2025 in Professional Fighters League

2025 in Professional Fighters League
2025 in Professional Fighters League
Information
Promotion	Professional Fighters League
First date	January 25, 2025

The year 2025 is the 7th year in the history of the Professional Fighters League (PFL), a mixed martial arts promotion based in the United States.

Background

On January 7, 2025, PFL chairman Donn Davis announced that elbows will be legal in the promotion, after the PFL had banned elbows for the regular season and playoffs. Elbows were typically allowed in non-season and non-playoff fights only.^[1]

On January 9, 2025, it was announced that 2025 season PFL no longer will operate its regular season with points-based results to determine playoff qualification and seeding.^[2]

On January 15, 2025, PFL revealed that hold eight tournaments in 2025, confirming the $500,000 pay for each winner. In total, it will distribute more than $20 million dollars to the fighters. The tournaments will take place at heavyweight, light heavyweight, middleweight, welterweight, lightweight, featherweight, bantamweight and women's flyweight divisions.^[3]^[4]^[5]

Events list

#	Event	Date	Venue	Location	Ref.
1	PFL Champions Series 1: Nurmagomedov vs. Hughes	January 25, 2025	Coca-Cola Arena	Dubai, United Arab Emirates	^[6]^[7]
2	PFL 1: Jackson vs. Koreshkov	April 3, 2025	Universal Studios Florida	Orlando, Florida, U.S.	^[8]^[9]
3	PFL 2: Alves vs. Higo	April 11, 2025
4	PFL 3: Kasanganay vs. Edwards	April 18, 2025
5	PFL 4: Davis vs. Wilkinson	May 1, 2025
6	PFL MENA 1: Mohammadseifi vs. El Sisy	May 9, 2025	Onyx Arena	Jeddah, Saudi Arabia	^[10]
7	PFL Europe 1: Hughes vs. Miranda	May 10, 2025	SSE Arena	Belfast, Northern Ireland	^[11]
8	PFL 5: Jackson vs Jean	June 12, 2025	Nashville Municipal Auditorium	Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.	^[12]
9	PFL 6: Rabadanov vs. Lee	June 20, 2025	Intrust Bank Arena	Wichita, Kansas, U.S.
10	PFL 7: Edwards vs. Silveira	June 27, 2025	Wintrust Arena	Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
11	PFL MENA 2: El Dafrawy vs. Miceli	July 4, 2025	The Green Halls	Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
12	PFL Europe 2: Habirora vs. Roberts	July 5, 2025	ING Arena	Brussels, Belgium
13	PFL Champions Series 2: Eblen vs. van Steenis	July 19, 2025	GrandWest Arena	Cape Town, South Africa	^[13]
14	PFL 8: Jean vs. Storley	August 1, 2025	Boardwalk Hall	Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.	^[14]
15	PFL Africa 2: Ocheme vs. Camara	August 9, 2025	Big Top Arena	Johannesburg, South Africa
16	PFL 9: Rabadanov vs. Davis	August 15, 2025	Bojangles Coliseum	Charlotte, North Carolina, U.S.	^[14]
17	PFL 10: Edwards vs. Rosta	August 21, 2025	Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood	Hollywood, Florida, U.S.	^[14]
18	PFL Europe 3: Abdouraguimov vs. Jousset	September 26, 2025	Zénith Nantes Métropole	Nantes, France
19	PFL MENA 3	September 27, 2025	TBA	Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
20	PFL Champions Series 3: Nurmagomedov vs. Hughes 2	October 3, 2025	Coca-Cola Arena	Dubai, United Arab Emirates
21	PFL Africa 3	October 2025	TBA	TBA
22	PFL MENA 4	November 28, 2025	TBA	Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
23	PFL Europe 4	December 13, 2025	TBA	Lyon, France
24	PFL Africa 4	December 2025	TBA	TBA, Benin
25	PFL Pacific	December 2025	TBA	TBA, Australia

Title fights

Title fights in 2025
Weight class				Method	Round	Time	Event	Notes
Lightweight	Usman Nurmagomedov (c)	def.	Paul Hughes	Decision (majority) (47–47, 48–46, 48–46)	5	5:00	PFL Champions Series 1	^[a]
Middleweight	Costello van Steenis	def.	Johnny Eblen (c)	Technical Submission (rear-naked choke)	5	4:51	PFL Champions Series 2	^[b]

^ For the Bellator Lightweight World Championship. Nurmagomedov was deducted 1 point in round 3 due to repeated groin kicks.
^ For the PFL Middleweight World Championship.

