2023 in Professional Fighters League
This is a list of events and standings for the Professional Fighters League, a mixed martial arts organization based in the United States, for the 2023 season.
Events
The PFL 2023 season started off with three shows planned in Las Vegas, Nevada, making a return to the city for the first time in three years. The first show aired on April 1, 2023, with the two subsequent shows airing on the Fridays afterward, on April 7 and 14.The second half of the regular season was held in Atlanta, Georgia, on June 8, June 16 and June 23.
The first playoff event, PFL 7, was held in San Antonio, Texas on August 4, and two following playoff events in New York City, New York on August 18 and 23, respectively. The season finals were held in Washington, D.C., on November 24.
PFL Challenger Series
PFL Challenger Series is an American mixed martial arts promotion. Young and up-and-coming male and female MMA prospects will compete for a slot in the PFL tournament season and a chance at $1 million. Each week, the PFL Challenger Series will consist of a celebrity guest panel featuring personalities in film, athletics, and music. The PFL Challenger Series will debut on fuboTV. The eight events will stream on consecutive Friday nights starting Feb. 18, and run through March. It will also air on its linear network, Fubo Sports Network.2023 Contract Winners:HW: Abraham Bably, Denzel FreemanLHW: Impa KasanganayWW: Thad JeanLW: Elvin EspinozaFW: Brahyan ZurcherW FW: Amanda LeveW FLY: ''Desiree Yanez''
PFL Europe
Starting in 2023, PFL Europe will feature the top emerging European MMA fighters, and will be broadcast during prime local hours with all events staged in Europe. The format will follow the same as the regular PFL Season, with the winner receiving a $100,000 prize and a chance to earn a spot in the 2024 PFL regular season.Playoffs
2023 PFL Heavyweight playoffs
- Marcelo Nunes was originally scheduled to face Renan Ferreira but was unable to continue in the tournament. He was replaced by #5 ranked Maurice Greene.
2023 PFL Light Heavyweight playoffs
2023 PFL Welterweight playoffs
- Magomed Umalatov was originally scheduled to face Magomed Magomedkerimov but was unable to continue in the tournament. He was replaced by #5 ranked Solomon Renfro.
2023 PFL Lightweight playoffs
2023 PFL Featherweight playoffs
- Movlid Khaybulaev was originally scheduled to face Gabriel Braga but was unable to continue in the tournament. He was replaced by #5 ranked Chris Wade.
2023 PFL Women's Featherweight playoffs
Standings
The PFL points system is based on results of the match. The winner of a fight receives 3 points. If the fight ends in a draw, both fighters will receive 1 point. A no-contest will be scored as a draw. The bonus for winning a fight in the first, second, or third round is 3 points, 2 points, and 1 point respectively. The bonus for winning in the third round requires a fight be stopped before 4:59 of the third round. No bonus point will be awarded if a fighter wins via decision. For example, if a fighter wins a fight in the first round, then the fighter will receive 6 total points. A decision win will result in three total points. If a fighter misses weight, the opponent will receive 3 points due to a walkover victory, regardless of winning or losing the bout, with the fighter who missed weight being deducted 1 standings point; if the non-offending fighter subsequently wins with a stoppage, all bonus points will be awarded. A fighter who was unable to compete for any reason, will receive a 1-pointpenalty. The fighters who made weight will not receive a walkover, but will earn points and contracted purse amounts based on their performance in the altered matchup.
Nine PFL fighters were suspended by the Nevada State Athletic Commission after failing drug tests; which included former UFC title challenger Thiago Santos and former PFL heavyweight champion Bruno Cappelozza. Additional fighters impacted by the suspensions are Krzysztof Jotko, Rizvan Kuniev, Mohammed Fakhreddine, Cezar Ferreira, and Will Fleury. Two featherweight season fighters, Alejandro Flores and Daniel Torres, were also suspended. In light of fighter suspensions, they were all removed from the season after the first round of bouts.