Do or die. When it comes to MMA, a lot of the time a win means a contract, and a loss means you will be sweating it out hoping not to get dropped. How about a million dollars if you win the chip? That takes do or die to a whole nother level. That is what the PFL is doing year after year, since its inception in 2017. Outside of the Covid year, the PFL has paid $1 million to the champions in six divisions: Men’s Heavyweight, Light Heavyweight, Welterweight, Lightweight, Featherweight; and Women’s Featherweight.
The semi-finals are here. New York City will play host to the 2023 PFL Playoff Brackets twice in the next week. This Friday, the spotlight will be on the semifinals for the Men’s Heavyweight and Women’s Featherweight straps. Just days later, next Wednesday, the men’s lightweights and welterweights will showcase their skills in pursuit of their respective belts and the million.
Viral Sensation
Anything can happen when that type of cash is on the line. We have already seen top-seeded featherweight, Bubba Jenkins get knocked out by the lowest seed Jesus Pinedo in their semis. Lower-ranked Impa Kasanganay gave a first-round beat down to higher-seeded Martin Hamlet in the light heavyweight semi. Impa did have a stint in the UFC. Unfortunately, his UFC career is mostly known for being on the wrong end of the spinning back-kick from Joaquin Buckley. We will see if he can get past top-ranked Josh Silveira in November and cash the golden ticket, in what should be must-see TV.
No Problema
The upcoming event Friday at the MSG Theater will be no different. Renan Ferreira and Maurice Green look to take the next step forward in the heavyweight division. Ferreira should have no “problema” getting the win over Green, but he should not take his lower-ranked opponent lightly. Green has banged it out with some top fighters in the past and can finish you on the feet or on the ground. Look for Ferreira to get the UD, if he does not slip in a sleeper within the first minute of the fight. The winner will take on Denis Goltsov or Jordan Heiderman in the championship this November. Heiderman is the heavy underdog in this fight, however, he has what it takes to pull off the upset. Goltsov is the better fighter, but at heavyweight, anything can happen.
Olena Kolesnyk misses weight by 2.5 pounds in her semifinal bout vs the 2022 PFL champion Larissa Pacheco @PFLMMA #pfl #PFLPlayoffs @lpacchec pic.twitter.com/5nLmbSINIb
— hoosierpete (@peter_maiorano) August 17, 2023
Big Miss
Olena Kolesnyk missed weight by 2.5 pounds in her semifinal bout vs the 2022 PFL champion Larissa Pacheco, but the show will go on. Expect Pacheco to continue her dominance over Kolesnyk at any weight. Marina Mokhnatkina and Amber Leibrock will face off to get the honor of being so close to a million dollars in November when they have to face reigning champ Pacheco. Expect the champ to get the back-to-back grand prix later this year regardless of who she faces.
Thank you for reading my PFL article. Head to my Belly Up Sports Page. Follow me on Twitter. For more articles on the PFL and all other sports go to Belly Up Sports. Featured image credit Cooper Neill/Getty Images.
