The lineup for PFL’s welterweight and light heavyweight season was set on Tuesday. The first event for the two weight classes will take place on April 29th, with former UFC fighter and Bellator Champion Rory MacDonald competing in the main event against David Michaud.
The fight headlines a card that does not have a confirmed location yet.
MacDonald will be making his first appearance since signing with PFL last year. He joins the promotion after a six-fight run in Bellator. He lost his 170-pound belt in his last bout, fighting to a unanimous decision against Douglas Lima.
The fight will kickstart Michaud’s second PFL season. The former UFC fighter put together three wins and one loss to make his way into the finals of the 2019 season. Michaud lost in the grand finals of the tournament, getting stopped by Ray Cooper III.
Champions To Return In Main Card
The welterweight and light heavyweight champions from the 2019 PFL season will be returning at the promotion’s April 29th card.
PFL Welterweight Champion Ray Cooper III will fight in the co-main event, facing promotional newcomer Jason Ponet. Cooper III won his first PFL season in 2019, putting together a record of three wins, one draw and one loss by the end of the year.
Ponet enters the fight after putting together a three-fight win streak on the regional scene. His last fight was in July of 2019, where he defeated Ahmad Labban on a UAE Warriors card.
Light heavyweight champ Emiliano Sordi has been matched with former UFC fighter Chris Camozzi for April.
Sordi had a perfect 2019 season, winning five consecutive fights, including a stoppage win in the finals against Jordan Johnson.
Camozzi will be making his return to MMA in April. The 19-fight UFC vet has primarily competed in kickboxing over the past few years.
Lawlor To Make Return Against Johnson
Competing for the second time since his UFC run, Tom Lawlor will fight Jordan Johnson as part of the PFL main card.
Lawlor is best known for his UFC matches, competing in the promotion from 2008 to 2016. Lawlor’s UFC run concluded in 2018, as they released him near the final months of his two-year USADA suspension.
Lawlor last competed in 2018, where he lost to Deron Winn in a unanimous decision. He has since kept busy by doing pro wrestling.
Johnson will be returning after being a finalist in the 2019 PFL season. The former RFA Light Heavyweight Champion had a record of two wins, one draw and two losses in his last season.
The majority of PFL’s welterweight and light heavyweight fights will take place during the preliminary card on ESPN+. The main card will take place later in the night on ESPN 2.
Here is the complete lineup.
Main Card (9:00PM EST) (ESPN 2)
Bout 10: Rory MacDonald (21-6-1) vs. David Michaud (18-6) (Welterweight)
Bout 9: Ray Cooper III (20-7-1) vs. Jason Ponet (20-12-1) (Welterweight)
Bout 8: Jordan Johnson (12-2-1) vs. Tom Lawlor (10-7) (Light Heavyweight)
Bout 7: Emiliano Sordi (22-8) vs. Chris Camozzi (25-14) (Light Heavyweight)
Preliminary Card (5:30PM EST) (ESPN+)Â
Bout 6: Magomed Magomedkerimov (27-5) vs. Joao Zeferino (24-9) (Welterweight)
Bout 5: Smealinho Rama (11-5-1) vs. Jordan Young (11-1) (Light Heavyweight)
Bout 4: Cezar Ferreira (13-8) vs. Nick Roehrick (9-1) (Light Heavyweight)
Bout 3: Gleison Tibau (34-14) vs. Alexey Kunchenko (20-2) (Welterweight)
Bout 2: Sadibou Sy (8-5-2) vs. Nikolay Aleksakhin (26-5) (Welterweight)
Bout 1: Dan Spohn (18-7) vs. Marthin Hamlet (6-1) (Light Heavyweight)
Knockdown News 