Thiago Santos, Marlon Moraes featured in PFL's opening 2023 slate
The PFL is coming out swinging in 2023.
The promotion will kick off its season with three events on April 1, 7, and 14 in Las Vegas, it announced Thursday. All six reigning champions will be featured in the main and co-main event slots.
Featherweight champ Brendan Loughnane will meet Marlon Moraes in the April 1 main event, while former UFC title challenger Thiago Santos will make his PFL debut against light heavyweight titleholder Rob Wilkinson in the co-headliner.
In the next event on April 7, heavyweight champion Ante Delija will welcome UFC veteran Yorgan De Castro to the PFL cage, and women's lightweight champ Larissa Pacheco will face former Bellator champion Julia Budd in the new women's featherweight division.
Finally, former UFC fighter Shane Burgos will take on lightweight champ Olivier Aubin-Mercier in the April 14 headliner. A welterweight bout between champ Sadibou Sy and Jarrah Al-Silawi will serve as the co-main event.
The full lineups will be announced at a later date.
The PFL is the only major MMA promotion that uses a seasonal format featuring a regular season and playoffs. This year, the PFL is introducing a pay-per-view division that will involve YouTube star turned prizefighter Jake Paul.