11-03-2025
MMA returns to Nashville this summer as PFL hosts its World Tournament semifinals
The Professional Fighters League has found a home in Nashville.
After Music City hosted PFL 7 last August, the MMA organization returns this summer for the PFL World Championship semifinals on Thursday, June 12, at the Nashville Municipal Auditorium.
It marks PFL's second card in Nashville and third-ever card in Tennessee, after the World Series of Fighting − since acquired by PFL − hosted a card in Memphis in 2016.
PFL's roster includes MMA stars such as Francis Ngannou, and the organization has made waves in recent years with its unique format, which will be on full display in Nashville.
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The PFL World Tournament is an annual single-elimination tournament held across seven weight classes: heavyweight, light heavyweight, middleweight, welterweight, lightweight, featherweight and bantamweight.
The tournament spans over five months with fighters looking to win three straight fights to become PFL Tournament Champion. Each winner will receive a $500,000 bonus while a total of $20 million will be paid out during the tournament.
Ahead of Nashville's semifinals, PFL will host four first-round events at Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida, beginning in April.
Tickets for the PFL World Tournament semifinals in Nashville will range from $35 to $300 and are available to the general public on Wednesday, March 19 through Ticketmaster. The PFL World Tournament will stream live on ESPN platforms in the United States.
Nashville has previously hosted the UFC at Bridgestone Arena in 2023 and last hosted a major boxing event in 2015, when Caleb Plant returned for a hometown title defense.
Harrison Campbell covers combat sports for The Tennessean and high school sports for The Daily Herald. Email him at hcampbell@ and follow him on Twitter @hccamp.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Professional Fighters League World Tournament event coming to Nashville
