Top Reasons to Catch PFL 5

Clay Collard was but a breath away from a million-dollar payday at the conclusion of the 2023 Professional Fighters League season. Some seven months later, he has returned to the scene and seems intent on accomplishing the mission.

The well-traveled 31-year-old will do battle with former Cage Warriors Fighting Championship titleholder Mads Burnell in the PFL 5 lightweight headliner this Friday at the Jon M. Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City. Collard climbs into the cage having won four of his past six fights. He last appeared on April 12, when he buried onetime Bellator MMA champion Patricky Freire with second-round punches, pocketed five points and put himself atop the 155-pound standings. Collard owns a 7-4 record in the PFL. Burnell, meanwhile, has rattled off nine victories in 12 outings. The Arte Suave and Xtreme Couture rep last competed at PFL 2, where he submitted to a second-round guillotine choke from Michael Dufort in his promotional debut. It marked the first time Burnell had been finished in almost six years and put the Dutchman behind the proverbial eight ball in terms of qualifying for the postseason.

In addition to the high-stakes Collard-Burnell clash, here are four other reasons to catch PFL 5:

Broken Record

If his actions are any indication, defending PFL light heavyweight champion Impa Kasanganay has no plans to relinquish power at 205 pounds anytime soon. The Kill Cliff Fight Club export attempts to move one step closer to a repeat when he takes on Jakob Nedoh in the co-main event. Kasanganay, 30, has won seven of his nine bouts since he parted ways with the Ultimate Fighting Championship in 2021. He kicked off his 2024 campaign two months ago at PFL 2, where he wiped out Alex Polizzi with punches 3:29 into their brief but eventful encounter. It was the fifth first-round finish of Kasanganay’s career. On the other side of the equation, Nedoh has never gone the distance in 10 starts as a pro. The 6-foot-4 Slovenian brute drew considerable acclaim with his run to the 2023 PFL Europe light heavyweight championship, stopping Riccardo Nosiglia, Anthony Salamone and Simeon Powell in succession. However, Nedoh finds himself on the rebound following a technical knockout loss to Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov in April, the setback having snapped his eight-fight winning streak.

Race for the Top

Perhaps no bout on the bill inspires more intrigue than the light heavyweight showcase pitting Rob Wilkinson against Joshua Silveira. It figures to have lasting consequences for the weight class this season and beyond. Wilkinson, the 2022 PFL champion at 205 pounds, still has never lost inside the organization, though a failed drug test, resulting no contest with Thiago Santos and subsequent suspension continues to cast some doubt on his legitimacy. The Aussie made a triumphant return in April, when he needed just 70 seconds to cut down Tom Breese with a knee strike and follow-up punches. Silveira, meanwhile, was a two-division champion in the Legacy Fighting Alliance before he made his way to the PFL. The son of American Top Team trainer Marcus “Conan” Silveira, he holds a 6-2 mark inside the promotion and reached the 2023 light heavyweight final, where he dropped a five-round unanimous decision to the aforementioned Kasanganay. Silveira, 31, rebounded with an injury-induced technical knockout of Sadibou Sy at PFL 2.

A Welcomed Re-Addition

After a serious knee injury and two surgeries stole almost two full years of his career, Antonio Carlos Jr. wants to reclaim his position atop the PFL’s light heavyweight heap. “The Ultimate Fighter Brazil” Season 3 winner and 2021 PFL light heavyweight champion heads into his confrontation with Alex Polizzi very much in control of his own destiny. Carlos Jr. returned from a 665-day layoff on April 12 and showed no signs of rust, as he dismissed Simon Biyong with a rear-naked choke a little more than four minutes into their clash in Las Vegas. “Cara de Sapato” has secured 12 of his 16 career victories—a whopping 75% of them—via submission. On the other side of the ledger, Polizzi could use a win, as consecutive losses to Kasanganay, Karl Moore and Yoel Romero have knocked the Chosen Few Gym product off course at the age of 32. He has not gotten his hand raised since he cinched a rear-naked choke on Jose Augusto at Bellator 276 in March 2022.

Burden of Proof

The PFL may have struck gold with Elvin Espinoza. A perfect 5-0 with three finishes through his first five appearances with the promotion, the undefeated Kill Cliff Fight Club standout sets his sights on a playoff spot at 155 pounds when he toes the line against Gadzhi Rabadanov as part of a deep undercard. Espinoza, 31, improved his overall record to 10-0 in his season debut on April 12, as he turned away Adam Piccolotti with a flying knee in the third round of their lightweight pairing. Rabadanov figures to serve as a formidable obstacle to any further progress. The 30-year-old Russian steps into the spotlight on a seven-fight winning streak that now spans more than three years. Rabadanov made his organizational debut at PFL 2, where he outpointed Solomon Renfro to a unanimous verdict two months ago. Nearly half (10) of the Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov protégé’s 21 career victories have resulted in decisions.