev, Mohammed Fakhreddine, Cezar Ferreira, and Will Fleury. Two featherweight season fighters, Alejandro Flores and Daniel Torres, were also suspended. In light of fighter suspensions, they were all removed from the season after the first round of bouts.^[23]

Heavyweight

Fighter	Wins	Losses	1st	2nd	Total Points^[24]
Denis Goltsov	2	0	2	0	12
Renan Ferreira	2	0	1	0	9^[25]
Marcelo Nunes	1	1	1	0	6
Jordan Heiderman	1	0	1	0	6
Maurice Greene	1	1	0	1	5
Matheus Scheffel	1	1	0	0	3^[26]
Danilo Marques	1	1	0	0	3
Ante Delija	1	0	0	0	3
Yorgan De Castro	0	2	0	0	0
Patrick Brady	0	1	0	0	0

Light Heavyweight

Fighter	Wins	Losses	1st	2nd	Total Points^[27]
Josh Silveira	2	0	2	0	12
Marthin Hamlet	2	0	1	0	9
Impa Kasanganay	1	0	0	1	5
Ty Flores	2	0	0	0	5
Andrew Sanchez	1	0	0	0	3
Sam Kei	0	2	0	0	0
Delan Monte	0	2	0	0	0
Taylor Johnson	0	1	0	0	0
Daniel Spohn	0	1	0	0	0
Tim Caron	0	1	0	0	0

Welterweight

Fighter	Wins	Losses	1st	2nd	3rd	Total Points^[28]
Magomed Magomedkerimov	2	0	2	0	0	12
Carlos Leal	2	0	1	1	0	11
Sadibou Sy	2	0	0	1	1	9
Magomed Umalatov	2	0	1	0	0	9
Solomon Renfro	1	0	0	1	0	5
Nayib López	1	1	0	0	0	3
Shane Mitchell	0	2	0	0	0	0
David Zawada	0	2	0	0	0	0
Jarrah Al-Silawi	0	2	0	0	0	0
Dilano Taylor	0	2	0	0	0	-1

Lightweight

Fighter	Wins	Losses	2nd	3rd	Total Points^[29]
Clay Collard	2	0	1	0	8
Olivier Aubin-Mercier	2	0	0	1	7
Bruno Miranda	2	0	0	0	6
Shane Burgos	1	1	0	0	3
Natan Schulte	1	1	0	0	3
Raush Manfio	1	1	0	0	3
Yamato Nishikawa	0	2	0	0	0
Alexander Martinez	0	2	0	0	0
Stevie Ray	0	2	0	0	0
Anthony Romero	0	1	0	0	0

Featherweight

Fighter	Wins	Losses	1st	2nd	Total Points^[30]
Bubba Jenkins	2	0	1	0	9
Gabriel Alves Braga	2	0	1	0	9
Movlid Khaybulaev	2	0	0	1	8
Jesus Pinedo	1	1	1	0	6
Chris Wade	1	1	1	0	6
Brendan Loughnane	1	1	0	1	5
Marlon Moraes	0	2	0	0	0
Ryoji Kudo	0	2	0	0	0
Tyler Diamond	0	1	0	0	0
Sung Bin Jo	0	1	0	0	0

Women's Featherweight

Fighter	Wins	Losses	1st	2nd	Total Points^[31]
Larissa Pacheco	2	0	1	0	9
Marina Mokhnatkina	2	0	0	1	8
Amber Leibrock	1	1	1	0	6
Olena Kolesnyk	2	0	0	0	5
Aspen Ladd	1	1	0	1	5
Julia Budd	1	1	0	0	3
Evelyn Martins	1	1	0	0	3
Karolina Sobek	0	2	0	0	0
Yoko Higashi	0	2	0	0	0
Martina Jindrová	0	2	0	0	0

