2023 PFL Championship: Live stream, results, highlights and discussion

The culmination of PFL’s fifth-ever season will take place this Friday. Wrapping up a journey that kicked off in April and spanned 10 events in total, the promotion will host six title fights, among other bouts from The Anthem in Washington, D.C., USA this weekend.

Collard, Aubin-Mercier headline PFL PPV

While there are numerous title fights booked for PFL’s card this weekend, it will be the lightweight contest between Clay Collard and Olivier Aubin-Mercier that will get the main event spotlight. For Aubin-Mercier, the fight will give him a chance to tie Natan Schulte’s record for two season wins at lightweight. He will also be fighting to keep his winning streak alive, a run that has spanned nine fights since 2021, making it the longest of his 12-year career.

Collard will be trying to earn a PFL title for the first time through three seasons in the promotion. In 2021, he lost in the playoff semi-finals to Raush Manfio. Last year, he didn’t make it to the postseason after recording just one win early in the schedule. But this time, he’s competing in the finals after recording three consecutive wins since April.

Heavyweights, featherweights set for main card

In the co-main event, heavyweight finishers Renan Ferreira and Denis Goltsov will look to become first-time champions. Ferreira picked up two first-round wins this year, including a 50-second victory over Matheus Scheffel. Goltsov has similarly earned three wins this year, with none of them escaping the opening stanza. His quickest was a win over UFC alum Yorgan De Castro that lasted just 18 seconds.

They will also crown their first-ever women’s featherweight champion on the main card when Larissa Pacheco and Marina Mokhnatkina meet. The promotion had a lightweight division for women for three years but traded that in for a 145-pound class this year. Pacheco, the last champ at 155 pounds, will try to become a two-division champion. Mokhnatkina will enter this bout with the momentum of five consecutive wins since 2022.

PFL has some intriguing storylines taking place outside of their title fights as well. Appearing for the first time since suffering her first pro loss, two-time lightweight champion Kayla Harrison will meet Aspen Ladd. In the bout before that, Derek Brunson will make his first appearance since departing the UFC roster when he goes up against Ray Cooper III.

How will PFL close out their big 2023?

It’s been a newsworthy year for PFL. Whether it was their groundbreaking deals with Francis Ngannou and Bellator, or their trip to Nevada that ended with nine different fighters suffering suspensions due to the commission’s drug testing, the promotion has frequently been in headlines. It’s now time to see what stories can come out of their final major event of the year.

Here at BE, we’ll be following the results of the night as they come in. Keep tabs on this page, as here we will provide results and highlights as the evening progresses. Also, if you feel like discussing the show, join in the comment section, where we’ll be talking about the show all evening.

Results and highlights

Main Card (ESPN+ PPV)

• Olivier Aubin-Mercier def. Clay Collard via unanimous decision: PFL Lightweight Championship

• Renan Ferreira def. Denis Goltsov via TKO at 0:26 in Round 2: PFL Heavyweight Championship

• Larissa Pacheco def. Marina Mokhnatkina via unanimous decision: PFL Featherweight Championship

• Magomed Magomedkerimov def. Sadibou Sy via submission (guillotine choke) at 1:17 in Round 3: PFL Welterweight Championship

• Impa Kasanganay def. Josh Silveira via unanimous decision: PFL Light Heavyweight Championship
• Kayla Harrison def. Aspen Ladd via unanimous decision: Catchweight 150 lbs
• Derek Brunson def. Ray Cooper III via unanimous decision: Catchweight 187 lbs

Preliminary Card (ESPN+)

• Jesus Pinedo def. Gabriel Alves Braga via TKO at 0:58 in Round 3: PFL Featherweight Championship

• Biaggio Ali Walsh def. Joel Galarza Lopez via KO at 1:24 in Round 1: Amateur Lightweight

• Phil Caracappa def. Khai Wu via unanimous decision: Bantamweight
• Jesse Stirn def. Josh Blyden via unanimous decision: Catchweight 150 lbs

Live streams

To watch the preliminary portion of the 2023 PFL Championship, tune in to ESPN+. The main portion is on ESPN+ pay-per-view, which you can purchase through the streaming service for $49.99 USD.

You can access ESPN+ on the following devices:

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Jack Wannan

Jack Wannan is a reporter for Bloody Elbow. He joined the site in 2023 after previously writing for MMA-Prospects.com and Knockdown News. He is currently in the process of earning a bachelor's degree in journalism at Toronto Metropolitan University.

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