Latest news with #2025WorldTournament
Forbes
17-04-2025
- Sport
- Forbes
Donn Davis Talks 2025 PFL World Tournament Changes, Upsets And More
PFL (Professional Fighters League Europe) founder and president Donn Davis answers journalists ... More questions during the Professional Fighters League Europe (PFL) event at the Accor Arena in Paris, on March 7, 2024. (Photo by FRANCK FIFE / AFP) (Photo by FRANCK FIFE/AFP via Getty Images) The Professional Fighters League is in the early stages of its 2025 World Tournament. This week, the promotion is in Orlando, Florida, for Week 3 of the tournament, which features the first-round matchups in the middleweight and lightweight divisions. Three former PFL tournament winners are involved in this week's event. PFL founder and chairman Donn Davis answered some questions about the current PFL Tournament ahead of Friday's event, which ESPN will carry live. The first two events of the 2025 PFL World Tournament took place on April 3 and April 11 at Universal Studios in Orlando. That site also hosts the upcoming April 18 event. Unlike the first two cards, which streamed on ESPN+, the PFL World Tournament 2025 3 fight card will be carried on ESPN proper while also streaming on ESPN+. ORLANDO, FL - APRIL 03: Jason Jackson celebrates after fighting against Andrey Koreshkov during the ... More first round of the PFL 2025 World Tournament at Universal Studios on April 3, 2025 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by) Davis told Forbes he is happy with the viewership numbers of this year's first two fight cards, "Yes, we're very pleased," said Davis. "Across our global media partners, digital platforms, we have seen a significant uptick from last season, and it shows that fans are responding to the fresh look of the PFL World Tournament and the stakes that surround each also have seen that MMA fans viewing habits are now heavily streaming-focused, and we are seeing growth there." In previous years, the PFL moved things around for its first-round events, hosting the fight cards in different cities. This year, the promotion decided to hold its first four events in the same location, Universal Studious in Orlando, Florida, before hitting the road for the future rounds of the tournament. "By holding the first round of our 2025 World Tournament at Universal Studios Florida, we've created a high-quality production environment to launch this historic change in our format," Davis said of staying in Florida for the first round. "This residency streamlines our logistics, enhances the global broadcast, and gives us a controlled setting that allows us to put on our best product." The decision to hold the first-round events in one location was not the only change the PFL made heading into the 2025 PFL World Tournament. One of the more attention-grabbing changes was the prize for winning the tournament went from $1 million to $500,000. "Let's be clear: $500,000 is still the highest tournament prize in MMA today," said Davis. "And in 2025, through the $20 million total prize pool, we're investing more broadly across fighter pay, including higher base purses and performance incentives. It's about creating sustainable careers. Our model puts more fighters in position to earn more, more often. That's real progress for the sport." The first two events of the year have seen upsets and weight misses, knocking some of the early betting favorites from the tournament; this is something the PFL has taken in stride and perhaps expected and even looked forward to in the case of the upsets. ORLANDO, FL - APRIL 11: Liz Carmouche speaks with Dan Hardy after defeating Ilara Joanne during the ... More first round of the PFL 2025 World Tournament at Universal Studios on April 11, 2025 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by) "This is the beauty and the brutality of a world tournament. You've got to make weight. You've got to win. No politics. No picking and choosing opponents. It's win or go home," said Davis. "While unfortunate, it also creates room for new stars to emerge and showcases the depth of global talent in our roster. That's what makes our format so compelling. You've already seen upsets also, like Ekaterina Shakalova from Ukraine, or Justin Wetzell, who was the biggest betting underdog I can remember. You never know what will happen." The 2025 PFL World Tournament 3 fight card takes place on Friday, April 18. We will have live results for both the prelims and main card. Prelims begin at 5 p.m. ET on ESPN+, while the ESPN main card starts at 7 p.m. ET. HOLLYWOOD, FLORIDA - AUGUST 16: Impa Kasanganay gestures after his light heavyweight fight against ... More Josh Silveira during the PFL 2024 Playoffs at Hard Rock Live in Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino on August 16, 2024 in Hollywood, Florida. (Photo by) 2023 light heavyweight tournament winner and 2024 PFL 2105-pound tournament finalist Impa Kasanganay vs. former Bellator title middleweight title challenger Fabian Edwards headlines Friday's event. Also on the main card is the winner of the 2024 lightweight tournament, Gadzhi Rabadanov, who faces former UFC fighter Marc Diakiese. 2022 welterweight PFL tournament winner Sadibou Sy is also part of the main card. He faces Dalton Rosta.
