The finale of the 2022 PFL postseason is set.
2022 PFL Championships takes place the day after Thanksgiving on Friday, Nov. 25 at Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York, the promotion announced Wednesday. The eight-fight main card streams on ESPN+ pay-per-view (8 p.m. ET) after the four-fight undercard on ESPN+ (6 p.m. ET).
While there are no surprises in terms of the six $1 million title fight matchups, which were configured during the post-season, a handful of showcase bouts were also added to the card – including one amateur bout involving the grandson of a boxing icon.
The event marks the first time the promotion has put on a pay-per-view card.
See below to check out the full 2022 PFL Championships lineup, with two bouts still to be added, according to promotion officials.
Women's lightweight championship: Kayla Harrison (15-0) vs. Larissa Pacheco (18-4)
Kayla Harrison: When fight fans think of PFL, chances are Kayla Harrison is one of the first athletes that come to mind – and for good reason. A two-time champion, Harrison remains unbeaten. She has yet to face true adversity or challenge in the cage. Fifteen times fighters have tried. Fifteen attempts have failed. Just ask her 2022 PFL Championships opponent Larissa Pacheco, who has come up short twice before.
Larissa Pacheco: If Larissa Pacheco beats Kayla Harrison at 2022 PFL Championships, she’ll avenge not one, but two of her past losses. While Harrison has proven to be the clear-cut No. 1 woman in PFL, Pacheco has all but solidified her unofficial slot as No. 2. Since her second loss to Harrison, Pacheco has gone 5-0 with five finishes.
Featherweight championship: Brendan Loughnane (25-4) vs. Bubba Jenkins (19-4)
Brendan Loughnane: Initially known as “the guy Dana White snubbed on Dana White’s Contender Series,” Brendan Loughnane has built his own brand away from that since his PFL signing. With seven wins in eight PFL appearances, Loughnane is one of the most beloved fighters on the roster, especially with United Kingdom fans. Now, he’s set to fight for all the PFL marbles.
Bubba Jenkins: One of the most seasoned fighters on the PFL roster, Bubba Jenkins has fought pretty much everywhere. After all these years, he might finally be getting elite-level respect, albeit through earned opportunity. With eight wins in his most recent nine fights, Jenkins enters 2022 PFL Championships on a three-fight win streak. If he makes it four, he’ll be a millionaire.
Showcase bout: Shane Burgos (15-3) vs. Marlon Moraes (23-10-1)
Shane Burgos: One of the more surprising MMA transactions recently was Shane Burgos’ departure from the UFC to PFL. According to Dana White, the promotion made a mistake in its allowance of Burgos to walk to a different promotion. However, Burgos, who rides a two-fight winning streak, said it made all the sense – and cents – in the world. He will partake in the 2023 PFL featherweight season.
Marlon Moraes: MMA retirements rarely seem to last, and Marlon Moraes’ was among them. In September, Moraes announced his return to MMA competition at a new weight class following eight months away from the action. Moraes will elevate to featherweight and look to snap a four-fight losing skid in a showcase bout ahead of the 2023 season.
Heavyweight championship: Ante Delija (22-5) vs. Matheus Scheffel (17-8)
Ante Delija: For the second consecutive year, Ante Delija makes the PFL championship. Last year, Delija lost a unanimous decision in the championship fight against Bruno Cappelozza. The bout is regarded by many as one of the best in PFL history. Cappelozza won by decision that night, but Delija got right back on the horse afterward. He’s 3-0 since that defeat with two knockout victories – including the man he fights Nov. 25.
Matheus Scheffel: Matheus Scheffel won’t just have the chance to avenge his most recent loss Nov. 25, he can win a million dollars in the process. The win would top off a successful season for the longtime Brazilian MMA veteran. The 2022 PFL season marked Scheffel’s first stint with a major promotion after numerous visa issues through the years – and he’s capitalized on it thus far.
Lightweight championship: Olivier Aubin-Mercier (16-5) vs. Stevie Ray (25-10)
Olivier Aubin-Mercier: The Canadian Gangster is championship final-bound. Undefeated across two seasons in PFL, Olivier Aubin-Mercier has proved his UFC departure a good one thus far. While he has yet to pick up a finish in a system that rewards them with points, Aubin-Mercier still found a way to make it to the biggest fight of them all – where finishing doesn’t matter.