2025 PFL World Tournament

2025 PFL Heavyweight Tournament

Quarter-finals		Semi-finals		Final



Valentin Moldavsky	UD

Sergey Bilostenniy	3
		Valentin Moldavsky	1

		Alexander Romanov	NC
Alexander Romanov	SUB

Timothy Johnson	1
				Alexander Romanov	5

				Oleg Popov	SD
Abraham Bably	3

Rodrigo Nascimento^[a]	SD
		Rodrigo Nascimento	3

		Oleg Popov	UD
Oleg Popov	SD

Karl Williams^[b]	3

^ Pouya Rahmani withdrew from the tournament due to visa issues and was replaced by Rodrigo Nascimento.
^ Linton Vassell withdrew from the tournament and was replaced by Karl Williams.

2025 PFL Light Heavyweight Tournament

Quarter-finals		Semi-finals		Final



Phil Davis	TKO

Rob Wilkinson	2
		Phil Davis	3

		Sullivan Cauley	UD
Alex Polizzi^[a]	1

Sullivan Cauley	TKO
				Sullivan Cauley	2

				Antônio Carlos Júnior	SUB
Karl Moore	3

Antônio Carlos Júnior	SD
		Antônio Carlos Júnior	UD

		Simeon Powell	3
Karl Albrektsson	2

Simeon Powell	TKO

^ Marcelo Nunes withdrew from the tournament before event started and was replaced by Alex Polizzi.

2025 PFL Middleweight Tournament

Quarter-finals		Semi-finals		Final



Impa Kasanganay	1

Fabian Edwards	TKO
		Fabian Edwards	UD

		Josh Silveira	3
Mike Shipman	3

Josh Silveira	UD
				Fabian Edwards	KO

				Dalton Rosta	3
Dalton Rosta	SUB

Sadibou Sy	2
		Dalton Rosta	SD

		Aaron Jeffery	3
Aaron Jeffery	SD

Murad Ramazanov	3

2025 PFL Welterweight Tournament

Quarter-finals		Semi-finals		Final



Jason Jackson	SUB

Andrey Koreshkov	2
		Jason Jackson	3

		Thad Jean	SD
Mukhamed Berkhamov	1

Thad Jean^[a]	KO
				Thad Jean	UD

				Logan Storley	5
Joseph Luciano^[b]	3

Logan Storley	UD
		Logan Storley	UD

		Masayuki Kikuiri	3
Giannis Bachar	2

Masayuki Kikuiri	TKO

^ Florim Zendeli withdrew from the tournament for unknown reasons and was replaced by Thad Jean.
^ Magomed Umalatov missed weight (173.6 lb) and he was removed from the tournament. Alternate fighter Joseph Luciano stepped in instead.

2025 PFL Lightweight Tournament

Quarter-finals		Semi-finals		Final



Vinicius Sacchelli Cenci^[a]	3

Brent Primus	SUB
		Brent Primus	3

		Alfie Davis	UD
Clay Collard	3

Alfie Davis	UD
				Alfie Davis	UD

				Gadzhi Rabadanov	5
Gadzhi Rabadanov	KO

Marc Diakiese	1
		Gadzhi Rabadanov	TKO

		Kevin Lee^[b]	1
Jay-Jay Wilson	TKO

Mads Burnell	3

^ Alexandr Shabliy withdrew from the tournament due to undisclosed reasons and was replaced by Vinicius Sacchelli Cenci.
^ Jay-Jay Wilson withdrew from the tournament due to a jaw injury and was replaced by Kevin Lee.

2025 PFL Featherweight Tournament

Quarter-finals		Semi-finals		Final



Jesus Pinedo	TKO

Ádám Borics	1
		Jesus Pinedo	TKO

		Gabriel Braga	1
Gabriel Braga	SUB

Frederik Dupras^[a]	1
				Jesus Pinedo	5

				Movlid Khaybulaev	SUB
Jeremy Kennedy	3

Movlid Khaybulaev	SD
		Movlid Khaybulaev	UD

		Kim Tae-kyun	3
Nathan Kelly	1

Kim Tae-kyun	SUB

^ Yves Landu withdrew from the tournament due to injury and was replaced by Frederik Dupras.