Forbes
16-04-2025
- Sport
- Forbes
2025 PFL World Tournament 3 Fight Card Betting Odds
The third event of the Professional Fighters League (PFL) 2025 World Tournament is coming up. That PFL fight card takes place on Friday from Universal Studio in Orlando, Florida. As with the first two events of this year's tournament, this one features the first-round fights in two weight different divisions. This week's card marks the opening round bouts for the eight middleweight and lightweight competitors involved in the 2025 PFL World Tournament. The main event of the PFL World Tournament 3 fight card features 2023 light heavyweight tournament winner, and 2024 PFL 2105-pound tournament finalist, Impa Kasanganay vs. former Bellator title middleweight title challenger Fabian Edwards. Winner of the 2024 lightweight tournament, Gadzhi Rabadanov faces former UFC fighter Marc Diakiese on Friday's main card. Also on the card is 2022 welterweight PFL tournament winner Sadibou Sy. Sy was also a finalist in that weight division in 2023. Another former tournament finalist, Clay Collard, who made it to the lightweight finals in 2023, meets Alfie Davis on the main card. The man Rabadanov defeated in the final last year, Brent Primus also competes on Friday, facing Vinicius Cenci. That fight is on the prelims. Middleweight First Round Bout: Impa Kasanganay (18-5) vs. Fabian Edwards (13-4) Lightweight First Round Bout: Gadzhi Rabadanov (24-4-2) vs. Marc Diakiese (18-7) Middleweight First Round Bout: Sadibou Sy (17-8-2, 1 NC ) vs. Dalton Rosta (9-1) Lightweight First Round Bout: Mads Burnell (20-6) vs. Jay-Jay Wilson (10-1) Lightweight First Round Bout: Clay Collard (25-14) vs. Alfie Davis (17-4-1) Middleweight First Round Bout: Josh Silveira (13-4) vs. Mike Shipman (17-4) Lightweight First Round Bout: Brent Primus (15-4-0, 1 NC) vs. Vinicius Cenci (8-2) Middleweight First Round Bout: Aaron Jeffery (15-5) vs. Murad Ramazanov (12-2) Lightweight Alternate Bout: Robert Watley (15-3) vs. Antonio Caruso (10-2) Impa Kasanganay (-133) vs. Fabian Edwards (+113) Gadzhi Rabadanov (-700) vs. Marc Diakiese (+500) Sadibou Sy (-136) vs. Dalton Rosta (+106) Mads Burnell (+150) vs. Jay-Jay Wilson (-175) Clay Collard (-170) vs. Alfie Davis (+140) Josh Silveira (-240) vs. Mike Shipman (+205) Brent Primus (-650) vs. Vinicius Cenci (+475) Aaron Jeffery (+165) vs. Murad Ramazanov (-205) Robert Watley (TBA) vs. Antonio Caruso (TBA) Friday, April 18 Preliminary Card: 5 p.m. ET Main Card: 7 p.m. ET The 2025 PFL tournament is different from past events. The previous iterations awarded the winner of each weight division with $1 million. This year, the tournament winners will earn $500,000. Another difference in 2025 is that the tournament is structured as a single-elimination bracketed event. In the past, fighters earned points in two regular-season bouts, with the highest point earners moving onto the playoffs. This year, eight fighters (and two alternates) have been seeded in a tournament bracket, with the winners moving on to the next round. Another change is that eight weight divisions are competing rather than six: heavyweight, light heavyweight, middleweight, welterweight, lightweight, featherweight bantamweight, and women's flyweight. One of the more substantial changes is that all fights will now allow elbows. The first-round fights and semifinal fights will be three five-minute rounds, while the finals are five five-minute rounds. The final first-round event for the 2025 PFL World Tournament is scheduled for May 1. The light heavyweights and heavyweights compete on that night in Orlando. The semifinal events begin on June 12. We will have full coverage of the PFL 2025 World Tournament 3 fight card, including event odds before the fights and live results and reactions on fight night.
