Impa Kasanganay | Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images
The 2024 PFL Playoffs are all set.
On Tuesday, the PFL announced the dates, location, and fight information for its 2024 playoff schedule, with PFL 7, 8, and 9 all set to take place this August at three different locations across the United States.
The first playoff event, PFL 7, takes place on Aug. 2 at the Nashville Municipal Auditorium in Nashville, TN and will feature fights for the heavyweight and women’s flyweight divisions. In the main event, Denis Goltsov (34-8) takes on Tim Johnson (18-9), with Dakota Ditcheva (12-0) vs. Jena Bishop (7-1) serving as the co-main event. Also on the main card, Oleg Popov (18-1) faces Linton Vassell (25-9) and Liz Carmouche (22-7) takes on Taila Santos (21-3).
PFL 8 takes place two weeks later on Aug. 17 at the Hard Rock Live in Hollywood, Fla., featuring the light heavyweight and lightweight playoffs. The main event features a rematch of the 2023 light heavyweight tournament when reigning champion Impa Kasanganay (17-4) rematches Josh Silveira (13-3). In the co-main event, Rob Wilkinson (19-2) faces Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov (23-7-1), while Gadzhi Rabadanov (22-4-1) vs. Michael Dufort (13-5) and former Bellator lightweight champion Brent Primus (14-3) vs. Clay Collard (25-13) rounds out the main card.
The playoffs will then conclude at PFL 9 on Aug. 23 at The Anthem in Washington D.C., where the welterweight and featherweight divisions will compete. 2022 featherweight champion Brendan Loughnane (29-5) takes on Kai Kamaka (14-5-1) in the main event, while Magomed Umalatov (16-0) faces Don Madge (11-5-1) in the co-main. Also on the main card, Gabriel Braga (14-1) faces Timur Khizriev (16-0) and Shamil Musaev (18-0-1) battles Murad Ramazanov (12-1).
All of these fights lead up to the 2024 PFL Championship which will take place later this year.
In an attempt to execute a wheelie, Sean Strickland managed to completely trash his motorcycle and sustain some injuries to himself in the process.
Strickland is an adrenaline junkie who loves to do all kinds of crazy things. Chasing trespassers with a gun or having a firework fight weeks before his UFC title clash are just some of the many wild headlines that have surrounded his name.
Now, Sean Strickland finds himself in the news once again. This time, he has managed to cause damage to one of his most prized possessions — his motorcycle.
After numerous attempts, the former UFC champion had finally found the balance point. This enabled him to ride his bike and wheelie simultaneously.
However, it didn’t take too long before Strickland’s joy-ride turned sour. Unfortunately for the controversial middleweight, he was just getting the hang of his new-found skill before disaster struck.
@stricklandmma on Instagram
Not long after, Strickland’s inner thrill-seeker pushed the limits too far.
As stated by the man himself on his Instagram story, he went a little too far back while performing the stunt and lost control. This resulted in both him and his motorcycle being damaged.
Finally hit the balance point…
Then I didn't lol pic.twitter.com/nTKYyKkZI9
— Sean Strickland (@SStricklandMMA) July 8, 2024
@stricklandmma on Instagram
@stricklandmma on Instagram
In typical Sean Strickland fashion, he still turned up to training with his new collection of cuts and bruises.
Related: Sean Strickland caught on tape throwing urine
What’s next for Sean Strickland?
After dropping his title in a razor-close decision loss to Dricus Du Plessis, Sean Strickland has been eyeing another shot at UFC gold.
His chances of being next in line for the champion only increased when he beat Paulo Costa at UFC 302.
Reports suggested that a potential fight against Robert Whittaker could be in the works to crown the rightful number-one contender, but Sean Strickland rejected that proposal.
According to Strickland, he deserves to be next in line for a title shot. He recently announced his future fighting plans on social media.
I keep getting asked to fight whittaker. I beat Izzy, the world knows I beat dricus.
