Tyrell Fortune, Oleg Popov Receive New Opponents at PFL 4 on June 13

Two heavyweight bouts have undergone changes heading into the second leg of Professional Fighters League’s 2024 season.

Daniel James has withdrawn from a proposed bout against Tyrell Fortune at PFL 4 on June 13. As a result, Marcelo Golm will step in and face Fortune in a regular season bout at heavyweight. Meanwhile, Oleg Popov will now face Davion Franklin after original foe Marcelo Nunes pulled out of their clash on the same card. Sherdog.com confirmed the updated heavyweight bouts with a promotion official following an initial report from MMAjunkie.com.

PFL 4 takes place at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut, and features regular season bouts at heavyweight and women’s flyweight. In the evening’s main event, Valentin Moldavsky will square off against Linton Vassell.

Fortune and James were supposed to meet at PFL 1 before Fortune withdrew from the event. Fortune was also previously slated to lock horns with Golm at Bellator 301 before an illness forced the Brazilian out of the fight. This will be Fortune’s PFL debut and first bout since a DQ triumph over Sergey Bilostenniy at Bellator 294 in April 2023.

Golm, meanwhile, faced James in a rematch at PFL 1, falling via technical knockout at the 4:59 mark of Round 1. The 31-year-old Sao Paulo native also fought James one bout prior, losing via third-round TKO at Bellator 293.

Popov has lost just once in 18 professional outings. The Russian is coming off a second-round stoppage of Steve Mowry at PFL 1. Popov has won 16 straight fights and hasn’t tasted defeat since November 2016.

Franklin will enter the PFL season on the heels of a loss to Slim Trabelsi in his last outing at Bellator 300, when he suffered a leg injury at the 3:01 mark of Round 1. “All Day” has compiled a 6-2 career mark while competing exclusively for Bellator.