After battling through the grind of the regular season, we have reached the semifinal rounds of the 2023 PFL playoffs. Four fighters in six weights will battle for the right to advance to the finals and a shot at the title and $1 million.
PFL Playoffs: Heavyweights
A new champion will be crowned as Denis Goltsov, Jordan Heiderman, Renan Ferreira and Marcelo Nunes advanced in the heavyweight ranks.
Goltsov gets Heideramn in the first round after securing the top speed, while Ferreira and Nunes battle it out on the opposite side.
In the regular season, Goltsov was ultra-impressive, earning two first round finishes. The other three all picked up one finish in the first round, with Ferreira the only other one to win a second fight.
PFL Light Heavyweight
Josh Silveira, Marthin Hamlet and Ty Flores all put together 2-0 runs during the regular season, with Silveira gaining the top seed thanks to his matching first round finishes.
Hamlet finished second with one stoppage win in the first, while Impa Kasanganay used his second round win to finish third.
Silveira will take on Flores in the semis with Hamlet and Kasanganay meeting in the other bout.
PFL Welterweight
Sadibou Sy is back to defend his welterweight crown, but will need to do so out of the No. 3 seed. Magomed Magomedkerimov claimed 12 points on the heels of two first round stoppages, while Carlos Leal also went 2-0 with two finishes in the first and second rounds.
Sy and Magomed Umalatov both won each of their regular season fights, as Sy had a second and a third round stoppage win, while Umalatov won one bout in the first and the other by decision.P
PFL Lightweight
Another returning champion will be present at lightweight, as Olivier Aubin-Mercier went 2-0 to advance. Clay Collard grabbed the overall No. 1 seed with two wins, including a second round finish.
Collard’s semifinal round opponent will be Shane Burgos, who earned the spot after Natan Schulte was removed by officials. Aubin-Mercier, meanwhile, tackles Bruno Miranda, who also went 2-0.
PFL Featherweight
Is this the year Bubba Jenkins finally finishes on top? The veteran earned the No. 1 seed and will meet Jesus Pinedo, while Gabriel Alves Braga and Movlid Khaybulaev also qualified.
Jenkins, Braga and Khaybulaev all went 2-0, with Pinedo going 1-1. He advanced on a tiebreaker for the fourth and final spot over Chris Wade. Jenkins and Braga had a first round finish, while Khaybulaev earned a second round win.
PFL Women’s Featherweight
No. 1 seed Larissa Pacheco is also the defending champion, as she stunned Kayla Harrison last year in the finals. Now, though, she is the hunted with Olena Kolesnyk, Marina Mokhnatkina and Amber Leibrock all looking to knock her from the top.
Pacheco went 2-0 in the regular season with a first round finish, while Mokhnatkina won her two fights and finished one in the second. Leibrock was 1-1 with a first round stoppage to earn the No. 3 seed, with Kolesnyk going 2-0.
