All First-Round Matchups Set for 2025 PFL World Tournament

The first-round matchups are in place for Professional Fighters League’s new tournament format.

The promotion on Tuesday officially unveiled the pairings for the eight-fighter brackets at heavyweight, light heavyweight, middleweight, welterweight, lightweight, featherweight, bantamweight and women’s flyweight. Each first-round event includes a four-fight main card and prelims featuring additional tournament and alternate fights. The four events will all be held at Universal Studios Florida, Stage 19.

The tournament will kick off with welterweights and featherweights on April 3 with a card headlined by a 170-pound clash between former Bellator champions Jason Jackson and Andrey Koreshkov. In the co-main event, 2023 PFL featherweight champ Gabriel Braga will lock horns with former Bellator title challenger Adam Borics.

The next event takes place on April 11, with women’s flyweights and men’s bantamweights getting the tournament spotlight. The card is headlined by a 135-pound showdown between two-time Bellator title challengerMagomed Magomedov and UFC veteran Leandro Higo. In the co-main event, 2024 PFL finalist Taila Santos will collide with ex-Bellator queen Juliana Velasquez at 125 pounds.

On April 18, middleweight and lightweight brackets will get underway with a event topped by a 185-pound tilt pitting former PFL light heavyweight champ Impa Kasanganay against two-time Bellator title challenger Fabian Edwards. In the co-headliner, former Bellator No. 1 contender Alexandr Shabliy will face 2024 PFL finalist Brent Primus at 155 pounds.

Finally, light heavyweights and heavyweights will close out the tournament’s opening round on May 1. Former Bellator champ Phil Davis will square off against 2022 PFL winner Rob Wilkinson in the evening’s featured bout at 205 pounds, while former Bellator interim heavyweight king Valentin Moldavsky will meet Sergey Bilostenniy in the heavyweight co-main event.

2025 PFL World Tournament 1: First Round Main Card:
ESPN2 and ESPN+ (U.S.) | DAZN (Europe & Canada)
Thursday, April 3 - 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT

Welterweight First Round Bout: Jason Jackson vs. Andrey Koreshkov
Featherweight First Round Bout: Jesus Pinedo vs. Adam Borics
Welterweight First Round Bout: Magomed Umalatov vs. Logan Storley
Featherweight First Round Bout: Jeremy Kennedy vs. Movlid Khaybulaev

2025 PFL World Tournament 1: First Round Early Card:
ESPN+ (U.S.) | DAZN (Europe & Canada)
Thursday, April 3 - 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT

Welterweight First Round Bout: Mukhamed Berkhamov vs. Florim Zendeli
Featherweight First Round Bout: Gabriel Braga vs. Yves Landu
Welterweight First Round Bout: Giannis Bachar vs. Masayuki Kikuiri
Featherweight First Round Bout: Nathan Kelly vs. Tae Kyun Kim
Welterweight Alternate Bout: Joseph Luciano vs. Thad Jean
Featherweight Alternate Bout: Frederik Dupras vs. Nathan Ghareeb

2025 PFL World Tournament 2: First Round Main Card:
ESPN2 and ESPN+ (U.S.) | DAZN (Europe & Canada)
Friday, April 11 - 11 p.m. ET/8 p.m. PT

Bantamweight First Round Bout: Magomed Magomedov vs. Leandro Higo
Women’s Flyweight First Round Bout: Taila Santos vs. Juliana Velasquez
Bantamweight First Round Bout: Sarvarjon Khamidov vs. Jake Hadley
Bantamweight First Round Bout: Ciaran Clarke vs. Kasum Kasumov

2025 PFL World Tournament 2: First Round Early Card:
ESPN+ (U.S.) | DAZN (Europe & Canada)
Friday, April 11 - 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT

Women’s Flyweight First Round Bout: Liz Carmouche vs. Ilara Joanne
Bantamweight First Round Bout: Ali Taleb vs. Zebenzui Ruiz
Women’s Flyweight First Round Bout: Kana Watanabe vs. Jena Bishop
Women’s Flyweight First Round Bout: Elora Dana vs. Diana Avsaragova
Bantamweight Alternate Bout: Francesco Nuzzi vs. Matheus Mattos
Women’s Flyweight Alternate Bout: Ekaterina Shakalova vs. Saray Orozco

2025 PFL World Tournament 3: First Round Main Card:
ESPN and ESPN+ (U.S.) | DAZN (Europe & Canada)
Friday, April 18 - 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT

Middleweight First Round Bout: Impa Kasanganay vs. Fabian Edwards
Lightweight First Round Bout: Alexandr Shabliy vs. Brent Primus
Lightweight First Round Bout: Gadzhi Rabadanov vs. Marc Diakiese
Lightweight First Round Bout: Mads Burnell vs. Jay-Jay Wilson

2025 PFL World Tournament 3: First Round Early Card:
ESPN+ (U.S.) | DAZN (Europe & Canada)
Friday, April 18 - 4:30 pm ET/1:30 p.m. PT

Middleweight First Round Bout: Sadibou Sy vs. Dalton Rosta
Middleweight First Round Bout: Joshua Silveira vs. Mike Shipman
Lightweight First Round Bout: Clay Collard vs. Alfie Davis
Middleweight First Round Bout: Aaron Jeffery vs. Murad Ramazanov
Middleweight Alternate Bout: Khalid Murtazaliev vs. Jordan Newman
Lightweight Alternate Bout: Sergio Cossio vs. Robert Watley

2025 PFL World Tournament 4: First Round Main Card:
ESPN2 and ESPN+ (U.S.) | DAZN (Europe & Canada)
Thursday, May 1 - 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT

Light Heavyweight First Round Bout: Phil Davis vs. Rob Wilkinson
Heavyweight First Round Bout: Valentin Moldavsky vs. Sergey Bilostenniy
Light Heavyweight First Round Bout: Antonio Carlos Jr. vs. Karl Moore
Light Heavyweight First Round Bout: Karl Albrektsson vs. Simeon Powell

2025 PFL World Tournament 4: First Round Early Card:
ESPN+ (U.S.) | DAZN (Europe & Canada)
Thursday, May 1 - 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT

Heavyweight First Round Bout: Alexander Romanov vs. Tim Johnson
Heavyweight First Round Bout: Linton Vassell vs. Oleg Popov
Light Heavyweight First Round Bout: Sullivan Cauley vs. Marcelo Nunes
Heavyweight First Round Bout: Pouya Rahmani vs. Abraham Bably
Light Heavyweight Alternate Bout: Alex Polizzi vs. Rafael Xavier