The Professional Fighters League has officially put
together the second phase of its Global tournament.
On Thursday, the PFL announced via press release all 11 fights that
make up the
2025 PFL World Tournament 7 Semifinals event taking place on
June 27 in Chicago. Middleweights, light heavyweights and
heavyweights will all hold their semifinals in the Wintrust Arena
in the Windy City, along with a trio of alternate bouts and pair of
showcases including an exciting tilt at 135 pounds. Two former
Bellator MMA champions and ex-training partners
will toe the line, as Sergio
Pettis (23-7) collides with Raufeon
Stots (21-2) in what could be a title eliminator that could
face the winner of the bantamweight bracket at year’s end.
Pettis surrendered his 135-pound crown in 2023 to Patrick
Mix, who has since left the organization and reportedly signed
with the UFC. A rematch with Kyoji
Horiguchi, whom he won the belt from in 2021, did not go his
way last year. This two-fight skid puts a damper on success that
had “The Phenom” ranked among the best bantamweights in the world,
with six straight wins including a clear-cut victory over
ex-featherweight and lightweight Patricio
Freire.
The only loss in recent memory for “Supa” Stots came against Mix in
what was an interim title tilt and the 135-pound Bellator grand
prix final match. Stots ate a knee in 80 seconds that put him away,
putting an end to a spectacular 11-fight win streak including seven
in the Bellator cage. Since then, he has bounced back with a
decision victory against bitter rival Danny
Sabatello in their rematch, and he tapped Marcos
Breno in the PFL’s “Battle of the Giants” fight card in October
2024.
2025 PFL World Tournament 7 Semifinals Lineup:
Fabian
Edwards vs. Joshua
Silveira – middleweight semifinal
Phil
Davis vs. Sullivan
Cauley – light heavyweight semifinal
Dalton
Rosta vs. Aaron
Jeffery – middleweight semifinal
Antonio
Carlos Jr. vs. Simeon
Powell – light heavyweight semifinal
Sergio
Pettis vs. Raufeon
Stots – bantamweight
Valentin
Moldavsky vs. Alexander
Romanov – heavyweight semifinal
Biaggio
Ali Walsh vs. Ronnie
Gibbs – lightweight
Oleg
Popov vs. Rodrigo
Nascimento – heavyweight semifinal
Sergey
Bilostenniy vs. Karl
Williams – heavyweight alternate
Rafael
Xavier vs. Karl
Albrektsson – light heavyweight alternate
Jordan
Newman vs. Khalid
Murtazaliev – middleweight alternate