2025 PFL Bantamweight Tournament

Quarter-finals		Semi-finals		Final



Leandro Higo	3

Marcirley Alves^[a]	SD
		Marcirley Alves	UD

		Jake Hadley	3
Jake Hadley	SUB

Matheus Mattos^[b]	3
				Marcirley Alves	UD

				Justin Wetzell	5
Kasum Kasumov	3

Justin Wetzell^[c]	UD
		Justin Wetzell	UD

		Mando Gutierrez	3
Francesco Nuzzi	1

Mando Gutierrez^[d]	SUB

^ Magomed Magomedov withdrew from the tournament due to injury and was replaced by Josh Rettinghouse. In turn, Rettinghouse was not medically cleared and replaced by Marcirley Alves
^ Sarvarjon Khamidov withdrew from the tournament due to visa issues and was replaced by Matheus Mattos.
^ Ciaran Clarke withdrew from the tournament due to injury and was replaced by Justin Wetzell.
^ Ali Taleb and Zebenzui Ruiz withdrew from the tournament due to visa issues and were replaced by Francesco Nuzzi and Mando Gutierrez.

2025 PFL Women's Flyweight Tournament

Quarter-finals		Semi-finals		Final



Juliana Velasquez	1

Ekaterina Shakalova^[a]	SUB
		Ekaterina Shakalova	2

		Jena Bishop	SUB
Kana Watanabe	3

Jena Bishop	UD
				Jena Bishop	3

				Liz Carmouche	KO
Liz Carmouche	TKO

Ilara Joanne	1
		Liz Carmouche	UD

		Elora Dana	3
Elora Dana	SUB

Diana Avsaragova	1

^ Taila Santos withdrew from the tournament and was replaced by Ekaterina Shakalova.

2025 PFL Africa Tournament

2025 PFL Africa Heavyweight Tournament

Quarter-finals		Semi-finals	Final



Paul-Emmanuel Gnaze^[a]	1

Abraham Bably	KO
		Abraham Bably

		Joffie Houlton
Joffie Houlton^[b]	DQ

Abdoullah Kane	1



Justin Clarke	TKO

Jashell Ticha Awa	1
		Justin Clarke

		Maxwell Djantou Nana
Maxwell Djantou Nana	UD

Mickaël Groguhe	3

^ Badr Medkouri withdrew from the tournament and was replaced by Paul-Emmanuel Gnaze.
^ Mohammad Ben Yahia withdrew from the tournament due to an injury and was replaced by Joffie Houlton.

2025 PFL Africa Welterweight Tournament

Quarter-finals		Semi-finals	Final



Shido Boris Esperanca	SUB

Ibrahima Mané	1
		Shido Boris Esperanca

		Ayinda Octave
British Boloyoang	1

Ayinda Octave	TKO



Sanon Sadeck	3

Yabna N'Tchalá	UD
		Yabna N'Tchalá

		Emilios Dassi
Osvaldo Benedito	1

Emilios Dassi	KO

2025 PFL Africa Featherweight Tournament

Quarter-finals		Semi-finals	Final



Patrick Ocheme	DEC

Mohamed Camara	3
		Patrick Ocheme

		Abdul Razak Sankara
Abdul Razak Sankara	KO

Shadrick Dju Yemba^[a]	1



Wasi Adeshina	SUB

Jean-Jacques Lubaya	2
		Wasi Adeshina

		Dwight Joseph
Wilker Nsamo	2

Dwight Joseph	KO

^ The bout was originally scheduled as Abderrahman Errachidy vs. Elbert Lukas Steyn, but both fighters missed weight and were replaced by alternate bout between Abdul Razak Sankara vs. Shadrick Dju Yemba.

