Two-time Professional Fighters League champ Natan
Schulte will return to action in the organization’s first
regular season event of 2022.
The 2022 PFL tournament will kick off on April 20 at the Esports
Stadium Arlington in Arlington, Texas, with lightweights and light
heavyweights on tap for the first fight card.
PFL 1: 2022 Regular Season had the lion’s share of its lineup
announced, and sources close to the situation informed Sherdog on
Friday of its final pairing in the lightweight division. 2018 and
2019 tourney champ Schulte (21-4-1) will be coming back to fight at
this event, and he will be taking on Olivier
Aubin-Mercier (13-5) in the lightweight division.
Schulte was once booked to fight Aubin-Mercier at PFL 7: 2021
Playoffs in August 2021, but he was forced to withdraw for
undisclosed reasons. In the initial event of the 2021 season,
Schulte lost for the first time since PFL’s rebranding when
Marcin
Held edged him on the scorecards. Schulte had previously gone
undefeated as a PFL fighter, with nine wins and a draw as he
claimed two million-dollar checks. “Russo” rebounded from the
setback by claiming a razor-close split decision over Alex
Martinez in June 2021, and he has not fought since. The
Brazilian is one of eight fighters in company history to notch at
least 10 wins under the World Series of Fighting-PFL banner, and he is
tied with the third-most appearances in organizational history with
13 along with Chris
Wade.
Ex-Ultimate Fighting Championship talent
Aubin-Mercier left the Las Vegas-based promotion after a trio of
decision setbacks that concluded his 12-fight, five-year run. His
first PFL appearance was a winning one, defeating Held by decision
but ultimately not earning a berth in the four-man playoffs. When
Schulte withdrew from their matchup that August, Darrell
Horcher replaced him and subsequently missed weight. “The
Canadian Gangster” took home a decision, and punched his ticket to
the 2022 season in the process.
The first PFL 2022 Regular Season event will go on at the Esports
Stadium Arlington in Arlington, Texas, on April 20. This fight card
containing bouts at 155 and 205 pounds will be capped off by a
lightweight battle between Raush
Manfio and Don Madge. The
top-billed light heavyweight scrap sees 2021 champ Antonio
Carlos Jr. attempt to go on another run, and he will take on
Delan
Monte.