Matches to Make After 2023 PFL 6

Lightweights and welterweights took center stage at PFL 6 2023 Regular Season, determining who would go on to the playoffs and fight for $1 million.

In the main event, 2022 Professional Fighters LeagueOlivier Aubin-Mercier faced talented young prospect Anthony Romero. Aubin-Mercier has been on an absolute tear since exiting the Ultimate Fighting Championship in 2019 following a close decision defeat to Arman Tsarukyan. Since then, “The Canadian Gangster” had won 7 fights in a row, all but one in dominant fashion, which saw him become one of the PFL's biggest stars and one of the best lightweights in the entire world.

Romero was no slouch, however. The 12-1 fighter impressed many people, myself included, with his dominant decision victory over Anthony Caruso on the PFL Challengers series, showing neat, textbook striking and solid grappling.

However, Aubin-Mercier dominated the fight. He easily won the first two rounds with superior striking and a fine sense of distance. Early in the third, he had Romero against the cage and timed a beautiful left knee that put his foe out cold.

In the co-main, PFL's 2022 welterweight champion Sadibou Sy looked to cement his playoff status. The 36 year-old has fought in the PFL for years, but finally crashed through last year, taking the welterweight crown and entering PFL 6 with a five fight winning streak over impressive competition. In fact, his knockout of Jarrah Al-Silawi at PFL 3 was his first stoppage win since 2019. Shane Mitchell was a largely unheralded fighter from Australia with a record of 13-5 who had lost his PFL debut by decision against Nayib Lopez. Sy continued his winning ways while showing that he is only getting better at 36, recording a spinning wheel kick knockout in the third pretty enough to frame over the fireplace.

In other relevant results, Clay Collard clobbered UFC veteran Steven Ray with punches, stopping him early in Round 2. Ray put his gloves down in the ring afterwards, signaling a likely retirement. 2019 PFL Lightweight Champion Natan Schulte punched yet another ticket to the postseason, sweeping all three rounds against Raush Manfio to go 2-0 in the regular season. Another Brazilian lightweight, Bruno Miranda, won a tough three-round split verdict against Alex Martinez to also go 2-0 this season and make the playoffs in his PFL debut season.

Related » PFL 6 Round-by-Round Scoring

Among welterweights, former PFL champion Magomed Magomedkerimov devastated David Zawada with a monstrous right that left him crumpled in a corner of the cage in just under 4 minutes of the first round. He has a perfect 12 points after the regular season, with both wins being finishes in the opening frame. Carlos Leal Miranda scored a beautiful highlight reel knockout against 2022 welterweight runner-up Dilano Taylor in the second round. Taylor, meanwhile, missed weight and finished 0-2 for the season, with both losses occurring via knockout. Another welterweight Magomed, this time Umalatov, stayed undefeated by eviscerating Nayib Lopez for 15 minutes in one of the most dominant displays one will ever see, easily moving on to the postseason. Lopez, meanwhile, suffered the first loss of his career against 16 victories.

With the playoffs set at 155 and 170 pounds, let's examine the semifinal match-ups.

Olivier Aubin-Mercier vs. Natan Schulte

A fascinating rematch between PFL champions, with Aubin-Mercier being the 2022 king and Schulte the 2019 ruler. Aubin-Mercier defeated Schulte in the 2022 regular season but it was the only close fight he has had since leaving the UFC, going to a split decision. Aubin-Mercier will likely be a significant favorite in the rematch, though, as he has continued to improve as a martial artist, particularly in his striking, while Schulte has been stagnating for a few years now, relying on the same judo-centric grappling. Still, it's a fine semifinal and a likely PFL main event.

Clay Collard vs. Bruno Miranda

While neither man was a big name or heavily hyped coming into this season, both are skilled strikers who could make for the most thrilling semifinal of the 2023 PFL playoffs. Both have powerful, dynamic hands and are willing to go for broke in chasing a knockout. Collard is younger and more technical, but this will likely be a full-blooded, back-and-forth affair, with the line close to even. It may go all 25 minutes or be over in as many seconds. I for one am excited to find out.

Magomed Magomedkerimov vs. Magomed Umalatov

The battle of the Magomeds should be an interesting one. Despite being from Dagestan, both prefer to strike over grapple, though Magomedkerimov is far more of a wrestling and submission threat. Still, this may well be contested entirely on the feet given how good Umalatov's defensive grappling is. Whether it will be a more cautious battle or one where at least one fighter will throw caution to the wind is an open question. Interestingly, despite Magomedkerimov being only 2 years older than Umalatov, he has massively more mileage on his odometer, with 38 fights over his career to Umalatov's 14. I expect the odds for this one to be close and that to be reflected in the fight itself.

Carlos Leal Miranda vs. Sadibou Sy

Amusingly, this is a rematch of the 2022 PFL semifinals, which Sy won en route to claiming the championship. This was the only loss Miranda has suffered since 2014, having gone an impressive 13-1 in the past nine years. Can talented striker Miranda crack Sy's defensively sound counterpunching style this time? Knocking out Dilano Taylor was a good portent in that regard, as he too is a very tall, long counterpuncher with solid defense. Sy will be the favorite, but it will be fascinating to see if Miranda can improve upon his performance. At 29 and with two excellent knockouts in the PFL regular season, he is still improving.