Forbes
16-04-2025
- Sport
- Forbes
2025 PFL World Tournament 3 Full Fight Card
HOLLYWOOD, FLORIDA - AUGUST 16: Impa Kasanganay gestures after his light heavyweight fight against ... More Josh Silveira during the PFL 2024 Playoffs at Hard Rock Live in Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino on August 16, 2024 in Hollywood, Florida. (Photo by) The third event of the Professional Fighters League (PFL) 2025 World Tournament takes place this week from Universal Studio in Orlando, Florida. As with the first two events of the tournament, this one features the first-round fights in two weight divisions. This week's card marks the first fights for the eight middleweight and lightweight competitors involved in the 2025 PFL World Tournament. The main event of the PFL World Tournament 3 fight card features 2023 light heavyweight tournament winner, and 2024 PFL 2105-pound tournament finalist, Impa Kasanganay vs. former Bellator title middleweight title challenger Fabian Edwards. Winner of the 2024 lightweight tournament, Gadzhi Rabadanov faces former UFC fighter Marc Diakiese on Friday's main card. Also on the card is 2022 welterweight PFL tournament winner Sadibou Sy. Sy was also a finalist in that weight division in 2023. Another former tournament finalist, Clay Collard, who made it to the lightweight finals in 2023, meets Alfie Davis on the main card. The man Rabadanov defeated in the final last year, Brent Primus also competes on Friday, facing Vinicius Cenci. That fight is on the prelims. Middleweight First Round Bout: Impa Kasanganay (18-5) vs. Fabian Edwards (13-4) Lightweight First Round Bout: Gadzhi Rabadanov (24-4-2) vs. Marc Diakiese (18-7) Middleweight First Round Bout: Sadibou Sy (17-8-2, 1 NC ) vs. Dalton Rosta (9-1) Lightweight First Round Bout: Mads Burnell (20-6) vs. Jay-Jay Wilson (10-1) Lightweight First Round Bout: Clay Collard (25-14) vs. Alfie Davis (17-4-1) Middleweight First Round Bout: Josh Silveira (13-4) vs. Mike Shipman (17-4) Lightweight First Round Bout: Brent Primus (15-4-0, 1 NC) vs. Vinicius Cenci (8-2) Middleweight First Round Bout: Aaron Jeffery (15-5) vs. Murad Ramazanov (12-2) Lightweight Alternate Bout: Robert Watley (15-3) vs. Antonio Caruso (10-2) Friday, April 18 Preliminary Card: 5 p.m. ET Main Card: 7 p.m. ET The 2025 PFL tournament is different from past events. The previous iterations awarded the winner of each weight division with $1 million. This year, the tournament winners will earn $500,000. Another difference in 2025 is that the tournament is structured as a single-elimination bracketed event. In the past, fighters earned points in two regular-season bouts, with the highest point earners moving onto the playoffs. This year, eight fighters (and two alternates) have been seeded in a tournament bracket, with the winners moving on to the next round. Another change is that eight weight divisions are competing rather than six: heavyweight, light heavyweight, middleweight, welterweight, lightweight, featherweight bantamweight, and women's flyweight. One of the more substantial changes is that all fights will now allow elbows. The first-round fights and semifinal fights will be three five-minute rounds, while the finals are five five-minute rounds. The final first-round event for the 2025 PFL World Tournament is scheduled for May 1. The light heavyweights and heavyweights compete on that night in Orlando. The semifinal events begin on June 12. We will have full coverage of the PFL 2025 World Tournament 3 fight card, including event odds before the fights and live results and reactions on fight night.
