2025-04-08 00:00 - Martial Arts Kleinanzeigen™

Leandro Higo Details Strategy for PFL Debut, Predicts KO Win for Patricio ‚Pitbull‘

The Pitbull Brothers team will have two veterans making debuts in new promotions this weekend.

First, Leandro Higo will make his Professional Fighters League debut on Friday in the evening’s main event against Josh Rettinghouse. The next day, Patricio Freire will make his Octagon debut against Yair Rodriguez at UFC 314.

Higo, who has won five of his last six bouts, discussed sharing a camp with Patricio “Pitbull” and offered insight into both of their upcoming fights in a recent interview with Sherdog.

“I´m really happy to make my PFL debut fighting in the main event. I was so lucky to have Patricio making his Octagon debut in the same weekend, so the camp couldn't have been better,” the Bellator veteran said. “Since I was going to fight a Russian initially, we brought a wrestler from Kazakhstan, who helped me a lot.”

Fighters only get one shot! Watch the PFL World Tournament LIVE Friday, April 11 at 11 p.m. ET on ESPN2..

According to…

Longtime Bellator Veteran Aaron Pico Signs with UFC

Aaron Pico is officially headed to the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Multiple outlets confirmed the news following an initial report from ESPN. While there were rumors of Pico making his Octagon debut against Movsar Evloev, a date and opponent for the Bellator MMA veteran’s first UFC foray have not been confirmed at this time. Pico was granted his release from Professional Fighters League, which purchased Bellator late in 2023 before dissolving the promotion this year.

fter years of hard work, dedication, and unwavering belief, I’ve officially signed with the UFC! This is more than just a dream come true; it’s the beginning of a new chapter,” Pico wrote on Instagram. “Thank you to my family, coaches, training partners, and everyone who has supported me on this journey. Your belief in me has fueled my fire. The ultimate goal? To become the UFC champion. I’m ready to work harder than ever before to make that a reality.”

A former Golden Glov…

Juliana Velasquez Predicts Fourth Bout with Liz Carmouche in PFL Tourney Final

Juliana Velasquez is unfazed by a last-minute change in opponent in the Professional Fighters League flyweight tournament.

The former Bellator champion was originally supposed to face Taila Santos in a first-round matchup on Friday at Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida. However, on Monday the promotion announced Santos had pulled out of the bout and would be replaced by Ekaterina Shakalova.

“When you participate in a grand prix, you know that these kind of short-notice opponent changes are part of the game,” Velasquez told Sherdog.com “In my daily routine at Team Nogueira, I train mostly with men — big ones, small ones, strikers, grapplers. That's what MMA is all about. Of course against Ekaterina I´ll change my strategy a little bit. But I'm ready for any girl in my division.”

Fighters only get one shot! Watch the PFL World Tournament LIVE Friday, April 11 at 11 p.m. ET on ESPN2..

The Brazilian is coming off a TKO win o…

Paddy Pimblett Expects to Defeat Michael Chandler ‚Convincingly‘ at UFC 314

[embedded content]

Paddy Pimblett (22-3) is looking to make a statement against Michael Chandler (23-9).

Pimblett faces Chandler at the UFC 314 on Saturday at the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida. While this will arguably be the biggest step up in competition for Pimblett, “The Baddy” sounds extremely confident going into his fight against Chandler. Pimblett believes he is better in all aspects than Chandler, who his known for his knockout power. However, Pimblett has famously declared in the past, “Scousers don’t get knocked out.” The Liverpudlian even claims he can beat Chandler more emphatically than lightweight elites Dustin Poirier, Charles Oliveira and Justin Gaethje.

"As soon as he gets punched in the face he just wants to have a brawl,” Pimblett said on the Full Send podcast. “And I'll be using it against him… I don't see where he can beat me. The only way he can beat me is if he throws a hail mary punch and knocks me out. But I don't get knocked out, lad.…

Taila Santos Withdraws from PFL Flyweight Tournament; Card Gets New Headliner

The upcoming Professional Fighters League tournament event has undergone a few changes.

The promotion announced Monday that Taila Santos has withdrawn from a first-round flyweight pairing against Juliana Velasquez at PFL World Tournament 2 on Friday at Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida. As a result, Ekaterina Shakalova will step in and face Velasquez in the 125-pound bracket. Santos vs. Velasquez was slated to be the evening’s featured bout; instead a bantameight tilt pitting Leandro Higo against Josh Rettinghouse will now serve as the main event. Saray Orozco was originally supposed to face Shakalova, but it’s currently unclear if she will receive a replacement opponent.

Fighters only get one shot! Watch the PFL World Tournament LIVE Friday, April 11 at 11 p.m. ET on ESPN2..

PFL Tournament 2 features tournament bouts at women’s flyweight and men’s bantamweight. The prelims air on ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT, while the main card begins o…