PFL Playoffs Shift to New York City for Aug. 18 and Aug. 23 Events

The Professional Fighters League’s 2023 playoffs will wrap up in New York City over the span of six days.

Via press release, the organization announced Thursday that it would be staging its second and third playoff events for the 2023 season in Aug. 18 and Aug. 23. Those two shows will post up inside of The Theater at Madison Square Garden – the recently renamed Hulu Theater – in New York. That Friday the 18th, heavyweights and women’s featherweights will decide the finalists. Five days later on the 23rd, the league will put up its welterweight and lightweight divisions to determine the final combatants up for the $1 million prize.

PFL CEO Peter Murray touched on returning to this venue, one that the PFL has made a second home out of the last few years, stating, “The PFL is thrilled to return to New York City and the ‘World's Most Famous Arena’ with two nights of PFL Playoff action. On August 18 and August 23, the world's best fighters will enter the PFL Smartcage with a trip to the 2023 PFL World Championship on the line. The PFL Regular Season has led to these critical moments, where elite athletes move one step closer to their $1 million dreams.”

On June 16, the heavyweights and women’s featherweights will determine who makes it to those playoffs, with PFL 5 pitting the various combatants against one another for playoff points. Currently, Denis Goltsov leads the pack of big men with six points courtesy of his first-round drubbing of Cezar Ferreira. Maurice Greene, who will headline PFL 5 against former champ Ante Delija, holds five points alone in second place. The only other heavyweight with points is Danilo Marques, who picked up a decision over Yorgan De Castro, as both Bruno Cappelozza and Rizvan Kuniev failed post-fight drug tests.

Over in the women’s bracket, no fighters tested positive for banned substances, so the bracket currently sees five ladies holding points. Amber Leibrock sits in the pole position with six points after wrecking Martina Jindrova. In second place currently, Marina Mokhnatkina serves as the only other female fighter to procure a stoppage, as she put Yoko Higashi away with strikes in Round 2 of their April meeting. Both Larissa Pacheco and Evelyn Martins celebrate 3 points apiece, while Olena Kolesnyk has just two after she missed weight and still beat Aspen Ladd by majority decision. The top four scoring combatants from each weight class earn a spot in the playoffs, which will then determine the finalists that will compete at a date and location to be announced.