 |
| (Image Source: PR Newswire/Professional Fighters League) |
The Professional Fighters League (PFL), the fastest growing and most innovative sports league, is slated to kick off its 2023 Regular Season on April 1, 2023 in the "Fight Capital of the World" at The Theater at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas, part of Curio Collection by Hilton, live on ESPN, ESPN Deportes and ESPN+ in North America and worldwide on international broadcast and streaming partners as well as the league's official YouTube channel. The PFL Regular Season features a true sports-season format where elite fighters from around the world compete in a Regular Season, Playoffs, and Championship, with each winner of the six weight divisions receiving a US$1 million prize.
The first of three consecutive Regular Season events hosted at the venue will feature some of the world's best Featherweight and Light Heavyweight fighters headlined by 2022 PFL World Champions Brendan Loughnane and Rob Wilkinson facing off against Marlon Moraes and Thiago Santos, respectively. The second event of the PFL Regular Season will take place on April 7 and showcase some of the world's top Heavyweight and Women's Featherweight MMA fighters. Croatian Ante Delija, who rose to the top of the division last year to claim the PFL World Championship, will take on Yorgan De Castro, while Larissa Pacheco, who defeated MMA superstar Kayla Harrison to claim the 2022 PFL World Championship, makes her season debut against Julia Budd. The third event from The Theater at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas on April 14 will feature the league's world-class roster of Lightweight and Welterweight stars. The show's main card will feature Olivier Aubin-Mercier, the 2022 PFL Lightweight World Champion, taking on Shane Burgos in his highly-anticipated PFL debut. In the co-main, last season's Welterweight winner Sadibou Sy will face off in the SmartCage across from Jarrah Al-Silawi.
"The Professional Fighters League is excited to return this April to Las Vegas, the fight capital of the world, to kick off the 2023 PFL Regular Season with a three-event residency at the reimagined The Theater at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas. The PFL's extensive roster of world-class fighters will be on display for all US events live on ESPN, ESPN Deportes and ESPN+, along with international distribution to 160 countries globally for MMA fans around the world," said PFL CEO Peter Murray. "With all six of last year's PFL World Champions returning to the SmartCage, along with the league debuts of MMA stars Shane Burgos and Thiago Santos, fans across the world will see the best this sport has to offer when the 2023 PFL Regular Season kicks off from Last Vegas on April 1," said PFL President of Fighter Operations Ray Sefo.
PFL is the #1 fastest growing company in MMA and the #2 MMA company on worldwide basis. PFL is the only in MMA with the sports-season format, where individual fighters compete in sports-season "win and advance" meritocracy like all other major sports. The PFL fighter roster is global and world-class, with fighters from over 20 countries and 25% independently ranked in the top 25. PFL leads in technology and innovation, with its proprietary PFL SmartCage powering real-time betting and next-gen viewing experience. PFL is aired primetime live in the U.S. on ESPN and ESPN+ and in 140 countries via 25 leading broadcast and streaming partners.