Whittaker lost to both.
I am the number 1 contender, I defended that spot easily against Costa.
Paddy Pimblett | Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images
Paddy Pimblett doesn’t just want to beat Bobby Green. He wants to make him tap out.
UFC 304 is just weeks away and Pimblett and Green are set to collide at the pay-per-view event, with plenty on the line for both lightweights. Pimblett looks to keep his unblemished UFC record intact, while Green has the chance to derail the popular Scouser’s hype train.
There is plenty of bad blood between the two, though they disagree on who started it. In a recent YouTube video, Pimblett claimed that it’s Green who started them on this path and that he has a challenge for the standout striker.
“Bobby makes me laugh,” Pimblett said. “Makes me laugh the way he keeps saying, ‘Paddy mentioned me first.’ Lad, someone reminded me about this yesterday. Remember when I was in San Diego with my wife? And you were sitting two rows behind me. Videoing on Instagram live the back of my head, talking shit about me. Didn’t have the balls to come over and say nothing to my face. So who was talking about who first, lad? Definitely weren’t me. You was talking about me in 2021, 2022.
“But I also seen a story the other week, him saying, ‘Anyone can knock anyone out with a lucky punch. But Paddy, you’re saying you’re gonna submit me. You can’t submit me.’ Grapple with me then, lad. Back your word up. We both know that you can strike even though you’ve got no power. We both know that I’ll strike with you and that you can get knocked out. Grapple with me. Let’s see if you’ve got the balls to grapple with me after saying I won’t submit you. Come on. Let’s see.”
Pimblett has been in his fair share of back-and-forth standup battles since debuting with the UFC in 2021, but “The Baddy” has primarily been known for his grappling throughout his career. He owns nine career submission victories and aims to make Green the 10th.
On the other side, Green has proven to be incredibly difficult to submit throughout his career, with only two such losses on his record and the most recent occurring back in 2009. Coincidentally, Green also has nine wins by submission on his résumé, though with far more matches under his belt (49 to Pimblett’s 24).
Should the majority of their fight play out on the feet, Pimblett is prepared for that scenario as well.
“Just done a little fight run-through there with Liam, Liam Molloy, who’s a marvelous southpaw striker,” Pimblett said. “And he’s been doing Bobby Green’s style for me for the last couple of weeks in camp. To be honest, I think he’s a better striker than Bobby Green. He’s got better hands, got a longer reach. That fight run-through there, everything we’ve been working on, putting into practice, is working. And I just can’t wait to get in the cage and fight.
“I feel the fittest I’ve ever felt. Everything’s starting to fall into place at the right time. Weight’s dropped quite a bit this week. Dropped a couple of kilo. You can probably see it in my face. My fitness is great. I done six rounds of sparring yesterday. Six fives. Can’t wait to show everyone the improvements I’ve made over the last seven months since I fought Tony [Ferguson].”
Watch Pimblett’s UFC 304 vlog below.
UFC 304 takes place at Co-op Live in Manchester, England, on July 27.
One day “Iron” appears resolute in his decision to wait for Conor McGregor to make his “Notorious” return. Other days, the former Bellator lightweight champion is soliciting high-profile showdowns with “BMF” baddies like Max Holloway.
Or perhaps former UFC welterweight Nate Diaz.
Sit down, Ron… better idea – me and @NateDiaz209 fight like real men, while Conor sits on a yacht and watches on PPV in his slippers. #ufcnoche #riyadhseason https://t.co/VKR7MFAdg2
— Michael Chandler (@MikeChandlerMMA) July 9, 2024
Luring Diaz back to UFC could take “millions and millions” of dollars.
“The new ‘Where’s Waldo’ — the Mac Daddy had a great run though,” Chandler told Twitter fans who expect McGregor to retire. “Instill fear … let him pull out of the fight and embarrass himself [and I’ll] be known as the guy who retired McGregor without ever throwing a punch.”
