The Light Heavyweight Semifinals matchups
are OFFICIAL!
#PFLPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/lYUzvD3Et6— PFL (@PFLMMA)
June 18, 2022
Even while its regular season is still rolling, the Professional Fighters League is gearing up for
its playoffs in August.
Via press release, the PFL made official its first fight card of
the playoff season, titled
PFL 7: 2022 Playoffs. It will go down on Aug. 5 at the Hulu
Theater in Madison Square Garden in New York, and lightweights and
light heavyweights will be the featured weight classes on the fight
card. Three of four at 155 pounds, and all four competitors in the
light heavyweight bracket, have all been established, and the
matchups for the latter have already been put together.
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PFL CEO Peter Murray weighed in on this first event with a
statement, writing, “The PFL is excited to bring our first 2022 PFL
Playoff event to New York City at the Hulu Theater on Aug. 5. We
look forward to an incredible live experience as the PFL’s
world-class athletes continue their pursuit of a PFL Championship
and the $1 million prize.”
The organization uses a seed system for its playoffs, where the no.
1 seed will take on the fourth-ranked seed, while the two and three
seeds square off. The winners of those matches advance the finals,
which will take place at an unconfirmed date rumored to be Nov. 25
at an unannounced location. While this first show will go on in New
York City, the PFL will take to Wales and London for the next two
playoff cards.
Representing the lightweight bracket thus far in the playoffs
include current top seed Anthony
Pettis, Olivier
Aubin-Mercier and Alex
Martinez. Pettis qualified for this based on a first-round
submission win over Myles Price
at PFL 3, while the others each pocketed a pair of decision
victories to match Pettis’ six points. The remaining qualifier will
be decided at PFL 5 on Friday, as Pettis squares off with Steven Ray.
Should Pettis prevail, Raush
Manfio will reach the playoffs; if Ray pulls off the win, it
will depend on his method of victory if he makes it in.
At 205 pounds, the two semifinals are already on the books.
Top-seeded Rob
Wilkinson will toe the line with Delan
Monte, while Omari
Akhmedov tangles with 2021 champ Antonio
Carlos Jr. Wilkinson and Akhmedov each scored a pair of
finishes this season to conclude their regular season runs with 11
points, and Wilkinson’s quicker stoppages served as the tiebreaker.
Carlos Jr. pulled off a first-round submission in his first match,
and settled for a decision in his second to get nine points and the
three seed. Monte pulled off an upset by knocking out Emiliano
Sordi in the first round of PFL 4, and that six-point drubbing
resulted in him reaching the $1 million bracket.