References

^ Martin, Damon (2 February 2023). "Brendan Loughnane vs. Marlon Moraes, Olivier Aubin-Mercier vs. Shane Burgos among fights announced for PFL in 2023". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
^ Okamoto, Brett (2 February 2023). "Loughnane-Moraes to kick off 2023 PFL season". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
^ Nolan King (March 9, 2023). "PFL announces three shows in Atlanta for second half of 2023 season". MMAjunkie.com.
^ Alexander K. Lee (June 1, 2023). "PFL 2023 Playoffs kick off in San Antonio on Aug. 4". mmafighting.com.
^ Jay Pettry (June 8, 2023). "PFL Playoffs Shift to New York City for Aug. 18 and Aug. 23 Events". Sherdog.
^ Tristen Critchfield (August 23, 2023). "2023 PFL Championships to Be Held in Washington, D.C. on Nov. 24". Sherdog.
^ Newswire, MMA Fighting (2022-01-19). "PFL Challenger Series debuts Feb. 18 on Fubo Sports Network". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2022-01-20.
^ Stitt, Anthony. "PFL Challenger Series Gearing Up For Debut, With Undiscovered Talent Set To Get A Big Break". Forbes. Retrieved 2022-01-20.
^ "PFL Announces "Challenger Series" To Scout Up-And-Coming Talent". MMA News. 2021-12-14. Retrieved 2022-01-20.
^ "Everything you need to know about PFL's Challenger Series". FanSided. 2021-12-09. Retrieved 2022-01-20.
^ Brian Knapp (2023-02-10). "Abraham Bably nets Professional Fighters League deal on PFL Challenger Series 3". Sherdog.com. Retrieved 2023-02-10.
^ Tyler Treese (2023-03-17). "Denzel Freeman earns final PFL Challenger Series 2023 contract". Sherdog.com. Retrieved 2023-03-18.
^ Kirven, J.L. "Light Heavyweight Impa Kasanganay Secures Contract on PFL Challenger Series 7". Sherdog. Retrieved 11 March 2023.
^ Sherdog.com. "Professional Fighters League Signs Thad Jean on Week 1 of PFL Challenger Series". Sherdog. Retrieved 2023-01-28.
^ Fridley, Mike. "Undefeated Lightweight Elvin Espinoza Earns Contract at PFL Challenger Series Week 4". Sherdog. Retrieved 18 February 2023.
^ Wells, Matthew (4 March 2023). "2023 PFL Challenger Series 6 results: Brahyan Zurcher wins featherweight contract with submission win". MMA Junkie. Retrieved 4 March 2023.
^ Wells, Matthew (4 February 2023). "2023 PFL Challenger Series 2 results: Amanda Leve wins unanimous decision, PFL contract". MMA Junkie. Retrieved 4 February 2023.
^ "2023 PFL Challenger Series 5 results: Desiree Yanez earns PFL contract with unanimous decision win". MMA Junkie. 2023-02-25. Retrieved 2023-03-03.
^ "PFL and DAZN announce historic media rights partnership for Europe". Professional Fighters League.
^ "PROFESSIONAL FIGHTERS LEAGUE BOLSTERS GLOBAL EXECUTIVE TEAM WITH JULIA BOYADJIEVA JOINING AS VP OF INTERNATIONAL EVENT OPERATIONS AND GM OF PFL EUROPE". Professional Fighters League.
^ "PFL CONTINUES GLOBAL EXPANSION WITH LAUNCH OF PFL EUROPE". MMA UK.
^ "2021 Official Rules" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2021-05-07.
^ "Nine PFL fighters suspended, scrambling season". ESPN.com. 12 May 2023. Retrieved 14 May 2023.
^ The four fighters with most points advance to the playoffs
^ Received 3 points after PFL 2 result overturned
^ Received 3 points after PFL 2 result overturned
^ The four fighters with most points advance to the playoffs
^ The four fighters with most points advance to the playoffs
^ The four fighters with most points advance to the playoffs
^ The four fighters with most points advance to the playoffs
^ The four fighters with most points advance to the playoffs

[22] Er-Ramy wasn not medically cleared and was replaced by Daniel Ladero

[23] Officially a Unanimous decision victory for Duque, Chizov advanced due to the weight miss by Duque

[24] Chizov missed weight and was replaced by Geysim Derouiche

[25] Francesco Nuzzi pulled out of the bout and was replaced by Moktar Benkaci

[26] Griet Eeckhout pulled out of the bout and was replaced by Manuela Marconetto

[27] Marconetto missed weight and Scatizzi therefore got a bye to the finals

[1] Martin, Damon (2 February 2023). "Brendan Loughnane vs. Marlon Moraes, Olivier Aubin-Mercier vs. Shane Burgos among fights announced for PFL in 2023". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2 February 2023.

[2] Okamoto, Brett (2 February 2023). "Loughnane-Moraes to kick off 2023 PFL season". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2 February 2023.

[3] Nolan King (March 9, 2023). "PFL announces three shows in Atlanta for second half of 2023 season". MMAjunkie.com.

