Tag: PFL News (Professional Fighters League)

Anthony Pettis Opens Up On Decision To Sign With The PFL

PettisFormer WEC and UFC lightweight champion, Anthony ‘Showtime’ Pettis called time on his twelve-year stint under the Zuffa LLC banner earlier this week, penning a multi-fight deal with the PFL (Professional Fighters League). Adding to an ever-evolving roster of talent the promotion has managed to entice this year, the Ray Sefo founded banner recently signed […]

Pettis

Former WEC and UFC lightweight champion, Anthony ‘Showtime’ Pettis called time on his twelve-year stint under the Zuffa LLC banner earlier this week, penning a multi-fight deal with the PFL (Professional Fighters League).

Adding to an ever-evolving roster of talent the promotion has managed to entice this year, the Ray Sefo founded banner recently signed both former UFC heavyweight champion, Fabricio ‘Vai Cavalo’ Werdum as well as two-time Olympic gold medalist and boxing world champion, Claressa ‘T-Rex’ Shields.

Set to feature in the promotion’s 2021 lightweight tournament, Pettis, who completed the final fight on his UFC deal at UFC Vegas 17 last weekend — is currently riding a two-fight winning streak. 2-1 this year, Pettis has managed a pair of decision wins over two-time foe, Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone, and Alex ‘The Great White’ Morono after a submission loss to Diego Ferreira.

 
Hoping to score his third world championship, Pettis noted how the possibility of adding PFL gold to his trophy cabinet inside twelve months of his promotional move was an outlying factor in his decision to link up with the organization.

“Honestly, I knew what I was looking for,” Pettis said in a recent interview with SCMP MMA. “My goal right now at this stage of my career is to become a champ. I’m still young in this game, I’m back motivated and hungry to become a champion and the deal the PFL offered me was very, very fair. And the opportunity to become a champion in twelve months, that’s exactly what I was looking for.“

“If I went to another organization, I would’ve had to fight my way up,” Pettis continued. “I’m not saying it couldn’t be done, but I love the format these guys put out. Also they’ve on ESPN, so it doesn’t change my audience, they can see my fights the exact same way, it just really made sense.“

A former UFC lightweight champion, Pettis scored a three-fight winning run over Jeremy Stephens, Joe Lauzon, and the above mentioned Cerrone on track to dethroning two-time foe, Benson ‘Smooth’ Henderson for the undisputed crown with a first-round armbar. In his lone successful title defence, Pettis submitted former Strikeforce 155-pound best, Gilbert ‘El Nino’ Melendez with a second-round guillotine. 

Returning to the lightweight ranks, Pettis links up with former Octagon talents, Efrain Escudero, Ramsey Nijem, Jason High, Thiago Tavares, and Will Brooks, as well as Luiz Firmino and previous tournament victor, Nathan Schulte.

Anthony Pettis Signs With The PFL, To Compete At Lightweight

PettisIt didn’t take Anthony Pettis long to find a new home. The former lightweight champion made headlines when he announced Tuesday that he was parting ways with the UFC to explore free agency. Many expected Bellator MMA to swoop in for him especially seeing as his brother Sergio Pettis was recently signed by the promotion. […]

Pettis

It didn’t take Anthony Pettis long to find a new home.

The former lightweight champion made headlines when he announced Tuesday that he was parting ways with the UFC to explore free agency.

Many expected Bellator MMA to swoop in for him especially seeing as his brother Sergio Pettis was recently signed by the promotion.

However, Pettis has opted to sign a deal with the Professional Fighters League (PFL) who confirmed the news on social media on Wednesday.

Pettis will join the PFL for its 2021 season which kicks off April 23 and will be competing at 155 pounds again. No date or first opponent has been named for “Showtime” as of yet.

He is the latest big name to join the PFL’s ranks after the recent signings of Rory MacDonald, Fabricio Werdum and Claressa Shields. In Pettis, the PFL has a former UFC and WEC lightweight champion who is one of the household names in mixed martial arts.