2025 PFL Africa Bantamweight Tournament

Quarter-finals		Semi-finals	Final



Nkosi Ndebele	TKO

Mahmoud Atef	1
		Nkosi Ndebele

		Simbarashe Hokonya
Frans Mlambo^[a]	3

Simbarashe Hokonya	UD



Shannon van Tonder	3

Boule Godogo	SD
		Boule Godogo

		Karim Henniene
Asiashu Tshitamba^[b]	3

Karim Henniene	SD

^ Alain Majorique withdrew from the tournament and was replaced by Frans Mlambo.
^ Antero dos Santos withdrew from the tournament and was replaced by Asiashu Tshitamba.

2025 PFL Europe Tournament

2025 PFL Europe Lightweight Tournament

Quarter-finals		Semi-finals	Final



Decky McAleenan	3

Gino van Steenis	UD
		Gino van Steenis

		Claudio Pacella
Gavin Hughes	3

Claudio Pacella	UD



Connor Hughes	KO

Sebastien Di Franco	1
		Connor Hughes

		Aleksandr Chizov
Mark Ewen	1

Aleksandr Chizov	TKO

2025 PFL Europe Bantamweight Tournament

Quarter-finals		Semi-finals	Final



Mahio Campanella	UD

Matiss Zaharovs	3
		Mahio Campanella

		Gustavo Oliveira
Anas Azizoun	1

Gustavo Oliveira	KO



Dean Garnett	UD

Tuomas Grönvall^[a]	3
		Dean Garnett

		Jan Ciepłowski
Jan Ciepłowski	TKO

Julien Lopez	1

^ Alexander Luster withdrew from the tournament due to an injury and was replaced by Tuomas Grönvall.

2025 PFL MENA Tournament

2025 PFL MENA Welterweight Tournament

Quarter-finals		Semi-finals	Final



Omar Hussein	3

Mohammad Alaqraa	UD
		Mohammad Alaqraa

		Mohamed Zarey
Mohamed Zarey	UD

Ayman Galal	3



Badreddine Diani	UD

Ahmad Abdelbast Darwish	3
		Badreddine Diani

		Amir Fazli
Rostem Akman	2

Amir Fazli	KO

2025 PFL MENA Lightweight Tournament

Quarter-finals		Semi-finals	Final



Mohsen Mohammadseifi	UD

Ahmed El Sisy	3
		Mohsen Mohammadseifi

		Mohammad Fahmi
Georges Eid	1

Mohammad Fahmi	SUB



Salah Eddine Hamli	SUB

Abbas Khan	3
		Salah Eddine Hamli

		Souhil Taïri
Abdullah Saleem	TKO

Souhil Taïri	2

2025 PFL MENA Featherweight Tournament

Quarter-finals		Semi-finals	Final



Akram Nasri^[a]	3

Islam Reda	SUB
		Islam Reda

		Taha Bendaoud
Drissi Boualem^[b]	1

Taha Bendaoud	SUB



Izzeddine Al-Derbani	–

Yanis Ghemmouri	BYE^[c]
		Yanis Ghemmouri

		Assem Ghanem
Hussein Salem	3

Assem Ghanem	UD

^ Abdullah Al-Qahtani withdrew from the tournament due to injury and was replaced by Akram Nasri.
^ Abdelrahman Alhyasat withdrew from the tournament due to weight cut issues and was replaced by Drissi Boualem.
^ Al Derbani pulled out of the bout due to medical issues and Ghemmouri therefore got a bye to the semi-finals.

2025 PFL MENA Bantamweight Tournament

Quarter-finals		Semi-finals	Final



Xavier Alaoui	UD

Ziad Ayman Mokhtar	3
		Xavier Alaoui

		Islam Youssef
Benyamin Ghahraman^[a]	2

Islam Youssef^[b]	KO



Moktar Benkaci	TKO

Marcel Adur	1
		Moktar Benkaci

		Nawras Abzakh
Nawras Abzakh	KO

Ali Yazbeck	2

^ Elias Boudegzdame withdrew from the tournament and was replaced by Benyamin Ghahraman.
^ Tariq Ismail withdrew from the tournament due to injury and was replaced by Mehdi Saadi. In turn, Saadi withdrew from the event due to significantly missing weight and was replaced by alternate Islam Youssef.

