PFL officials released the first three main and co-main events for the upcoming 2023 season recently.
And they are rolling out some of the big guns in the promotion right off the bat.
Just to get you up to speed. The PFL runs a regular season that awards points to the winners, with bonus points for finishes. From there, the top point scorers qualify for a single-elimination tournament until just two remain.
That is when the division title and $1 million is put on the line at PFL Finals.
In the first PFL card of 2023, Brendan Loughnane will begin defense of his featherweight championship when he meets Marlon Moraes. The card on April 1 from The Theater at Virgin Hotels in Las Vegas will also see Rob Wilkinson and Thiago Santos meet in the light heavyweight division.
Louhgnane took out Bubba Jenkins last November, completing a perfect run through the 2022 season. Moraes, meanwhile, is a veteran of the sport looking to make a name for himself once more.
Wilkinson will take on one of the biggest challenges of his career, as Santos previously fought for the UFC light heavyweight title.
PFL 2 is set to include heavyweight winner Ante Delija and women’s featherweight champion Larissa Pacheco. Delija will meet Yorgan De Castro, while Pacheco gets Julia Budd.
Pacheco stunned the MMA masses with a victory over Kayla Harrison, who was unbeaten and held two wins over her prior.
In the third show, Olivier Aubin-Mercier will welcome Shane Burgos to the promotion in a lightweight affair, while Sadibou Sy takes on Jarrah Al-Silawi.
More action will be announced in the coming days and weeks, but this is quite a way to kick-start things in 2023 for the PFL.