Fight fans are poised for an exciting week, marked by the Professional Fighters League kicking off its Regular Season festivities with PFL 1: 2024 Regular Season, slated to unfold on April 4 at Boeing Center in San Antonio, Texas. To round off this action-packed event, the Ultimate Fighting Championship offers a brief interlude with UFC Fight Night 240 at the Apex Facility in Las Vegas, preceding the monumental UFC 300 event — a spectacle heralding excellence unparalleled.
For some of the athletes poised to deliver action this week, beyond securing victory, they are also gunning for a significant climb in the Sherdog Rankings. Let’s take a look at some of the ranked fighters competing this weekend:
While the PFL’s decision to arrange a matchup between Carmouche and Velasquez might raise eyebrows, especially considering “Girl-Rilla’s” previous triumphs in the rivalry, both competitors remain resolute in their objective: securing a significant victory and leveraging the opportunity to compete in the $1 million PFL season format.
Their first encounter at Bellator 278 saw Velasquez, then undefeated, leaning on her boxing prowess, while Carmouche scored early with precise leg kicks. As the match progressed to the championship rounds, Carmouche adopted a refined approach, taking control on the ground and delivering relentless strikes from a dominant position to secure a Round 4 technical knockout win. The Brazilian’s team contested referee Mike Beltran’s intervention but to no avail. Despite a chance for redemption at Bellator 289, Velasquez succumbed to Carmouche’s experience once again, this time via a Round 2 submission.
With the rivals on the brink of reigniting their longstanding competitive equation, they are also seemingly vying for supremacy in the Sherdog women’s pound-for-pound and flyweight rankings. As far as the Women’s pound-for-pound rankings are concerned, Carmouche occupies the No. 8 spot while her opponent is still unranked. Concerning their rankings in the 125-pound category, “Girl-Rilla” is ranked No. 4 and Velasquez occupies the No. 8 spot.
In another pivotal bout in the upcoming PFL event, flyweight hopefuls on a similar trajectory are set to cross paths. The meeting will mark Santos’ maiden outing following parting ways with the UFC. The Brazilian was on a four-fight win streak before recording a highly contested split-decision decision loss to former champion Valentina Shevchenko followed by a unanimous decision loss at the hands of Erin Blanchfield. Joanne is on a two-fight losing skid herself and will aim to bounce back with a stellar display against Santos. The former UFC flyweight title challenger, who gave Shevchenko the toughest trial she had experienced in the dominant reign until then, holds the No. 10 spot in the 125-pound rankings ladder. Meanwhile, Joanne is yet to make her mark on the divisional ladder but a victory this weekend could certainly change that.
The main event of the UFC event this weekend pits Allen and Curtisagainst one another two years after their initial clash. Their first meeting, which took place in December 2021, witnessed Curtis registering a Round 2 TKO victory. Interestingly, since that loss, “All In” has rattled off six straight victories, five of them through submissions. Entering the rematch on the heels of three Performance of the Night bonuses, Allen is a noticeably dialed-in competitor, edging closer to a title shot with each triumph. Meanwhile, “The Action Man” is banking on the momentum of a split decision win over Marc-Andre Barriault in his previous assignment. As the middleweight hopefuls prepare to take center stage, Allen will aim to shield or elevate his ranking in Sherdog’s middleweight bracket at No.11. Curtis, on the other hand, is currently unranked in the division.