5 MUST-WATCH fights from PFL Champions vs Bellator Champions PPV card

July 22, 2024

PFL vs Bellator: Champs is one of the most anticipated fight cards of 2024. After the PFL acquired Bellator MMA, they set themselves on a mission to create exciting fight cards. The PFL vs Bellator: Champs is set for February 24, 2024, in Riyadh, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It has 12 fights, 7 in the main card and 5 in prelims, of which the opening fight is an amateur bout.

The event has big names like Vadim Nemkov, Bruno Cappelozza, Aaron Pico, Jesus Pinedo, Patricio Pitbull, Ray Cooper III, Jason Jackson, and even Biaggio Ali Walsh on his professional debut. However, the depth of the PFL vs Bellator: Champs is so deep that the fights of the aforementioned fighters could not get into the list of 5 must-watch fights of PFL Champions vs Bellator Champions PPV card. Here are the 5 must-watch fights from PFL vs Bellator: Champs.

5. AJ McKee vs Clay Collard

AJ McKee will lock horns with Clay Collard at lightweight in the main card opener of PFL vs Bellator: Champs. McKee is the Former Bellator featherweight champion with a three-fight win streak in MMA. On the other hand, Collard is the 2023 PFL Lightweight Tournament Finalist.

Sporting an 18-1 record, McKee is undefeated in the lightweight division and is 7th in Bellator pound-for-pound rankings. Moreover, he has the 5th rank in the lightweight division. Collard, a former UFC fighter, is one of the best boxers in PFL and has defeated the likes of Anthony Pettis and Shane Burgos.

Fans expect McKee and Collard to open the main card in style with their dynamic striking capabilities. McKee is the favorite to win the fight, and the promotion has high hopes for him to be a star for the PFL.

4. Claressa Shields vs. Kelsey DeSantis

Even though Claressa Shields vs. Kelsey DeSantis is the third fight of the prelims, fans, and fighters highly anticipated the fight. Shields. She is one of the only three two-weight undisputed champions in professional boxing. Moreover, she is also a two-time Olympic gold medalist in the middleweight division.

DeSantis has a 1-2 record in MMA and trains out of MMA masters where Colby Covington trains. She is undefeated in amateur MMA bouts and lost her first two professional bouts. First via split decision and the second via unanimous decision. Her fight with Shields will be in the lightweight division.

Shields is 1-1 in MMA and last fought in October 2021 when she lost to Abigail Montes. Moreover, she is very passionate about MMA and took the sport after Amanda Nunes declined to fight her in boxing. Furthermore, the fight is the only female fight in the PPV and is much awaited by boxing and MMA fans alike.

3. Yoel Romero vs. Thiago Santos

Yoel Romero vs. Thiago Santos is a matchup between ex-UFC veterans. Both agonizingly came close to capturing the UFC title but lost via split decision. Romero lost via split decision to Robert Whittaker in a middleweight title fight, whereas Santos lost by the same margin to Jon Jones in the light heavyweight title fight.

Romero signed with Bellator after the expiry of his UFC contract and fought unsuccessfully for the Bellator light heavyweight championship. On the other hand, Santos signed with the PFL after a 1-5 UFC run. He lost to Rob Wilkinson on his PFL debut, but the promotion overturned the result after Wilkinson failed a drug test.

Romero and Santos are two of the most destructive athletes in MMA. Fight fans expect a back-and-forth fight between the duo. The fight will be fought in the light heavyweight division. Both Romero Santos have also contested in the middleweight division in the past.

2. Renan Ferreira vs Ryan Bader

Renan Ferreira is the 2023 PFL Heavyweight Tournament winner. The 6-foot 8-inch heavyweight towers over the rest of the PFL and Bellator heavyweight roster. Ryan Bader is the Bellator heavyweight champion and formerly held the light heavyweight title.

Bader formerly competed in the UFC and has fought the likes of Jon Jones, Lyoto Machida, and Anthony Johnson, to name a few. He also had a beef with Daniel Cormier. However, Bader is 40 years old, and Ferreira is only 24.

Francis Ngannou is in the division and the winner will most likely face Ngannou sometime in 2024 after the Cameroonian’s boxing quest. As the main event of PFL vs Bellator: Champs, the notion is that the fight will end in a finish.

1. Impa Kasanganay vs. Johnny Eblen

The most awaited fight of PFL vs Bellator: Champs is the co-main event between Impa Kasanganay and Johnny Eblen. Kasanganay won the 2023 PFL Light Heavyweight Tournament. On the other hand, Eblen, the Bellator middleweight champion, is undefeated in 14 professional fights.

Kasanganay was the highlight story of the PFL’s 2023 season. After the UFC cut him, Kasanganay is now undefeated in the PFL. Eblen won the Bellator middleweight title from Gegard Mousasi and defended it twice before the PFL-Bellator merger.

Many consider Eblen the best middleweight fighter on the planet. He is also a training partner of former UFC middleweight Sean Strickland. His bout against Kasanganay will be at middleweight, and it is the most highly anticipated fight of PFL vs Bellator: Champs.

FAQs

Who won the 2023 PFL Light Heavyweight Tournament?

Impa Kasanganay

Who headlines PFL vs Bellator: Champs?

Renan Ferreira and Ryan Bader

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