Two-time PFL Lightweight Champion Kayla Harrison will begin her campaign towards a third consecutive title on May 6th, facing Marina Mokhnatkina in the main event of a card from the eSports Arena in Arlington, Texas, USA.
The headlining fight, along with an entire 11-fight card was revealed by the PFL on Tuesday. The event is set to be the first of two regular-season events that will include PFL’s men’s welterweight and women’s lightweight divisions.
Harrison is entering the 2022 season with an undefeated record of 12 wins. She scored four victories last year, with all of those performances ending via stoppage.
Mokhnatkina will be competing in her first-ever full PFL season. She appeared once in the promotion last year, earning a win over Claudia Zamora.
2021 PFL Welterweight Champion Ray Cooper III will return in the co-main event against undefeated prospect Magomed Umalatov.
Cooper III earned his first PFL title last year after competing for three seasons in the promotion. He finished the season last year in poetic fashion, avenging a loss against Magomed Magomedkerimov with a third-round finish win.
He’s now set to face Umalatov, who is entering the promotion with a flawless pro record of 11 wins since turning pro in 2015.
While most of the card is focused on men’s welterweight and women’s lightweight fights, there is also a fight between men’s lightweight fighters Anthony Pettis and Myles Price on the main card.
The fight between Pettis and Price was first scheduled for the promotion’s season opener on April 20th. It is not known at the moment why it has been moved.
The main card is scheduled to be headlined by a welterweight fight between former Bellator champion Rory MacDonald and veteran Brett Cooper. MacDonald was a semi-finalist last year, getting eliminated from the bracket by 2021 winner Cooper III.
Full Card
Seven more bouts are expected to take place during the prelims for PFL’s third event of the year. This lineup includes 2018 Champion Magomed Magomedkerimov and former Bellator Featherweight Champion Julia Budd.
Here’s the lineup:
Main Card
Bout 11: Kayla Harrison (12-0) vs. Marina Mokhnatkina (6-2) (Lightweight)
Bout 10: Ray Cooper III (24-7-1) vs. Magomed Umalatov (11-0) (Welterweight)
Bout 9: Anthony Pettis (24-12) vs. Myles Price (11-7) (Lightweight)
Bout 8: Rory MacDonald (22-8-1) vs. Brett Cooper (28-15) (Welterweight)
Preliminary Card
Bout 7: Magomed Magomedkerimov (29-6) vs. Joao Zeferino (26-9) (Welterweight)
Bout 6: Genah Fabian (4-2) vs. Julia Budd (16-3) (Lightweight)
Bout 5: Sadibou Sy (9-6-2) vs. Nikolai Aleksakhin (26-6) (Welterweight)
Bout 4: Larissa Pacheco (15-4) vs. Zamzagul Fayzallanova (7-1) (Lightweight)
Bout 3: Gleison Tibau (36-15) vs. Jarrah Al-Silawi (17-3) (Welterweight)
Bout 2: Olena Kolesnyk (5-4) vs. Abigail Montes (3-0) (Lightweight)
Bout 1: Vanessa Melo (11-8) vs. Martina Jindrova (4-2) (Lightweight)
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