References

^ "Donn Davis announces that elbows now legal in all PFL bouts". MMA Junkie. 2025-01-07. Retrieved 2025-01-15.
^ "PFL ditches $1 million winner, season points format for 2025". MMA Junkie. 2025-01-09. Retrieved 2025-01-15.
^ Cruz, Guilherme (2025-01-15). "PFL reveals dates, details for new tournament format in 2025". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2025-01-15.
^ "PFL announces 2025 tournaments over eight weight classes with fighters TBD". MMA Junkie. 2025-01-15. Retrieved 2025-01-15.
^ Holland, Jesse (2025-01-15). "New-look PFL announces 2025 World Tournament, start date and weight brackets". MMAmania.com. Retrieved 2025-01-15.
^ Lee, Alexander K. (2024-11-20). "Usman Nurmagomedov vs. Paul Hughes set for Jan. 25 PFL event in Dubai". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2024-11-21.
^ Guillen, Adam (2024-11-20). "Usman Nurmagomedov vs. Paul Hughes title fight headlines 'Road to Dubai' Champions Series event on Jan. 25". MMAmania.com. Retrieved 2024-11-21.
^ Lee, Alexander K. (2025-02-11). "PFL announces location for start of 2025 World Tournament". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2025-03-11.
^ Anderson, Jay (2025-02-11). "PFL Announces Four Orlando Dates for 2025 World Tournament". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2025-03-11.
^ Sherdog.com. "PFL MENA Season 2 to Begin on May 9 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia". Sherdog. Retrieved 2025-03-18.
^ Guillen, Adam (2025-03-10). "He's Back! Paul Hughes booked to headline PFL's return to Belfast on May 10". MMAmania.com. Retrieved 2025-03-10.
^ Gonzalez, Gabriel (2025-03-11). "PFL Announces Semifinal Dates in Nashville, Wichita, and Chicago". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2025-03-19.
^ Holland, Jesse (2025-05-07). "PFL Africa debut announced for July 26 in Cape Town, featuring return of Dakota Ditcheva". MMAmania.com. Retrieved 2025-05-07.
^ ^a ^b "PFL Announces Dates and Locations For 2025 World Tournament Finals". Professional Fighters League. 2025-04-03. Retrieved 2025-05-08.

External links

[15] For the Bellator Lightweight World Championship. Nurmagomedov was deducted 1 point in round 3 due to repeated groin kicks.

[16] For the PFL Middleweight World Championship.

[17] Pouya Rahmani withdrew from the tournament due to visa issues and was replaced by Rodrigo Nascimento.

[18] Linton Vassell withdrew from the tournament and was replaced by Karl Williams.

[19] Marcelo Nunes withdrew from the tournament before event started and was replaced by Alex Polizzi.

[20] Florim Zendeli withdrew from the tournament for unknown reasons and was replaced by Thad Jean.

[21] Magomed Umalatov missed weight (173.6 lb) and he was removed from the tournament. Alternate fighter Joseph Luciano stepped in instead.

[22] Alexandr Shabliy withdrew from the tournament due to undisclosed reasons and was replaced by Vinicius Sacchelli Cenci.

[23] Jay-Jay Wilson withdrew from the tournament due to a jaw injury and was replaced by Kevin Lee.

[24] Yves Landu withdrew from the tournament due to injury and was replaced by Frederik Dupras.

[25] Magomed Magomedov withdrew from the tournament due to injury and was replaced by Josh Rettinghouse. In turn, Rettinghouse was not medically cleared and replaced by Marcirley Alves

[26] Sarvarjon Khamidov withdrew from the tournament due to visa issues and was replaced by Matheus Mattos.

[27] Ciaran Clarke withdrew from the tournament due to injury and was replaced by Justin Wetzell.

[28] Ali Taleb and Zebenzui Ruiz withdrew from the tournament due to visa issues and were replaced by Francesco Nuzzi and Mando Gutierrez.

[29] Taila Santos withdrew from the tournament and was replaced by Ekaterina Shakalova.

[30] Badr Medkouri withdrew from the tournament and was replaced by Paul-Emmanuel Gnaze.

[31] Mohammad Ben Yahia withdrew from the tournament due to an injury and was replaced by Joffie Houlton.

[32] The bout was originally scheduled as Abderrahman Errachidy vs. Elbert Lukas Steyn, but both fighters missed weight and were replaced by alternate bout between Abdul Razak Sankara vs. Shadrick Dju Yemba.

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