Round 2 of the 2023 NFL Championship regular season is set to begin June 8 as the promotion has announced matches for the first card scheduled to take place in Atlanta, Georgia.
The PFL may be removing less than two weeks of first-round matches, but they show no sign of slowing down as the promotion announced its first set of matches for their upcoming card on June 8 for the start of round two. circular.
Heading the card will be defending Featherweight Champion Brendan Loughnan (27-4) against Peruvian producer Jesus Penedo (20-6-1). On the heels of winning the title last fall, Loughnan wasted little time establishing himself in 2023 as he dismantled former UFC title challenger Marlon Moraes in the season opener earlier this month. Penedo enters the game seeking his first win under the PFL banner as he dropped a split decision to Gabriel Alves Braga in the season opener. A UFC veteran who split between two fights in the Octagon between 2018 and 2019, Pinedo’s career has seen him compete largely in his native Peru to become one of the more experienced new faces of the 2023 season.
In the joint title, defending heavyweight champion “Razor” Rob Wilkinson (18-2) faces Will Florey (12-3) who is looking to make a statement after his successful season opener earlier this month. Wilkinson kicked off the tournament with a assertive takedown of UFC veteran Thiago Santos while Fleury got the nod over Krzysztof Gutko in a split decision earlier on the main card. Notably, the two will likely have a lot of ground to cover as they are tied by three points each. Fellow lightweights Marthyn Hamlet and Josh Silvera have twice as many points with six meaning there is a scenario where Wilkinson and/or Fleury could be eliminated from the playoffs with a forfeit.
The card will also include the aforementioned Thiago Santos (22-12) seeking his first win in the Pro Football League when he takes on Mohamed Fakhreddine (15-5) of Lebanon in a match where both men are in a must-see position to keep them. Hopes their surname survives. In another marquee move, 2021 Featherweight Champion Movlid Khaybulaev (20-0-1) will continue his run towards the playoffs when he takes on former KSW Champion Daniel Torres (14-6) who will need to pull off an epic upset to keep his team going. Special tournament hopes alive.
The card will also feature a pair of lightweight exhibition bouts with Challenger Series veteran Abigail Montes and Alexei Pergande competing against yet to be announced opponents.
The full fight card is as follows:
ESPN Card:
- Brendan Lovnan vs. Jesus Penedo
- Robert Wilkinson vs. Will Flory
- Thiago Santos vs Mohamed Fakhruddin
- Movled Khaibolaev vs. Daniel Torres
- Martin Hamlet vs. Sam K
ESPN + Card:
- Joshua Sylvia vs. Dylan Monty
- Bubba Jenkins vs Joe Sungbeen
- Christopher Gutko vs. You are Flores
- Alexandre Flores vs. Marlon Morris
- Chris Wade vs. Ryuji Kudo
- Abigail Montes vs. TBA Show
- Alexi Bergandy vs. TBA Show
The event of June 8, PFL 4, as well as subsequent events on the 16th and 23rd are scheduled to take place at the Overtime Elite Arena in Atlanta, Georgia.