McGregor, 35, was expected to fight Chandler atop the UFC 303 fight card last month in Las Vegas, but was forced to withdraw after breaking his pinky toe. A definitive timeline for his “Notorious” return has yet to be determined.
Since Ronda Rousey first exploded onto the scene and helped usher women’s fighting into the UFC, there have been no shortage of marquee moments for women in the octagon.
Lately, however, there’s been a slightly different feeling as a cloud of negativity has seemed to surround the women’s divisions in the UFC. Perhaps part of that stems from inactivity, with the flyweight title sitting dormant for the better part of the past year and the bantamweight title seemingly not seeing action again until the final months of 2024.
The one constant has been the strawweight division, where Zhang Weili still rules with an iron fist, but even her five-round battle with Yan Xiaonan at the historic UFC 300 card was largely overshadowed after following Max Holloway’s victory over Justin Gaethje with one of the all-time great finishes in UFC history.
That same chatter lately regarding women’s MMA was much the same when the main event for UFC Denver was originally announced as Rose Namajunas vs. Maycee Barber. But the mood seemingly changed when Barber fell out and was replaced by Tracy Cortez, who comes into the matchup on an 11-fight win streak and undefeated in the UFC.
“I think it’s one of those things where everyone’s waiting for the next Ronda [Rousey], for the next Joanna [Jedzrejczyk], someone incredible like [Zhang] Weili to stay on top and prove themselves,” Cortez said Monday on The MMA Hour. “Someone like Rose to ride that the way Ronda did, or even myself now that I’m here.
“But I did see the shift [toward negativity] and I don’t know why. I don’t know why women’s MMA is getting bashed recently the way it is, but hopefully July 13 we put on a great show, an exciting show, and we give the crowd what they want. Get them excited again for women’s MMA.”
For her personally, Cortez believes part of the attraction she has with fans comes down to her own demeanor and the way she carries herself both inside and outside the cage. That authenticity seems to connect with people, and perhaps that led to some of the fanfare Cortez received after she got the main event slot against Namajunas on Saturday.
“I think the fans feel me, at least me personally as a fighter, as a person. The message I try to [get] across on my social media is there’s purpose behind what I do,” Cortez said. “I’m not just fighting to fight. There’s purpose. There’s meaning.
“I’m very, very intentional with the way my life is. I don’t know. I think it’s one of those things, because it even caught me by surprise.”
As far as becoming the next Rousey, who at her peak was right alongside Conor McGregor as the two biggest stars in the sport, Cortez had nothing but praise for the former UFC women’s bantamweight champion.
Since leaving UFC, Rousey has openly admitted a bit of a love-hate relationship with MMA. She went as far as saying she hasn’t attended any events because she knows she would get bombarded by boos from the fans.
Don’t expect Cortez to join in that chorus of jeers. She holds Rousey in very high regard, even if she hopes to one day surpass some of the records Rousey set in the UFC.
“I’m very grateful for the way Ronda paved the way for women’s MMA,” Cortez said. “No one has done it like she has.
“But I say this humbly, I hope to surpass that. She set a goal and I think us as competitors want to keep overstepping these goals and overdoing what our last heroes did. I saw the way she moved, and [I am] finessing and tweaking and making it my own, and hoping to surpass what she has done.”
Cortez knows those are lofty ambitions, but much like stepping into Saturday’s main event on short notice, the 30-year-old flyweight welcomes the challenge.
“I thrive off of pressure,” Cortez said. “I’ve always been judged and overlooked and I’m just a pretty face. I’m here now. The record speaks for itself. I thrive off of it. I love it. I genuinely love the pressure. I feel like I perform, I embrace it to the fullest.”
Marc Goddard wanted nothing to do with Israel Adesanya’s UFC rematch with Alex Pereira.
Goddard is considered by many to be one of the UFC’s most respected referees, often acting as the third man in the Octagon for some of the biggest fights in the promotion’s history. That includes his role in the UFC 281 encounter between former middleweight world champions Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira.
