ROSTER UPDATES:
– Lazar Stojadinovic replaces Jason Soares for the 2021 PFL
Season
– Curtis Millender replaces David Michaud for the 2021 PFL Season
pic.twitter.com/2phZfdbG2n— PFL MMA (@ProFightLeague)
April 9, 2021
Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream the PFL live on
your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the
ESPN app. The Professional Fighters League 2021 season has
been shaken up weeks before its kickoff. On Thursday, David
Michaud
revealed that he had been diagnosed with a rare heart condition
that forced him to withdraw from the 2021 PFL season and possibly
cut short his career. The promotion, with its second headliner in
jeopardy, acted quickly to replace Michaud, according to
MMA Junkie on Friday. Curtis
Millender (18-6) will be joining the welterweight bracket
against Rory
MacDonald (21-6-1), and this news has since been confirmed
by the PFL.
Millender will be competing at 170 pounds on short notice, and he
and MacDonald are still slated to serve as the main event of
PFL 2: 2021 Regular Season on April 29. The entire season will
be held at the Ocean Casino Resort in Atlantic City, N.J., while
the playoffs do not yet have a venue set. “Curtious Curtis” joins
the PFL after splitting a pair of bouts in Bellator MMA in 2020. His return to Bellator came with
a victory over Moses Murietta, only to lose a decision to Sabah
Homasi in August 2020. Millender rejoined Bellator after his
expulsion from the Ultimate Fighting Championship following
back-to-back defeats to Elizeu
Zaleski dos Santos and Belal
Muhammad.
Millender is not the only fighter to replace a tournament
participant, as the PFL also announced that featherweight Jason
Soares was removed from the tournament after he could not pass
medicals. Lazar
Stojadinovic (14-7) has been tapped in his stead, where he will
look to become the first fighter to beat Movlid
Khaybulaev (15-0-1, 1 NC) at
PFL 1: 2021 Regular Season on April 23.
Stojadinovic appeared on the first season of Dana White’s Contender Series on the heels of
an eight-fight win streak, but Thanh Le
rebuffed him with a head kick and follow-up punches. Stojadinovic
appeared twice in 2020, where he tapped Carlos
Guerra and won a decision over Isaac
Shelton to lift his win streak to two.