Things have been a bit rocky for Pettis ever since losing his lightweight title to Rafael dos Anjos in 2015 as he never went on a winning streak until this past weekend when he outpointed Alex Morono.

However, he is still a top-level fighter who is capable of getting finishes as we saw against Michael Chiesa and Stephen Thompson.

With his addition to the ranks, the upcoming PFL season promises to be more exciting than ever.

What do you think of Pettis joining the PFL?

Bellator, PFL Distance Themselves From Signing Yoel Romero

RomeroThe majority of the mixed martial arts community seemed majorly shocked at Friday night’s breaking news of perennial middleweight contender and multiple-time title challenger, Yoel ‘Soldier of God’ Romero’s release from the UFC.  Immediately, fans and media alike began to speculate as to where the veteran Cuban may land, with plans already underway for him […]

Romero

The majority of the mixed martial arts community seemed majorly shocked at Friday night’s breaking news of perennial middleweight contender and multiple-time title challenger, Yoel ‘Soldier of God’ Romero’s release from the UFC. 

Immediately, fans and media alike began to speculate as to where the veteran Cuban may land, with plans already underway for him to resume his fighting career following his sudden parting from the promotion. Tonight, two major players have reportedly voiced their disinterest in penning Romero to a deal — in the form of Bellator MMA, and the PFL.

Romero, an almost seven-year Octagon veteran had been pencilled in for both undisputed and interim 185-pound title tilts on four separate occasions — finding himself as a real standout on the list of greatest fighters to never lift UFC gold. 

Despite having three fights remaining on his contract, Romero, his management team of Malki and Ibrahim Kawa along with the UFC agreed to part ways. The 43-year-old Olympic silver medalist was booked to compete as recently as UFC Vegas 7 in August against The Ultimate Fighter 17 finalist, Uriah ‘Prime Time’ Hall — with the pairing ultimately shelved after the former withdrew due to undisclosed reasons.

Speaking with former two-weight UFC world champion and colour-commentator, Daniel Cormier on his the show DC & Helwani, ESPN MMA reporter, Ariel Helwani revealed that he had been informed that both the PFL and Scott Coker’s Bellator MMA weren’t interested in signing Romero.

“Surprisingly, I’m told Bellator (are) not interested, I’m told (the) PFL (are) not interested, surprisingly surprisingly,” Helwani said. “And so, there’s RIZIN (FF), there’s ONE (Championship), there’s KSW.“

A thirteen fight Octagon veteran, Romero finished his promotional run with a string of three consecutive losses. Bookending two close decision defeats to two-time foe, Robert Whittaker and Paulo Costa, the Pinar del Rio favourite headlined UFC 248 in March — losing a forgettable unanimous decision to current champion, Israel Adesanya.

An explosive finisher, the American Top Team trainee had scored wins over four former world champions during his Octagon run; stopping Luke Rockhold, Chris Weidman, and Lyoto Machida in between a split judging victory over Ronaldo ‘Jacare’ Souza at UFC 194. 

Claressa Shields Thinks Boxing Is More ‘Sexist’ Than MMA

Claressa ShieldsClaressa Shields has labelled boxing a “sexist” sport after confirming her plans to compete in Mixed Martial Arts in 2021. Earlier this week it was revealed the undisputed middleweight champion would be transitioning from boxing to MMA when she inked a deal with Professional Fighters League (PFL). The 10-0 boxer is the second high-profile PFL […]

Claressa Shields

Claressa Shields has labelled boxing a “sexist” sport after confirming her plans to compete in Mixed Martial Arts in 2021.

Earlier this week it was revealed the undisputed middleweight champion would be transitioning from boxing to MMA when she inked a deal with Professional Fighters League (PFL). The 10-0 boxer is the second high-profile PFL signing in quick succession after the promotion snapped up former UFC heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum recently. Shields revealed she plans to compete in boxing and MMA next year.

