The PFL 2 mixed martial arts event for the 2023 season of the Professional Fighters League was held on April 7, 2023, at The Theater at Virgin Hotels in Paradise, Nevada, United States. This marked the second regular-season event of the tournament and included fights in the Heavyweight and Women's Featherweight divisions.[1][2][3]

PFL 2
The poster for PFL 2
PromotionProfessional Fighters League
DateApril 7, 2023 (2023-April-07)
VenueThe Theater at Virgin Hotels
CityParadise, Nevada, United States
Event chronology
PFL 1 PFL 2 PFL 3

Background

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Ante Delija was to headline the event in a bout against Yorgan De Castro in a heavyweight match-up. However, Delija pulled out due to injury and was replaced by Denis Goltsov.[4] In turn, Goltsov withdrew from the bout and was replaced by Danilo Marques.[5]

In the new women's featherweight division, Larissa Pacheco, who caused an upset in the 2022 finals by defeating two-time women's lightweight champion Kayla Harrison, will take on former Bellator MMA champion Julia Budd.[2]

At weigh-ins, Kolesnyk came in at 146.4 lbs, .4 pounds over the limit for featherweight. She was fined 20% of her purse and was given a point deduction in the standings.[6]

Results

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Main card (ESPN2 / ESPN+)
Weight class Method Round Time Notes
Women's Featherweight Larissa Pacheco def. Julia Budd Decision (unanimous) (30–27, 29–28, 30–27) 3 5:00
Heavyweight Bruno Cappelozza vs. Matheus Scheffel No Contest (overturned) 1 2:15 [a]
Catchweight (146.4 lb) Olena Kolesnyk def. Aspen Ladd Decision (majority) (28–28, 29–28, 29–28) 3 5:00
Lightweight Biaggio Ali Walsh def. Isaiah Figueroa TKO (punch) 1 1:42 [b]
Preliminary Card (ESPN+)
Heavyweight Rizvan Kuniev vs. Renan Ferreira No Contest (overturned) 3 5:00 [c]
Heavyweight Maurice Greene def. Marcelo Nunes TKO (punches) 2 1:20
Heavyweight Danilo Marques def. Yorgan De Castro Decision (unanimous) (30–27, 30–27, 29–28) 3 5:00
Women's Featherweight Amber Leibrock def. Martina Jindrová KO (head kick and punches) 1 2:19
Women's Featherweight Evelyn Martins def. Karolina Sobek Decision (unanimous) (29–28, 29–28, 29–28) 3 5:00
Women's Featherweight Marina Mokhnatkina def. Yoko Higashi TKO (punches) 2 1:29
  1. ^ Originally a TKO (punches) win for Cappelozza; result overturned after Cappelozza failed a drug test.[7]
  2. ^ Amateur Bout
  3. ^ Originally a Decision (unanimous) win for Kuniev; result overturned after Kuniev failed a drug test.

[8]

Standings after event

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The PFL points system is based on results of the match. The winner of a fight receives 3 points. If the fight ends in a draw, both fighters will receive 1 point. The bonus for winning a fight in the first, second, or third round is 3 points, 2 points, and 1 point respectively. The bonus for winning in the third round requires a fight be stopped before 4:59 of the third round. No bonus point will be awarded if a fighter wins via decision. For example, if a fighter wins a fight in the first round, then the fighter will receive 6 total points. A decision win will result in three total points. If a fighter misses weight, the opponent (should they comply with weight limits) will receive 3 points due to a walkover victory, regardless of winning or losing the bout; if the non-offending fighter subsequently wins with a stoppage, all bonus points will be awarded.[9]

Heavyweight

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Fighter Wins Draws Losses 1st 2nd 3rd Total
Points[10]
  Denis Goltsov 1 0 0 1 0 0 6
  Bruno Cappelozza 1 0 0 1 0 0 6
  Maurice Greene 1 0 0 0 1 0 5
  Danilo Marques 1 0 0 0 0 0 3
  Rizvan Kuniev 1 0 0 0 0 0 3
  Cezar Ferreira 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
  Renan Ferreira 0 0 1 0 0 0 0
  Yorgan De Castro 0 0 1 0 0 0 0
  Marcelo Nunes 0 0 1 0 0 0 0
  Matheus Scheffel 0 0 1 0 0 0 0

Women's Featherweight

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Fighter Wins Draws Losses 1st 2nd 3rd Total
Points[11]
  Amber Leibrock 1 0 0 1 0 0 6
  Marina Mokhnatkina 1 0 0 0 1 0 5
  Larissa Pacheco 1 0 0 0 0 0 3
  Evelyn Martins 1 0 0 0 0 0 3
  Olena Kolesnyk 1 0 0 0 0 0 2
  Julia Budd 0 0 1 0 0 0 0
  Aspen Ladd 0 0 1 0 0 0 0
  Karolina Sobek 0 0 1 0 0 0 0
  Yoko Higashi 0 0 1 0 0 0 0
  Martina Jindrová 0 0 1 0 0 0 0

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Sherdog.com. "PFL Announces Headliners, Co-Main Events for First Three Regular Season Cards". Sherdog. Retrieved 2023-02-02.
  2. ^ a b "Loughnane-Moraes to kick off 2023 PFL season". ESPN.com. 2023-02-02. Retrieved 2023-02-02.
  3. ^ Martin, Damon (2023-02-02). "Brendan Loughnane vs. Marlon Moraes, Olivier Aubin-Mercier vs. Shane Burgos among fights announced for PFL in 2023". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2023-02-02.
  4. ^ Cruz, Guilherme (2023-03-22). "PFL heavyweight champion Ante Delija injured, out of Yorgan de Castro fight on April 7". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2023-03-25.
  5. ^ Subramanian, Anik (2023-04-06). "Despite multiple opponent changes, Yorgan De Castro will bring his smile to the smart cage tomorrow". FightBook MMA. Retrieved 2023-04-10.
  6. ^ Sherdog.com. "PFL 2 2023 Regular Season Weigh-in Results: 1 Fighter Heavy". Sherdog. Retrieved 2023-04-08.
  7. ^ "9 PFL fighters face suspensions following failed drug tests in Nevada". MMA Junkie. Retrieved 17 May 2023.
  8. ^ "PFL 2". www.pflmma.com. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
  9. ^ "Rules and Regulations". PFL. Archived from the original on 2018-08-08. Retrieved 2019-04-28.
  10. ^ The four fighters with most points advance to the playoffs
  11. ^ The four fighters with most points advance to the playoffs