Meet the 2023 PFL finalists, including three potential repeat $1 million winners
The PFL wrapped up its third set of playoff events Wednesday in New York, and now the finals are set in six divisions.
Take a look at the fighters who will meet for $1 million at the PFL’s 2023 finals event in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 24.
WOMEN'S FEATHERWEIGHT | Larissa Pacheco
Record: 22-4
Age at time of final: 29
Home country: Brazil
How she got here: Regular season unanimous decision over Julia Budd … regular season first-round knockout of Amber Leibrock (45 seconds) … semifinal knockout of Olena Kolesnyk (14 seconds).
PFL history: Pacheco lost to two time women’s lightweight winner Kayla Harrison twice in 2019 – once in the regular season and then again in the first $1 million women’s final. But she hasn’t lost since then, including a 2022 upset of Harrison to win the $1 million payday at 155 pounds. Now she’ll go after a second straight title, but in a different division.
WOMEN'S FEATHERWEIGHT | Marina Mokhnatkina
Record: 11-3
Age at time of final: 35
Home country: Russia
How she got here: Regular season second-round TKO of Yoko Higashi … regular season unanimous decision over Evelyn Martins … semifinal first-round armbar submission of Amber Leibrock.
PFL history: Mokhnatkina made her PFL debut in 2021 and first entered the women’s lightweight season in 2022. She lost her first regular season fight to Kayla Harrison by decision, then won a decision against Abby Montes, but failed to reach the postseason.
FEATHERWEIGHT | Jesus Pinedo
Record: 22-6-1
Age at time of final: 27
Home country: Peru
How he got here: Regular season split decision loss to Gabriel Alves Braga … regular season first-round knockout win over defending season winner Brendan Loughnane … semifinal second-round TKO of Bubba Jenkins.
PFL history: First year with the promotion. Resume includes 1-1 in the UFC.
FEATHERWEIGHT | Gabriel Alves Braga
Record: 12-0
Age at time of final: 25
Home country: Brazil
How he got here: Regular season split decision win over Jesus Pinedo … regular season first-round TKO of Marlon Moraes … semifinal split decision win over Chris Wade.
PFL history: Before he got to the 2023 regular season, he picked up a win only a month earlier in the promotion’s Challengers Series.
LIGHTWEIGHT | Clay Collard
Record: 24-10
Age at time of final: 30
Home country: United States
How he got here: Regular season unanimous decision win over Yamato Nishikawa … regular season second-round TKO of Stevie Ray … semifinal unanimous decision win over Shane Burgos.
PFL history: In 2021, Collard upset Anthony Pettis in his first fight in the PFL after a high-profile move from the UFC. After a split decision got him into the postseason, he lost to Raush Manfio in the playoffs. In 2022, he went 1-1 in the regular season and missed the playoffs.
LIGHTWEIGHT | Olivier Aubin-Mercier
Record: 20-5
Age at time of final: 34
Home country: Canada
How he got here: Regular season unanimous decision win over Shane Burgos … regular season third-round knockout of Anthony Romero … semifinal second-round TKO of Bruno Miranda.
PFL history: Aubin-Mercier has not lost since he left the UFC after a 7-5 run in the promotion. His 2022 featured decisions over Raush Manfio and Alex Martinez, then a knockout of Stevie Ray to win the $1 million final. Now he goes after two in a row on a career-best nine-fight winning streak.
WELTERWEIGHT | Magomed Magomedkerimov
Record: 33-6
Age at time of final: 33
Home country: Russia
How he got here: Regular season first-round knockout of Be Egli … regular season first-round TKO of David Zawada … semifinal unanimous decision win over Solomon Renfro.
PFL history: Magomedkerimov won the PFL’s first $1 million welterweight final in 2018 with a submission of Ray Cooper III. Magomedkerimov reached the final again in 2021, but was knocked out by Cooper, who avenged his loss.
WELTERWEIGHT | Sadibou Sy
Record: 16-6-2
Age at time of final: 36 (will turn 37 three days later)
Home country: Sweden
How he got here: Regular season second-round TKO of Jarrah Hussein Al-Silawi … regular season third-round knockout of Shane Mitchell … semifinal split decision win over Carlos Leal.
PFL history: Sy fought at middleweight his first season in the PFL in 2018, but lost in the semifinals. He came up short in 2019 and 2021, too. But in 2022, he broke through and put together four straight decisions to win the $1 million welterweight season against Dilano Taylor.
LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT | Impa Kasanganay
Record: 14-3
Age at time of final: 29
Home country: United States
How he got here: Regular season unanimous decision win over Cory Hendricks … regular season second-round submission of Tim Caron … semifinal first-round TKO of Marthin Hamlet.
PFL history: A four-fight UFC veteran, Kasanganay got into the regular season by first winning at the PFL’s Challenger Series with a first-round knockout.
LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT | Josh Silveira
Record: 12-1
Age at time of final: 30
Home country: United States
How he got here: Regular season first-round submission of Sam Kei … regular season first-round TKO (injury) of Delan Monte … semifinal first-round knockout of Ty Flores.
PFL history: Silveira picked up a submission win on the Challenger Series in 2022, then made the playoffs with just one regular season fight – a first-round knockout of Marthin Hamlet.
HEAVYWEIGHT | Renan Ferreira
Record: 11-3
Age at time of final: 33 (he’ll turn 33 on weigh-in day)
Home country: Brazil
How he got here: Regular season loss to Rizvan Kuniev overturned to no contest due to Kuniev positive drug test … regular season first-round knockout of Matheus Scheffel (50 seconds) … semifinal first-round TKO of Maurice Greene.
PFL history: Ferreira made the playoffs in 2022, but lost to eventual heavyweight winner Ante Delija with a first-round TKO in the semifinals.
HEAVYWEIGHT | Denis Goltsov
Record: 32-7
Age at time of final: 33
Home country: Russia
How he got here: Regular season first-round TKO of Cezar Ferreira … regular season first-round knockout of Yorgan De Castro (18 seconds) … semifinal first-round submission of Jordan Heiderman.
PFL history: Goltsov lost in the 20191 semifinals ti Ali Isaev after a win over Satoshi Ishii earlier in the night. He lost to Ante Delija in the 2021 semifinals. Visa issues cut his 2022 short. But now he’ll be fighting for $1 million.