Stevie Ray: Coming out of retirement usually proves to be a poor decision for MMA notables. Stevie Ray swims against the tides, however. After a loss to Alex Martinez in his promotional debut, his first fight in over two years, Ray picked up back-to-back wins over former UFC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis, including a Submission of the Year candidate twister.
Welterweight championship: Sadibou Sy (12-6-2) vs. Dilano Taylor (10-2)
Sadibou Sy: One of the few fighters who have partaken in all four PFL tournaments, Sadibou Sy has finally clinched his first championship final. He entered MMA with a kickboxing background, but has since rounded his game out enough to succeed in MMA, too.
Light heavyweight championship: Omari Akhmedov (24-7-1) vs. Rob Wilkinson (16-2)
Omari Akhmedov: Former UFC fighter Omari Akhmedov has found new life in the PFL. Between his brutal knockouts and quality fight purses, Akhmedov reaped hell – and the benefits of his labor – during the 2022 season. In one of two UFC alumni battles on the 2022 PFL Championships card, Akhmedov looks to extend his winning streak to four.
Rob Wilkinson: Reasonable revisionist history shows Rob Wilkinson perhaps wasn’t worthy of a UFC release in 2018. He was shown his pink slip after a loss to UFC newcomer Israel Adesanya – and since that time has not lost. After back-to-back regional finishes, Wilkinson was onboarded onto the 2022 PFL season. His three promotional appearances have lasted less than six minutes total. All three have ended by knockout.
Showcase fight: Natan Schulte (22-5-1) vs. Jeremy Stephens (29-20)
Natan Schulte: Since he bagged back-to-back PFL championships in 2018 and 2019, it’s been up and down for Natan Schulte. Since the PFL returned from a pandemic-induced hiatus, Schulte has alternated losses and wins, yet to reenter the playoff picture.
Jeremy Stephens: For the first time since 2018, Jeremy Stephens enters a fight off a win. For years, he thrilled fans against top talent with his fighting style and durability in the UFC. Following his jump to PFL, Stephens lost his debut to Clay Collard before he defeated Myles Price. However, three points for the decision wasn’t enough to qualify him into the playoffs.
Showcase fight: Katherine Corogenes (1-0) vs. Dakota Ditcheva (6-0)
Katherine Corogenes: A relative unknown fighting out of AKA Thailand, Katherine Corogenes is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu brown belt and UAEJJF world champion.
Dakota Ditcheva: Coming off a violent 58-second TKO win over Hassna Gaber in August, Dakota Ditcheva gets another shot to impress and pick up her sixth stoppage in seven fights.
Lightweight amateur fight: Biaggio Ali Walsh (1-1) vs. Tom Greasser (1-3)
Biaggio Ali Walsh: The grandson of boxing icon Muhammad Ali, Biaggio Ali Walsh made headlines when he signed an exclusive multifight deal with PFL in early September – as an amateur. Walsh has split his amateur appearances to date, with a submission loss in his debut and a TKO win in his sophomore outing.
Tom Greasser: At 42, Tom Greasser has competed since 2016. He’s lost twice by decision and once by TKO. His lone win was a second-round armbar in 2018.
2022 PFL champions up-to-date lineup
MAIN CARD (ESPN+ pay-per-view, 8 p.m. ET)
- Kayla Harrison vs. Larissa Pacheco – women’s lightweight championship
- Brendan Loughnane vs. Bubba Jenkins – featherweight championship
- Shane Burgos vs. Marlon Moraes
- Ante Delija vs. Matheus Scheffel – heavyweight championship
- Olivier Aubin-Mercier vs. Stevie Ray – lightweight championship
- TBA vs. TBA
- Sadibou Sy vs. Dilano Taylor – welterweight championship
- Omari Akhmedov vs. Robert Wilkinson – light heavyweight championship
PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, 6 p.m. ET)
- Natan Schulte vs. Jeremy Stephens
- Katherine Corogenes vs. Dakota Ditcheva
- Biaggio Ali Walsh vs. Tom Graesser – amateur
- TBA vs. TBA
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for 2022 PFL Championships.
