All articles tagged with #pfl
Cris Cyborg, 41, defied retirement talk by winning a hard‑fought unanimous decision over Ketlen Vieira at PFL Tampa, notching her 30th victory and signaling she’ll continue fighting. She taunted Claressa Shields as “scared” and invited a match with Shields, then challenged Kayla Harrison, while Vieira’s weight miss and a relentless pace shaped a bout that kept Cyborg active.
Cris Cyborg's potential retirement fight against Ketlen Vieira was nearly canceled when Vieira weighed in seven pounds over the 145lb limit for their PFL featherweight title, forcing a catchweight bout with Cyborg's title not on the line; Vieira later revealed kidney and stomach pain prevented further weight cutting and she will forfeit part of her purse, while Cyborg made weight and hinted this could be her last fight.
At the PFL Tampa weigh-ins, Cris Cyborg’s opponent came in seven pounds over the limit, marking a dramatic weigh-in moment ahead of the event.
Cris Cyborg and Ketlen Vieira weighed in for PFL Tampa; Vieira missed weight by 7.2 pounds, so Cyborg will defend the 145-pound title and Vieira cannot win the belt even with a victory as Cyborg nears retirement. Cyborg is the betting favorite, while a prelim bout (Chabaan vs. Zendeli) was canceled due to Zendeli’s weight-cutting issues. The main event and weigh-in results were announced for ESPN/ESPN+.
Cris Cyborg’s PFL Tampa featherweight title defense will proceed as a catchweight bout after Ketlen Vieira weighed in at 152.2 pounds, seven pounds over the 145-pound limit; Vieira cited a sudden illness for the weight-cut issues and forfeited part of her purse, while Cyborg indicated the fight would go on as a non-title bout at catchweight.
Dakota Ditcheva revealed she fought most of her unanimous-decision win over Denise Kielholtz with two broken hands and cried non-stop afterward. She’s now in splints as her surgeon plans the next steps, having extended her unbeaten run to 16 fights.
Following PFL Charlotte, matchups to watch center on the middleweight division, headlined by Dalton Rosta vs. Bryan Battle; Battle earned his first PFL win and the Charlotte card featured six of the top 10 middleweights, signaling a crowded field and several potential eliminator bouts.
Bryan Battle edged Dalton Rosta by split decision in the PFL Charlotte main event to earn his first PFL win, delivering a hometown showing at Bojangles Coliseum as both fighters fought cautiously and drew boos from the crowd; Battle, who lost his PFL debut earlier in the season, managed to win 29-28, 28-29, 29-28 and improve to 1-1 in PFL, while Rosta pressed early with pressure and takedowns before Battle found the late rounds. The card also featured Simeon Powell defeating Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov by split decision, Aaron Jeffery defeating Josh Silveira by unanimous decision, Lewis McGrillen defeating Brandon Lewis by unanimous decision, and Josh Fremd stopping Jhony Gregory by TKO in the second round.
Charlotte native Bryan Battle defeated Dalton Rosta by split decision (29-28 on all judges' scorecards) in the PFL Charlotte main event for his first PFL win. Battle overcame a tense first round and carried the momentum into rounds 2–3, snapping Rosta’s three-fight skid. Battle improves to 13-3 with a strong run (5-1 in his past six), while Rosta drops to three straight losses.
Bryan Battle defeated Dalton Rosta by split decision in a three-round main event at PFL Charlotte, drawing sharp fan backlash and calls that Battle and Rosta should be banned from headlining future cards. Battle, a former UFC fighter and season 29 The Ultimate Fighter winner, has had a mixed PFL run after signing following a four-pound weight miss before UFC 319, including a loss to Johnny Eblen; this card was the second event since the MVP-PFL merger announcement.
Live from PFL Charlotte, a stacked card delivered a mix of finishes and decisions: Lewis McGrillen defeated Brandon Lewis by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28); Josh Fremd stopped Jhony Gregory by TKO in Round 2; Denis Goltsov TKOs Hasan Mezhiev in Round 1; Cheyden Leialoha dominated Robbie Ring for a unanimous decision; Cheyanne Bowers submitted Elora Dana with a rear-naked choke in Round 1; Landry Ward edged Michael Boylan by split decision; Bruno Cappelozza outpointed Valentin Moldavsky by unanimous decision; Jonathan Martin defeated Wilson Lopshire by unanimous decision; Maxwell Djantou Nana finished Eduardo Neves with a body-shot KO in Round 3; Trey Waters stopped Trukon Carson by TKO in Round 1. Broadcast issues briefly affected the early main card.
At PFL Charlotte, Bryan Battle challenged Dalton Rosta in the main event for his first PFL win after leaving the UFC, with light heavyweights Dovlet Yagshimuradov vs. Simeon Powell also on the main card and several notable prelims. In the undercard, Cheyanne Bowers submitted Elora Dana, Landry Ward took a split decision over Michael Boylan, Bruno Cappelozza defeated Valentin Moldavsky by unanimous decision, Jonathan Martin beat Wilson Lopshire, Maxwell Djantou Nana stopped Eduardo Neves, and Trey Waters won by TKO over Trukon Carson, among other results from the ESPN+ and ESPN telecast.
The Mailbag article speculates Usman Nurmagomedov is headed to the UFC after becoming a free agent and weighs potential debut opponents. Readers discuss options ranging from a fast-tracked test against top contenders (including names like Max Holloway or Charles Oliveira) to a slower build, noting Nurmagomedov’s relatively sparse major wins. The piece also touches on MVP’s promotion and the potential MVPFL merger, and sel ects reader questions about Uros Medic and Islam Makhachev’s win-streak comparisons.
Jake Paul tried to lure Khabib Nurmagomedov out of retirement for MVP after MVP merged with PFL, but Nurmagomedov indicated he has no interest in a comeback and later mocked the outreach; the NY event highlighted the merger's ambition to reshape MMA.
The PFL is merging with Jake Paul–backed MVP to form a combat-sports conglomerate aiming to challenge the UFC, but UFC's massive reach and branding make it unlikely to topple the king. Veteran fighter Matt Brown says the rivalry will remain a distant No. 2 and advises MVP to carve its own lane—like BKFC—rather than engage in a costly head-to-head battle.