Forbes
01-04-2025
- Sport
- Forbes
PFL 2025 World Tournament Fight Card Betting Odds
ATLANTA, GA - JUNE 08: Movlid Khaybulaev walks to the cage before fighting Tyler Diamond during PFL ... More 2023 week 4 at OTE Arena on June 8, 2023 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by) The first event of the Professional Fighters League 2025 World Tournament is nearly upon us. The first card of the tournament, which runs from April 3 through August 21, takes place on Thursday night at Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida. That fight card features the first round of the featherweight and welterweight tournaments. Up for grabs this year is a prize pool of $20 million. Below, we look at the betting odds for the PFL 2025 World Tournament 1 fight card. The PFL World Tournament 1 card begins at 7 p.m. ET with prelims streaming on ESPN+. The main card follows at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN2. The 2025 PFL tournament is different from past events. The previous iterations awarded the winner of each weight division with $1 million. This year, the tournament winners will earn $500,000. Another difference in 2025 is that the tournament is structured as a single-elimination bracketed event. In the past, fighters earned points in two regular-season bouts, with the highest point earners moving onto the playoffs. This year, eight fighters (and two alternates) have been seeded in a tournament bracket, with the winners moving on to the next round. Another change is that eight weight divisions are competing rather than six: heavyweight, light heavyweight, middleweight, welterweight, lightweight, featherweight bantamweight, and women's flyweight. One of the more substantial changes is that all fights will now allow elbows. The first-round fights and semifinal fights will be three five-minute rounds, while the finals are five five-minute rounds. PFL World Championship 2024 Fight Card Results - Winners And Losers Welterweight First Round Bout: Jason Jackson (-215) vs. Andrey Koreshkov (+185) Featherweight First Round Bout: Jesus Pinedo (-160) vs. Adam Borics (+140) Welterweight First Round Bout: Magomed Umalatov (-330) vs. Logan Storley (+270) Featherweight First Round Bout: Jeremy Kennedy (+425) vs. Movlid Khaybulaev (-600) Welterweight First Round Bout: Mukhamed Berkhamov (+205) vs. Thad Jean (-240) Featherweight First Round Bout: Gabriel Braga (-600) vs. Yves Landu (+425) Welterweight First Round Bout: Giannis Bachar (+145) vs. Masayuki Kikuiri (-170) Featherweight First Round Bout: Nathan Kelly (+110) vs. Taekyun Kim (-140) Welterweight Alternate Bout: Joseph Luciano (-230) vs. Sarek Shields +195) Featherweight Alternate Bout: Fred Dupras (-105) vs. Nathan Ghareeb (-115) The winners of the first round of the PFL World Championship featherweight and welterweight bouts move on to semifinal round. We will have more on the PFL World Championship 1 fight card, including live results, reactions, and more on fight night.
Forbes
01-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
PFL Schedule For April 2025 Includes Three World Tournament Cards
HOLLYWOOD, FLORIDA - AUGUST 16: Impa Kasanganay gestures after his light heavyweight fight against ... More Josh Silveira during the PFL 2024 Playoffs at Hard Rock Live in Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino on August 16, 2024 in Hollywood, Florida. (Photo by) The Professional Fighters League has not held an event since January of this year when the promotion presented a PFL Champions Series fight card that was headlined by a spectacular title fight between Bellator lightweight champion Usman Nurmagomedov and Paul Hughes. The promotion is back with a strong slate of events for April 2025. This month, the PFL is scheduled to hold three 2025 World Tournament fight cards featuring first-round matchups in the following weight divisions: welterweight, featherweight, bantamweight, women's flyweight, middleweight, and lightweight. Below, we look at the full PFL schedule for April 2025. The 2025 PFL tournament is different from past events. The previous iterations awarded the winner of each weight division with $1 million. This year, the tournament winners will earn $500,000. Another difference in 2025 is that the tournament is structured as a single-elimination