With the UFC on a week-long hiatus, the Professional Fighters League takes centre stage tonight as they kick off their 2023 season and there has never been a better time to jump on the bandwagon.

For those unfamiliar with the brand, the PFL has a unique way of presenting mixed martial arts. Away from their data-driven presentation of fights and headline-grabbing deal with Jake Paul, the PFL thrives on their tournament format as they’ve muscled their way into the argument to be rated as the #2 MMA promotion.

Rather than the traditional system of fighters competing as and when fights are arranged in a bid to climb the rankings with the goal of facing a reigning champion, PFL operates a seasonal format of competitions for each weight class.

Each weight division is separated into mini-leagues similar to the Champions League in football. The group stage sees each fighter compete twice and the four competitors who accrue the most points over those fights in each group qualify for the semi-final stage, which is then followed by the $1m final which has become PFL’s calling card.

Points are accumulated by winning (3 points per win) but also through the manner of victory. A first-round finish earns an additional 3 points, a second-round finish earns 2 and a third-round finish earns 1.There are also penalties for failing to make weight (-1 point and the inability to earn any point from the upcoming bout) and being unable to compete (-1).

This format can lead to dramatic fights where one competitor knows they must win by a certain round while also promoting a pure form of sporting excellence. Each PFL season is a complete meritocracy – you can’t make the final due to popularity and nobody is able to skip the queue based on past achievements.

It also lends itself to breeding familiarity with each athlete as the season winner takes part in four fights inside the calendar year. There is no taking a year off to be shoehorned into a title opportunity in the PFL – to reach the top of the mountain, you can’t stop climbing.

That means fans can truly invest into a fighter’s journey and nobody has benefited more from that than the 2022 Featherweight Tournament Champion Brendan Loughnane.

Loughnane, who hails from Manchester, has become one of the major faces for the PFL especially in the last year as he secured the 2022 title. The 33-year-old debuted with the upstart promotion in 2019 after Dana White turned down the opportunity to sign Loughnane on the Contenders Series despite the Mancunian winning his bout against Bill Algeo.

An engaging, likeable working class lad, Brendan stole the hearts of fans as he battled his way to the Featherweight crown last year, defeating fellow standouts Chris Wade and Bubba Jenkins on the way to the $1m cheque and glory.

Arguably the most underrated featherweight on the planet, Loughnane kicks off the 2023 season against former UFC title challenger Marlon Moraes as he looks to become a 2x winner of the tournament.

The only man who has been able to get the better of Loughnane within the confines of the PFL SmartCage is Movlid Khaybulaev, who returns this evening against Ryoji Kudo after missing last year’s tournament through injury. The dominant Dagestani grappler won the 2021 Featherweight tournament, beating Loughnane by split decision in the semi-finals, and provides the greatest opposition to the Mancunian achieving a repeat coronation.

Feisty rematches are another positive from PFL’s setup with competitors returning in each season and nowhere is that more relevant than in the main card opener.

Chris Wade and Bubba Jenkins, former opponents of Loughnane and Khaybulaev, round off the featherweight offerings on the main card in a fight that reeks of bad blood. Facing off for the second time, both fighters have spat verbal barbs back and forth at each other over the past weeks, with Wade claiming he lives “rent free” in Jenkins’ head while the “Bad Man” says he harbours “strong disdain” for Wade.

The Light Heavyweights are also in action tonight with reigning tournament winner Rob Wilkinson welcoming another former UFC title challenger to the company, Thiago Santos.

Wilkinson had the most impressive campaign throughout the male weight classes last year, stopping all four of his opponents without seeing the end of the second round. The Aussie amassed the most points of any male fighter with 11 points, one shy of the maximum available, before flattening Delan Monte and Omari Akhmedov in the playoff rounds.

Despite being on a 1-5 skid, Thiago Santos represents the toughest opposition that Wilkinson has faced within the PFL, and Santos’s recent form looks more palatable when you realise that three of those defeats came at the hands of men who were or are UFC Light Heavyweight champions (and an argument that number should be 4 depending on how you scored Magomed Ankalaev’s title bout with Jan Blachowicz).

The PFL are also shining a light on a new generation of British talent through the launch of their PFL Europe branch.

Their inaugural showing in Newcastle last weekend was a resounding success in front of a sold-out crowd at the Vertu Motors Arena which has a capacity of up to 3500.

At a time when UFC tickets in the UK are like rocking horse shit and selling for the equivalent of at least a week’s wages, the PFL provided an affordable alternative as they gave the platform to a number of European fighters in a smaller version of the seasonal league format.

Unlike at boxing, the venue was nearly full from the minute that Dan Hardy and Sean O’Connell started the broadcast for the preliminary bouts. Oscar Ownsworth and Lewis Monarch set the tone for the evening by letting the leather fly for 15 minutes with both lads determined to make an impression on fans and management alike before Ownsworth secured a split decision win.

If Ownsworth and Monarch had got fans buzzing, “Lightning” Louis Lee Scott silenced them. The Leeds lad entered the cage to a deafening chorus of boos but took just 21 seconds to land a stunning headkick knockout on Sam Robinson.

While the night was headlined by Simeon Powell and Dakota Ditcheva, the main ticket seller on the card was 22-year-old bantamweight Lewis McGrillen who fights out of Manchester Top Team. There has been a groundswell of hype around McGrillen on the regional scene and the hype is indeed warranted.

It wouldn’t be egregious to say that at least half of the people in attendance had come to support McGrillen – his entrance received the loudest reaction of the night and his name was soon belted out to the tune of Seven Nation Army.

“McGrizzla” buzzsawed through Salih Kulucan with ease, knocking the journeyman down on several occasions before executing a picture perfect straight left down the pipe that lead to the finish in 2:33.

It was then time for the posterboy and girl of the new Europe branch, helmed by Dan Hardy, as Ditcheva and Powell notched impressive submission wins.

Ditcheva, a 24-year-old decorated Muay Thai fighter, is the real deal. Make no mistake, she will face tougher tests in her career than Malin Hermansson but the composure and poise she showed to secure the rear-naked choke that quickly earned her a victory rather than chasing a highlight reel knockout stands her in great stead. In a few years, she will run female MMA, whether that’s in the PFL or another of MMA’s elite promotions.

“Smooth” Simeon Powell was also able to show composure in gaining a buzzer beating submission win over Mohammed Amine. Well-matched by Amine on the feet, Powell took the fight to the mat. He almost ended the main event in the first round with some brutal ground and pound with the bell saving Amine.

The hoss boss light heavyweight didn’t let lightning strike twice in the second round, locking in a Triangle Arm Choke towards the end of the round, with Amine passing out and despite the bell ringing, referee Marc Goddard had to wave the fight off to cap off a brilliant night of action.

The second PFL Europe event takes place on the 8^th of July in Berlin.

Between their commitment to young talent with PFL Europe and their excellent tournament formats for the main roster heating up with world-class talent, there hasn’t been a better time to get involved with the promotion.

PFL 1 kickstarts the 2023 season tonight live on DAZN from 11pm.

Photo Credits: PFL, Cooper Neill, MMA Junkie