In an interview with MMA Junkie, Shields addressed the state of women’s boxing in the USA and expressed her view that female fighters are being overlooked for less talented and less popular male boxers.  

“Here in America, women’s boxing really had a large flame where many of us were fighting on television and some big fights would get made. Women’s boxing here in the U.S. has gone down,” Shields said. “The women have been put on a back burner for male fighters who haven’t accomplished anything. They’ve been given dates and pay-per-views, and the women have been sitting around with these networks trying to line up a date. 

“On the flip side, in the U.K., women’s boxing is doing very well because Eddie Hearn and DAZN are putting their work behind Katie Taylor and Natasha Jonas,” Shields added. “They have come a long way. Right now, I’m here to hold the networks accountable. They say women can’t sell pay-per-view buys, and they give up. But they’ll put somebody with less of a following on pay-per-view.”

Several pay-per-view stars have emerged in MMA and Shields believes there is a simple reason why it’s not the same in boxing.

“I feel like they’re just sexist, and that they’re intimidated by insanely strong women,” Shields said. “But it’s like that in all sports. Women can box. Women can mostly do everything that men can. I think you have to hold the networks accountable. They’re the ones who make the decisions on who is and isn’t on television.”

Do you agree with Claressa Shields? Is boxing more sexist than MMA?

VIDEO | Claressa Shields Trains At Jackson-Wink Ahead Of MMA Debut

Claressa ShieldsClaressa Shields has released footage of her training at Jackson-Wink ahead of her eagerly anticipated MMA debut. Shields claimed gold at the London and Rio de Janeiro summer Olympic Games, and in a four-year professional career, has been unmatched. ‘T-Rex’ has claimed titles in three weight classes and is currently the undisputed champion at 160lbs. […]

Claressa Shields

Claressa Shields has released footage of her training at Jackson-Wink ahead of her eagerly anticipated MMA debut.

Shields claimed gold at the London and Rio de Janeiro summer Olympic Games, and in a four-year professional career, has been unmatched. ‘T-Rex’ has claimed titles in three weight classes and is currently the undisputed champion at 160lbs.

The 25-year-old has longed been talked about in MMA circles and has often been linked to fights with dual-weight UFC champion Amanda Nunes and Bellator featherweight queen Cris Cyborg. However, many had expected the two MMA fighters to cross over into boxing in order to make a mega-money bout with Shields.

Earlier this week it was revealed ‘T-Rex’ would be transitioning from boxing to MMA when she inked a deal with Professional Fighters League (PFL). The 10-0 boxer is the second high-profile PFL signing in quick succession after the promotion snapped up former UFC heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum recently. Shields revealed she plans to compete in boxing and MMA in 2021.

“I’m still gonna box and do MMA at the same time,” Shields told ESPN MMA reporter, Brett Okamoto, recently. “I could box in my sleep. That’s not something that I really have to worry about. I’m gonna spend a lot of time learning and just growing in MMA, but I’m still gonna accept my mandatory challenges in boxing. I’m gonna fight those girls. I’m gonna beat them, but I plan on having maybe two or three boxing matches and two to three MMA fights next year.

Since news of her PFL signing fans have been speculating about which gym she will link up with to improve her MMA skills. Yesterday she gave an indication that her MMA training may take place in Albuquerque, New Mexico after posting up videos to social media which show her training at Jackson-Wink MMA – the home of UFC legend Jon ‘Bones’ Jones.

Do you think Claressa Shields will find success in MMA?

Claressa Shields Explains Decision To Sign With The PFL, Eyes Future Fight With Kayla Harrison

ShieldsDecorated boxing world champion and two-time Olympic gold medal winner, Claressa ‘T-Rex’ Shields made major waves across the mixed martial arts community last night, as she put pen to paper on a deal to transition from the squared-circle, under the banner of the PFL (Professional Fighters League). The 10-0 Flint, Michigan native claimed gold at […]

Shields

Decorated boxing world champion and two-time Olympic gold medal winner, Claressa ‘T-Rex’ Shields made major waves across the mixed martial arts community last night, as she put pen to paper on a deal to transition from the squared-circle, under the banner of the PFL (Professional Fighters League).

