Anthony Pettis‘ playoff future is on the line. So is Lance Palmer‘s. Their tension-laden storylines are highlights on Friday’s PFL 6 (Live on ESPN+; 10 p.m. ET, ESPN 2) card, which wraps up the regular season as four divisions lock up their playoff brackets.
The event in Atlantic City, New Jersey, is headlined by lightweight Kayla Harrison, but the two-time Olympic judo gold medalist is in good playoff position going into her women’s lightweight bout against Cindy Dandois.
Pettis, the former UFC lightweight champion signed by the PFL this season, lost his season-opening bout in April, and he needs to finish Raush Manfio in order to make the playoffs.
Palmer, the PFL’s featherweight champion in both of the promotion’s seasons — 2018 and 2019 — needs a finish as well, and he needs his to happen within the first two rounds. That will be a formidable challenge, as he will be facing a fighter, Movlid Khaybulaev, who has never lost.
Finally, there’s the heavyweight division, which is led by three fighters who earned finishes at PFL 3: Bruno Cappelozza and Denis Goltsov, who each have 6 points following first-round stoppages, followed by Brandon Sayles, who ended his fight in Round 2. With both Fabricio Werdum and Mohamed Usman sidelined, among other, there are four fresh faces among those looking to punch their tickets to the playoffs.
Follow along throughout the night as we break down the action, as it happens.
Women’s lightweight: Kaitlin Young (3 points) vs. Mariana Morais (0 points)
Fight in progress…
Heavyweight: Jamelle Jones (6 points) def. Klidson Abreu (0 points) by first-round KO
Jones was making his PFL debut kicking off the final regular-season card, and with only one fight to accumulate points to qualify for the playoffs, he needed to make a bold statement and do it quickly if he was going to have any chance of continuing his 2021 campaign. He did exactly that, setting the bar high for the heavyweights still to come.
The 33-year-old from Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, was in with an opponent who had 10 submissions, but Jones showed no reluctance to taking the fight to the canvas and keeping it there. He got a quick takedown and immediately began landing big shots, even when Abreu put him in full guard. Jones didn’t stop dropping big leather until the Brazilian rolled over, immobile, and referee Gary Copeland jumped in to end it at 1:43.
The quick TKO gave Jones 6 points, putting him in prime position to make the playoffs. For now.
Still to come:
ESPN2, 10 p.m. ET | Watch
Women’s lightweight: Kayla Harrison vs. Cindy Dandois
Lightweight: Anthony Pettis vs. Raush Manfio
Men’s lightweight: Lance Palmer vs. Movlid Khaybulaev
Heavyweight: Denis Goltsov vs. Brandon Sayles
ESPN+ | Watch
Heavyweight: Bruno Cappelozza vs. Muhammed Dereese
Women’s lightweight: Larissa Pacheco vs. Olena Kolesnyk
Heavyweight: Ante Delija vs. Chandler Cole
Women’s lightweight: Genah Fabian vs. Julija Pajic
Heavyweight: Renan Ferreira vs. Carl Seumanutafa
Women’s lightweight: Taylor Guardado vs. Laura Sanchez