Preview: PFL 5 2024

The Professional Fighters League on Friday will head to Salt Lake City for PFL 5, with its top light heavyweights and lightweights leading the charge.

One of Utah’s favorite fighting sons, Clay Collard, hopes to pack the Jon M. Huntsman Center and punch his ticket back to the playoffs with a win over Mads Burnell in the main event. Meanwhile, defending light heavyweight champion Impa Kasanganay crosses paths with the slugging Slovenian Jakob Nedoh, and former Bellator MMA lightweight titleholder Patricky Freire returns for a showdown with fellow Brazilian Bruno Miranda. Elsewhere, Rob Wilkinson has not lost a fight in over six years, but American Top Team standout Joshua Silveira figures to have something to say about his progress moving forward; and Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov puts his four-fight winning streak on the line against the towering Simon Biyong.

The prelims begin at 5 p.m. ET/2 p.m. PT before Antonio Carlos Jr. and Alex Polizzi kick off the main card at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. With the chance for $1 million still on the minds of all involved, it will take some fantastic finishes to settle the playoffs bracket. Now to the PFL 5 preview:

Lightweights

Clay Collard (25-12, 7-4 PFL) vs. Mads Burnell (18-6, 0-1 PFL)

Arguably the meanest thing to come out of Utah is back after falling short of the $1 million dollar prize in 2023, as Collard once finds himself in the mix for a playoff spot. Whenever Collard fights, you can expect non-stop action and usually a quick finish—even if he’s on the receiving end of it. While a first-round loss to A.J. McKee was not how Collard wanted to start 2024, the Payson Puncher quickly rebounded with a second-round technical knockout of Patricky Freire. Collard’s striking makes him a fearsome opponent, but he’s a vulnerable one, too. In the fight against Freire, Collard was rocked and dropped early in the fight. Had Freire not gassed so quickly, Collard could’ve lost his third in a row. It’s Collard’s willingness to engage that makes this fight intriguing. Burnell is a battle-tested lightweight from Bellator who has tangled with some solid opposition. He’s smart, rangy and tough to beat over a three-round affair. With that said, Burnell’s not a big puncher. His one career knockout is nothing to fear, and he hasn’t submitted a foe since 2021. Burnell comes in off a second-round submission loss to Michael Duffort and could be showing signs of slowing down. Collard’s submission game is a step behind Burnell’s, but his wrestling is strong enough to keep the fight on the feet. Burnell has never faced a fighter whose volume is so intense that he’s susceptible to wilting under pressure. Look for Collard to turn it on late and secure his spot in the playoffs with a third-round TKO.

Jump To »
Collard vs. Burnell
Kasanganay vs. Nedoh
Freire vs. Miranda
Wilkinson vs. Silveira
Yagshimuradov vs. Biyong
Carlos Jr. vs. Polizzi
The Prelims