#2021PFL4 Featherweight and Lightweight matchups are OFFICIAL!
pic.twitter.com/bFNqftIOZh— PFL (@PFLMMA)
May 13, 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. Even though Anthony
Pettis lost his first Professional Fighters League fight, the
promotion is placing him higher on his next card than the man that
beat him. On Thursday, the PFL released its lineup for
PFL 4: 2021 Regular Season, which takes place at the Ocean
Casino Resort in Atlantic City, N.J., on June 10. Ten fights
throughout the featherweight and lightweight divisions have been
matched for this event, plus the previously announced women’s
lightweight non-tournament battle between Claressa
Shields (0-0) and Brittney
Elkin (3-6) which will be high on the main card and possibly
even the headliner. The tournament main event comes at lightweight,
as Anthony
Pettis (24-11) takes on the unbeaten Alex
Martinez (8-0, 1 NC).
Pettis came in to the tournament-based league as a -440 favorite
against Clay
Collard, only to get nearly stopped repeatedly en route to a
decision loss. “Showtime” did have a moment in the third round when
a head kick connected flush, but he could not capitalize to make up
for the damage absorbed from the +350 underdog. This loss at
lightweight snapped a two-fight win streak from the Roufusport
standout at welterweight, with wins over Donald
Cerrone and Alex Morono
in 2020 before his contract expired and he joined the PFL.
Martinez squeaked out a win in his PFL debut by winning the second
decision of his career over Loik
Radzhabov. The split verdict was also an upset – as a +365
underdog, it was more substantial than Collard beating Pettis – and
one that the
Sherdog official scorer scored for Radzhabov. Through his
career, all but one of his stoppage triumphs have come within the
first two rounds.
The event, which the organization is billing as “win or go home,”
places two more featherweight contests on the main card. Bubba
Jenkins (15-4), who upset two-time former 145-pound tourney
winner Lance
Palmer in his last time out, takes on Frenchman Anthony
Dizy (13-4). For the latter, he dropped a decision to Chris Wade,
while Jenkins holds three points in the playoff standings.
The other bout slotted for the main card sees Brendan
Loughnane (20-3) take on one-beaten Tyler
Diamond (12-1). Both men won at PFL 1 in April, with Loughnane
smashing Sheymon
Moraes in the first round, and Diamond scoring a thrilling
decision over Sung Bin
Jo. Only four fighters in each division can move on to the
playoffs, and stoppages count for more playoff points – Loughnane
is the lone fighter in the division who holds more than three
points, and is already a likely lock to move on.
The PFL 4: 2021 Regular Season main card will go down on June 10 on
ESPN 2 and ESPN+ at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT. The seven-fight prelim
portion begins at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT only on ESPN+ in the U.S.
PFL 4: 2021 Regular Season Lineup:
W155: Claressa
Shields vs. Brittney
Elkin
155: Anthony
Pettis vs. Alex
Martinez
145: Bubba
Jenkins vs. Anthony
Dizy
145: Brendan
Loughnane vs. Tyler
Diamond
155: Clay
Collard vs. Joilton
Lutterbach
155: Natan
Schulte vs. Mikhail
Odintsov
145: Lance
Palmer vs. Lazar
Stojadinovic
155: Marcin Held
vs. Olivier
Aubin-Mercier
155: Akhmed
Aliev vs. Loik
Radzhabov
145: Movlid
Khaybulaev vs. Sheymon
Moraes
145: Chris Wade
vs. Arman
Ospanov
