Lightweight Slate Set for 2023 PFL Challenger Series Event on Feb. 17

The fourth episode of Professional Fighters League’s Challenger
Series in 2023 will carry with it several extremely promising
155ers.

Via press release on Thursday, the PFL has announced its fourth
week of matches for the upcoming Challenger Series season.
This episode on Feb. 17 will feature lightweights, including
two highly touted undefeated up-and-comers as well as those that
have appeared on Dana White’s Contender Series and One Championship thus far. The fight card, like
all others in this year’s Challenger Series, will take place at
Universal Studios in Orlando, Fla., and it will air on Fubo
Sports.

The main attraction in this four-fight show comes between unbeaten
finisher Elvin
Espinoza (7-0), who has already fought twice for PFL, and 2022
Challenger Series alum Damir
Ferhatbegovic (6-2-1). Espinoza celebrates an evenly
distributed method of finish, with half of his stoppages coming by
rear-naked choke and the other due to strikes. His foe
Ferhatbegovic, fighting out of Tennessee by way of Bosnia, vied for
a contract last season, and he did what he could by starching
B.J.
Bland in the first round but did not get signed.

The remaining three bouts, which all take place at 155 pounds, are
as follows: recent PFL International Qualifier Series victor
Paulo
Henrique Laia (14-5) vs. the unbeaten finisher Manoel
Sousa (9-0), One Championship vet Antonio
Caruso (8-1) vs. Fury FC and Legacy Fighting Alliance upstart Anthony
Romero (11-1) and American Top Team’s Charles
Decca (4-2-1) vs. Nick Diaz
Academy rep Jose Aguayo
(5-2).

The winner of the show, which operates with a celebrity judging
panel to determine which victor is picked up, may earn a place in
the 2023 season. The division, which started with back-to-back
triumphant seasons in 2018 and 2019 for Natan
Schulte, has since seen some movement with multiple
high-profile free agent pickups and an influx in young talent. In
2021, Raush
Manfio came out of nowhere to claim the million-dollar prize,
while 2022 featured the dominant presence of former UFC fighter
Olivier
Aubin-Mercier running the table to win the go