PFL Championships: Key Prelims Could Set Tone

The PFL Championships take place Friday night live on ESPN+ pay-per-view.

And while the headlines are geared towards the main event with six title fights, the prelims are looking pretty salty as well.

First to get the basics out of the way. Kayla Harrison takes on Larissa Pacheco in the main event. The card goes down from Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

It marks the first-ever PFL PPV event, with five other weight classes crowning champions. All six winners will earn $1 million.

However, five planned prelim fights are planned for the ESPN+ part of the night, which begins at 6 p.m. ET.

In the featured attraction, featherweights Marlon Moraes and Sheymon Moraes meet. Sheymon Moraes replaces Shane Burgos, a key signing by the PFL who suffered an injury.

While Marlon Moraes vs. Burgos would have been a big-time fight, this is still a fun one. Marlon Moraes is in desperate need of a win after dropping four straight.

Sheymon Moraes, meanwhile, is 3-1 over his last four since a loss to finalist Brendan Loughnane back in 2021. The winner would be a nice lead-fighter for the 2023 bracket.

Natan Schulte, a former PFL winner, will take on Jeremy Stephens in a lightweight affair. Again, like the aforementioned fight, this could be a great stepping stone for the winner moving forward.

Magomed Magomedkerimov and Gleison Tibau collide in welterweight action, while Dakota Ditcheva takes on Katherine Corogenes in a women’s flyweight fight.

The event kicks off with a fun one. Biaggio Ali Walsh makes his promotional debut opposite Tom Graesser.

If it was not obvious by the name, Ali Walsh is the grandson of former boxing champion and the legendary Muhammad Ali. Seeing someone with that last name make that walk in MSG to the SmartCage should be exciting.