[4] Alexander K. Lee (June 1, 2023). "PFL 2023 Playoffs kick off in San Antonio on Aug. 4". mmafighting.com.

[5] Jay Pettry (June 8, 2023). "PFL Playoffs Shift to New York City for Aug. 18 and Aug. 23 Events". Sherdog.

[6] Tristen Critchfield (August 23, 2023). "2023 PFL Championships to Be Held in Washington, D.C. on Nov. 24". Sherdog.

[7] Newswire, MMA Fighting (2022-01-19). "PFL Challenger Series debuts Feb. 18 on Fubo Sports Network". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2022-01-20.

[8] Stitt, Anthony. "PFL Challenger Series Gearing Up For Debut, With Undiscovered Talent Set To Get A Big Break". Forbes. Retrieved 2022-01-20.

[9] "PFL Announces "Challenger Series" To Scout Up-And-Coming Talent". MMA News. 2021-12-14. Retrieved 2022-01-20.

[10] "Everything you need to know about PFL's Challenger Series". FanSided. 2021-12-09. Retrieved 2022-01-20.

[11] Brian Knapp (2023-02-10). "Abraham Bably nets Professional Fighters League deal on PFL Challenger Series 3". Sherdog.com. Retrieved 2023-02-10.

[12] Tyler Treese (2023-03-17). "Denzel Freeman earns final PFL Challenger Series 2023 contract". Sherdog.com. Retrieved 2023-03-18.

[13] Kirven, J.L. "Light Heavyweight Impa Kasanganay Secures Contract on PFL Challenger Series 7". Sherdog. Retrieved 11 March 2023.

[14] Sherdog.com. "Professional Fighters League Signs Thad Jean on Week 1 of PFL Challenger Series". Sherdog. Retrieved 2023-01-28.

[15] Fridley, Mike. "Undefeated Lightweight Elvin Espinoza Earns Contract at PFL Challenger Series Week 4". Sherdog. Retrieved 18 February 2023.

[16] Wells, Matthew (4 March 2023). "2023 PFL Challenger Series 6 results: Brahyan Zurcher wins featherweight contract with submission win". MMA Junkie. Retrieved 4 March 2023.

[17] Wells, Matthew (4 February 2023). "2023 PFL Challenger Series 2 results: Amanda Leve wins unanimous decision, PFL contract". MMA Junkie. Retrieved 4 February 2023.

[18] "2023 PFL Challenger Series 5 results: Desiree Yanez earns PFL contract with unanimous decision win". MMA Junkie. 2023-02-25. Retrieved 2023-03-03.

[19] "PFL and DAZN announce historic media rights partnership for Europe". Professional Fighters League.

[20] "PROFESSIONAL FIGHTERS LEAGUE BOLSTERS GLOBAL EXECUTIVE TEAM WITH JULIA BOYADJIEVA JOINING AS VP OF INTERNATIONAL EVENT OPERATIONS AND GM OF PFL EUROPE". Professional Fighters League.

[21] "PFL CONTINUES GLOBAL EXPANSION WITH LAUNCH OF PFL EUROPE". MMA UK.

[28] "2021 Official Rules" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2021-05-07.

[29] "Nine PFL fighters suspended, scrambling season". ESPN.com. 12 May 2023. Retrieved 14 May 2023.

[30] The four fighters with most points advance to the playoffs

[31] Received 3 points after PFL 2 result overturned

[32] Received 3 points after PFL 2 result overturned

[33] The four fighters with most points advance to the playoffs

[34] The four fighters with most points advance to the playoffs

[35] The four fighters with most points advance to the playoffs

[36] The four fighters with most points advance to the playoffs

[37] The four fighters with most points advance to the playoffs

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2023 in Professional Fighters League

Events

2023 World champions

2023 PFL World champions

2023 PFL Europe World champions

PFL Challenger Series

PFL Europe

Light Heavyweight

Lightweight

Bantamweight

Women's Flyweight

Playoffs

2023 PFL Heavyweight playoffs

2023 PFL Light Heavyweight playoffs

2023 PFL Welterweight playoffs

2023 PFL Lightweight playoffs

2023 PFL Featherweight playoffs

2023 PFL Women's Featherweight playoffs

Standings

Heavyweight

Light Heavyweight

Welterweight

Lightweight

Featherweight

Women's Featherweight

See also

References