bracketed event. In the past, fighters earned points in two regular-season bouts, with the highest point earners moving onto the playoffs. This year, eight fighters (and two alternates) have been seeded in a tournament bracket, with the winners moving on to the next round. Another change is that eight weight divisions are competing rather than six: heavyweight, light heavyweight, middleweight, welterweight, lightweight, featherweight bantamweight, and women's flyweight. One of the more substantial changes is that all fights will now allow elbows. The first-round fights and semifinal fights will be three five-minute rounds, while the finals are five five-minute rounds. PFL World Championship 2024 Fight Card Results - Winners And Losers The first round matchups for the welterweight and featherweight divisions take place on Thursday, April 3 from Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida. The prelims begin at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN+, while the main card starts at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN2 and ESPN+ Welterweight First Round Bout: Jason Jackson (18-5) vs. Andrey Koreshkov (28-5) Featherweight First Round Bout: Jesus Pinedo (23-6) vs. Adam Borics (19-2) Welterweight First Round Bout: Magomed Umalatov (17-1)vs. Logan Storley (16-3) Featherweight First Round Bout: Jeremy Kennedy (19-4)vs. Movlid Khaybulaev (21-0-1) Welterweight First Round Bout: Mukhamed Berkhamov (17-2)vs. Florim Zendeli (10-1-1) Featherweight First Round Bout: Gabriel Braga (15-2)vs. Yves Landu (21-9) Welterweight First Round Bout: Giannis Bachar (9-2)vs. Masayuki Kikuiri (10-2-1) Featherweight First Round Bout: Nathan Kelly (11-3) vs. Taekyun Kim (10-1) Welterweight Alternate Bout: Joseph Luciano (10-2) vs. Thad Jean (8-0) Featherweight Alternate Bout: Fred Dupras (8-1) vs. Nathan Ghareeb (10-3) The first round matchups for the bantamweight and women's flyweight divisions take place on Friday, April 11 from Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida. The prelims begin at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN+, while the main card starts at 11 p.m. ET on ESPN2 and ESPN+ Bantamweight First Round Bout: Magomed Magomedov (20-3)vs. Leandro Higo (23-6) Women's Flyweight First Round Bout: Taila Santos (24-4)vs. Juliana Velasquez (13-3) Bantamweight First Round Bout: Savarjon Khamidov (16-0)vs. Jake Hadley (11-4) Bantamweight First Round Bout: Ciaran Clarke (10-0)vs. Kasum Kasumov (16-1) Women's Flyweight First Round Bout: Liz Carmouche (22-8)vs. Ilara Joanna (12-9) Bantamweight First Round Bout: Ali Taleb (11-1)vs. Zebenzui Ruiz (12-3) Women's Flyweight First Round Bout: Kana Watanabe (13-3-1)vs. Jena Bishop (7-2) Women's Flyweight First Round Bout: Elora Dana (7-0) vs. Diana Avsaragova (6-1) Bantamweight AlternateBout: Francesco Nuzzi (10-1) vs. Matheus Mattos (14-3-1) Women's Flyweight Alternate Bout: Ekaterina Shakalova (8-2) vs. Saray Orozco (8-6) The first round matchups for the middleweight and lightweight divisions take place on Friday, April 18 from Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida. The prelims begin at 4:30 p.m. ET on ESPN+, while the main card starts at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN and ESPN+ Middleweight First Round Bout: Impa Kasanganay (18-5) vs. Fabian Edwards (13-4) Lightweight First Round Bout: Alexander Shabliy (24-4) vs. Brent Primus (15-4-0, 1 NC) Lightweight First Round Bout: Gadzhi Rabadanov (24-4-2) vs. Marc Diakiese (18-7) Lightweight First Round Bout: Mads Burnell (20-6) vs. Jay-Jay Wilson (10-1) Middleweight First Round Bout: Sadibou Sy (17-8-2, 1 NC ) vs. Dalton Rosta (9-1) Middleweight First Round Bout: Josh Silveira (13-4) vs. Mike Shipman (17-4) Lightweight First Round Bout: Clay Collard (25-14) vs. Alfie Davis (17-4-1) Middleweight First Round Bout: Aaron Jeffery (15-5) vs. Murad Ramazanov (12-2) Middleweight Alternate Bout: Khalid Murtazaliev (17-3) vs. Jordan Newman (7-0) Lightweight Alternate Bout: Sergio Cossio (27-10-1) vs. Robert Watley (15-3) *Cards are subject to change PFL 2025 World Tournament Full Schedule We will have full coverage of the PFL schedule for April 2025 as well as all PFL 2025 World Tournament fight cards including event odds before the fights and live results and reactions on fight night.
