Matches to Make After 2023 PFL 1

Lev PisarskyApr 02, 2023

The Professional Fighters League kicked off the 2023 season with arguably its biggest regular-season card to date. In the main event, 2022 PFL featherweight king Brendan Loughnane faced former Ultimate Fighting Championship bantamweight title challenger Marlon Moraes.

Loughnane has looked sensational since Dana White foolishly passed on signing him after the Brit won in dominant fashion on the Contenders Series. Ironically, the man Loughnane beat, Bill Algeo, is currently in the UFC and doing reasonably well. Loughnane has gone 8-1 since, with only a razor-thin split decision loss to undefeated Movlid Khaybulaev, himself a former PFL featherweight ace.

Once a significant favorite to defeat Henry Cejudo for the bantamweight title in the main event of UFC 238, very limited cardio and a crumbling chin has seen Moraes lose five fights in a row, all by vicious knockout. An attempt to move up to featherweight in his PFL debut against Sheymon Moraes, a man Moraes had beaten early in his career, ended in disaster. Despite being very circumspect with his energy output and utilizing a cautious approach for the first two rounds, in the final stanza Moraes was still caught and knocked out by his fellow Brazilian.

Moraes had his moments in the first and second rounds, but ultimately, Loughnane proved himself the more skilled and durable striker, chopping Moraes down with brutal leg kicks, one of which knocked Moraes off his feet and prompted a stoppage early in Round 2.

In the co-main, there was another battle between a PFL tournament king and former UFC title challenger, though this was expected to be much closer. Sherdog Comeback Fighter of the Year winner Rob Wilkinson battled former UFC light heavyweight title challenger Thiago Santos, making his PFL debut.

Wilkinson was a perfect 6-0, all via finish, since exiting the UFC, showing vastly improved striking and moving up to light heavyweight, which has been a natural fit for his massive, muscular 6' 3” frame. The high point of this was knocking out former Top 10 UFC middleweight Omari Akhmedov at the 2022 PFL championships. Silva's high point in MMA was facing Jon Jones in the main event of UFC 239. He lost via split decision though many, this writer included, believe he deserved the verdict. However, on that same night, he suffered a slew of injuries, including tearing his ACL, MCL, and PCL. He hasn't been the same since, going 1-4 since then against elite contenders; his last outing a knockout loss to current UFC light heavyweight king Jamahal Hill. Wilkinson wisely went back to his wrestling roots for this contest, using repeated takedowns, top control and ground-and-pound to seal the first two rounds. Santos came on strong in the third round, but it wasn't enough, as Wilkinson took the bout 29-28 on all three scorecards.

Elsewhere, UFC veteran Krzysztof Jotko faced Bellator MMA vet Will Fleury, with Fleury taking a split verdict that could have gone either way. The aforementioned undefeated former PFL champion Khaybulaev was back, getting repeated takedowns against Ryoji Kudo to score an easy unanimous decision. The very talented 2022 PFL featherweight runner-up Bubba Jenkins avenged a loss to Chris Wade from 2021, defeating him via emphatic decision. Joshua Silveira returned to the PFL in strong fashion by submitting Sam Kei in just under three minutes of the first round. Fellow grappler and PFL veteran Marthin Hamlet did him one better, needing just 65 seconds to finish Mohammad Fakhreddine via painful face crank. Alejandro Flores Garcia won a unanimous verdict over Daniel Torres. In the opening bout, former PFL Challenger Series winner Impa Kasanganay continued his winning ways, notching a clear verdict over tough Cory Hendricks.

Here are some intriguing matchups for later in the PFL regular season:

Brendan Loughnane vs. Movlid Khaybulaev

With Loughnane guaranteeing himself a playoff spot thanks to a stoppage victory, why not have him rematch Khaybulaev, the undefeated former champ who is the only man to defeat him in the PFL? This might possibly be the biggest, most exciting match PFL can put on, and it would be an excellent headliner for whatever card it appears on. This would be a fantastic duel with furious grappling and striking exchanges alike, with Loughnane seeking to stand and Khaybulaev looking to keep the battle on the ground.

Marlon Moraes vs. Ryoji Kudo

Moreas is still capable of throwing dynamic strikes, so why not put him in against another entertaining kickboxer who lost in Week 1? It will be a lot of fun for the crowd and the winner, if they get a stoppage, may well win garner a spot in the PFL playoffs.

Rob Wilkinson vs. Impa Kasanganay

Wilkinson has shown he is a potent striker as well as grappler on this level. Kasanganay is very good at nullifying both of those and using his excellent cardio to win wars of attrition. Thus, this will be a fascinating fight which will significantly test Wilkinson's abilities. Additionally, this is one of the bigger matchups PFL has in its light heavyweight division, with the winner securing a berth in the playoffs.

Thiago Santos vs. Sam Kei

Santos clearly has a hard time with grapplers. Thus, in order to get their money's worth from the big-name signing and likely secure him a spot in the playoffs, why not have Santos, who can still strike well, face Australian striker Kei, who has lost twice by knockout in his career and has zero submissions?

Bubba Jenkins vs. Alejandro Flores Garcia

Both men are skilled veterans who won in their first fight of the season and can strike as well as grapple. This should be a fun, energetic contest for the fans as well as giving the winner a berth in the PFL playoffs.

Joshua Silveira vs. Marthin Hamlet

Silveira and Hamlet are big, skilled grapplers who have racked up plenty of submission victories over their time in the PFL and likely punched their tickets to the playoffs with their quick wins on Saturday. Why not match them up against one another to see what they have to offer when an easy submission isn't in the cards? It will tell us a lot about both and how much they may have developed their striking since last season. It's also an intriguing bout between two of the more talented light heavyweights on the roster.