The 10-0 Flint, Michigan native claimed gold at the London and Rio de Janeiro summer Olympic Games, and in a four-year professional career, has been unmatched. Claiming titles across the light, super, and middleweight divisions, Shields has held gold for the WBC, WBO, WBA, and IBF to name a few in that short time period.

Constantly linked with an eventual transition to mixed martial arts, the 25-year-old puncher follows in the recent footsteps of former UFC heavyweight champion, Fabricio Werdum who also inked a deal to link up with the Ray Sefo led promotion.

Floated as potential future opposition for both Bellator featherweight best, Cris Cyborg, and current UFC two-weight world champion, Amanda Nunes, Shields will, in fact, begin her journey in professional mixed martial arts in the same surrounding as a fellow two-time Olympic gold medalist, Judoka expert, Kayla Harrison. 

Failing to close the door on her professional career in boxing, Shields clarified that she’ll continue her career whilst honing her craft in mixed martial arts before an eventual debut.

“I’m still gonna box and do MMA at the same time,” Shields told ESPN MMA reporter, Brett Okamoto, recently. “I could box in my sleep. That’s not something that I really have to worry about. I’m gonna spend a lot of time learning and just growing in MMA, but I’m still gonna accept my mandatory challenges in boxing. I’m gonna fight those girls. I’m gonna beat them, but I plan on having maybe two or three boxing matches and two to three MMA fights next year.“Delving into the reasoning for her move to MMA,

Shields explained how professional boxing doesn’t necessarily bring with it an equal playing field, particularly for female competitors.


“I feel like I’ve had fights in boxing that have captured the sports world, just women’s boxing isn’t treated equally,” Shields explained. “Every MMA league, they have women fighters main event. The PFL give women a chance to fight for a million dollars just like they give men a chance to fight in a league for a million dollars. In boxing, there aren’t those kinds of opportunities for women.“

“You have two or three of us that are getting paid good money, and then the rest of them are kind of just like opponents, and they don’t really have a large following and a big backing,” Shields said. “In MMA, in the PFL, you create your own destiny, and that’s what I want to do. I created my own destiny in boxing an as far as in becoming a two-time Olympic champ, starting from the Junior Olympics to the real Olympics, world championships and now being a professional world champion. I just wanna test myself really.“

Given Shield’s high-profile signature to PFL, fans and pundits immediately questioned the possibility of a matchup of Olympic standouts; Shields and the above-mentioned, Harrison, who has established an eye-catching 7-0 professional mixed martial arts record since her move to the sport back in the summer of 2018. 

With plans to ultimately stand opposite her friend and fellow Olympic two-time gold medal victor, Shields detailed how she had actually contacted Harrison after penning her deal with the PFL and plans to bring her to the forefront of her thought process before the culmination of next year. 

“Just me being who I am, of course, I want to fight the best,” Shields said. “Right now, she’s (Kayla Harrison) the best. She’s the winner of the PFL league. She won the million dollars, and I was able to watch all of her fights leading up to that not because I was getting ready to come to the PFL, but because I’m a fan of hers and we’re actually friends. We’ve been at both Olympics together. We know each other.“

“I actually texted her this morning, so of course that’s who I’m looking at down the line, but then again like I said, the PFL — you create your own destiny,” Shields said. “Anything can happen on any given night so we can be in a tournament in 2022 or 2023 and be fighting, and she loses. It’s like anything can happen, so I’m just gonna take it one fight at a time. I’m not initially thinking of Kayla Harrison right off the bat, but she will be in my thoughts towards the end of 2021.” (H/T MMA Junkie)