On that night, ‘The Last Stylebender’ surrendered the 185-pound crown to his GLORY Kickboxing foe via a shocking fifth-round knockout. However, the stoppage was the subject of some criticism with many suggesting that Goddard stepped in too early and should have allowed Adesanya more time to recover.
Adesanya himself was also critical of the stoppage, prompting Goddard to request that he not be involved in their rematch at UFC 287 five months later.
“Do you remember when Israel Adesanya fought Alex Pereira for the second time in Miami? I specifically requested not to do that fight [too],” Goddard said during an appearance on the Overdogs Podcast.
“Me and him are [fine], I’ve refereed him since, I’ve refereed his fight with Sean Strickland, but I actually removed myself because what I didn’t want to do was walk in the dressing room, I was thinking of the fighter then, this is his night, it’s all about him. I didn’t want to walk into that dressing room and him to have any form of negative connotations or something like that.”
“So, I just thought that the right thing to do and the fairest thing to do by him is just stay out of the fight and give it to another ref. There’s been a couple of incidences where there’s [been] certain fighters that I would rather not [officiate] for personal reasons” (h/t Bloody Elbow).
Marc Goddard will never referee a Leon Edwards fight
Goddard also revealed during the conversation that there is one specific fighter you will never see him in the Octagon with, though for a very different reason.
“Here’s a classic case, Leon Edwards — you’ve never seen me referee Leon Edwards in the UFC and you never will, why? Because I was Leon Edwards’ first MMA coach,” Goddard revealed.
“[That was] way, way back when he was an amateur but it’s a common-sense element for me, even though the link is so [dated], who knew then when Leon first walked in… But you’ve never saw me referee him and you never will because we just keep it out of the way.”
Outside of the obvious reasons, Goddard also explained that he doesn’t want to find himself “in a predicament where I’m making a call that could go against him so it’s both ways.”
Footage of social media influencer Bhad Bhabie being abused by her baby father recently surfaced and Ryan Garcia hasn’t taken it well.
‘King’ Ryan was recently banned from boxing for one year after he allegedly took a banned substance. The ban came after his brilliant performance against Devin Haney, but he has now found a new way to feed his fighting urges.
The controversial Ryan Garcia has sprung to the defense of popular internet personality Danielle Bregoli — otherwise known as Bhad Bhabie.
Sickening footage recently surfaced, showing the 21-year-old being violently abused by her baby father. The man can be seen dragging her to the ground by her hair on multiple occasions during the 20-second clip.
Garcia saw the video on social media and immediately jumped to the victim’s defense.
I’m banned from boxing but not beating his ass https://t.co/ZjoIKwlizC
— RYAN GARCIA (@RyanGarcia) July 7, 2024
More images were later released, showing the just how much pain Danielle Bregoli had to endure.
Understandably, those pictures didn’t sit right with Ryan Garcia who then again offered a helping hand. Making a pun on Bregoli’s initial rise to fame, Garcia promised that the abuser doesn’t want to ‘catch him outside’.
I got you Danielle, just let me catch that guy outside https://t.co/lmkvaj68xJ
— RYAN GARCIA (@RyanGarcia) July 7, 2024
Related: Ryan Garcia makes huge Sean O’Malley fight proposal
Since becoming a viral meme, Danielle Bregoli managed to use the new-found fame to her advantage and is now an incredibly successful businesswoman.
Since her appearance on Dr. Phil in 2016, Bregoli found success in several different lines of work. Firstly, she made a name for herself in the music industry under the Bhad Bhabie stage name before branching out into other money-making avenues.
According to the woman herself, she made a ridiculous amount of money through the online subscription service OnlyFans. Bregoli brought a core following to the platform and reportedly made a staggering $ 18 million in her very first month on the site.
She has since became a mother to a daughter, giving birth in March earlier this year.
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