PFL Playoffs Expert Picks: Welterweights & Featherweights

The current PFL season is getting close to its climax, with the next round of playoff bouts coming our way on Friday night.

This time around, it’s the Light Heavyweights and Lightweights going into battle, with all of the fighters looking for a spot in their respective finals.

My Analysis 2024 PFL 8 Playoffs

There are 4 semi-final bouts on the main card, as well as a 5th bout to get things rolling that is not part of the playoffs.

We are going to take a quick look at all 5 bouts and try to make some winning betting predictions.

You can catch all the action on ESPN+ starting at 6:30 PM EST on Friday night.

Biaggio Ali Walsh -1587 vs Brian Stapleton +530

This Lightweight bout serves as something of a primer for the bouts coming later in the night, but it’s also a fight that is a little tougher to call.

Neither of these fighters have much in the way of pro experience. Walsh won his lone fight at the pro level. While Stapleton is making his first appearance as a pro.

This looks like a pretty easy win for Walsh, who I think will take it via KO.

Brent Primus -151 vs Clay Collard +101

We head to the big fights next and get things rolling with the Lightweights up first.

Primus spent a good chunk of his career fighting with Bellator, where he put together a pretty solid record of 10-3. He is 2-0 in the PFL as he looks to make the final.

Collard is a seasoned pro, coming into this one with a 25-13 record, as well as some UFC experience.

He has lost 3 of his last 4 and looks set for another loss here.

Gadzhi Rabadanov -752 vs Michael Dufort +360

The other Lightweight semi-final looks to be a little more predictable than the one we just discussed.

Rabadanov comes into this one with a 22-4-2 record, which includes wins in each of his last 8 fights. He has a perfect 5-0 record with the PFL.

Dufort is 13-5 overall (2-1 in the PFL) and is coming into this bout on the heels of a split decision loss.

I think he is looking at another defeat in this one.

Rob Wilkinson -182 vs Dovlet Yagshimuradov +120

The first of the Light Heavyweight semi-finals serves as the co-main event of the evening, and it looks like a good one.

Wilkinson is an impressive 19-2 overall and has put together a 6-0 record, as well as a No Contest, in the PFL.

Yagshimuradov is 23-7-1 and is the winner of his last 5 fights, which includes a 2-0 record in the PFL.

This looks to be a great fight, but I have Wilkinson edging it.

Impa Kasanganay -599 vs Josh Silveira +310

The final fight of the night is the main event and the other Light Heavyweight semi-final.

Kasanganay comes in as the clear favorite, and for good reason, as he has won 7 of his last 8, all with the PFL.

Silveira is 13-3, and while he has been solid at this level, he is coming into this bout having lost 2 of his last 3.

I think it will be Kasanganay moving on to the final with the decision win.

While we have been watching PFL bouts in Europe and other parts of the world, we have all been waiting for the main tournament to return, which it does this week.

We are now into the semi-finals and have 4 bouts coming our way on Friday night at 6 PM EST at Hard Rock Live.

My Analysis 2024 PFL 7 Playoffs

All the main bouts are available on ESPN, so you can tune in and watch while you wager.

There is a lot at stake in these fights, with the winners moving on to the final in their respective weight classes.

The focus this week is on the men’s Heavyweights and the women’s Flyweights, so let’s take a quick look at all 4 fights to see if we can pick some winners.

Taila Santos -350 vs Liz Carmouche +220

The first of the Flyweight semi-finals will open the main card on Friday night, and you have to say that this bout is pretty evenly matched.

Santos comes into this one with a 21-3 record, with all 3 of those losses coming during her time in the UFC.

She is a perfect 2-0 in the PFL. Carmouche is 22-7 overall, but she has been on fire of late, winning each of her last 9 bouts, w of which came in the PFL.

I think we see this one go the distance, but I like Santos to get the decision win.

Oleg Popov -310 vs Linton Vassell +199

The men are up next for the first of the Heavyweight semi-finals, and this one should be a beauty.

Popov is an impressive 18-1 overall, and it has been a long time since he last lost a bout.

He comes into this one on a 16-fight win streak that dates all the way back to 2018.

He will have his hands full against Vassell, though, who comes into this fight with an overall record of 25-9, although he is just 1-1 in the PFL.

This is another one that should go all the way, with Popov winning by decision.

Dakota Ditcheva -500 vs Jena Bishop +295

By the time these two fighters step into the octagon, they will know who the winner will be facing in the Flyweight final.

Ditcheva comes into this fight with a perfect 12-0 record, and she has been fantastic in her time with the PFL, winning each of her 7 bouts.

Bishop is 7-1 in her pro career, with her lone loss coming in the PFL against Talia Santos in her last bout.

I think she could be in trouble again in this one, as I like Ditcheva to keep her win streak alive with a KO win.

Denis Goltsov -575 vs Tim Johnson +320

We have a couple of veteran fighters set to square off in the final bout of the night, which is the other Heavyweight semi-final.

Goltsov is 34-8 and has spent a large portion of his career plying his trade in the PFL, where he has a 12-3 record.

Johnson is 18-9 overall and comes into this one on a 3-fight win streak, which includes a victory in his lone bout with the PFL.

I don’t see this one lasting very long, as I think it will be Goltsov coming away with the KO win.

The Professional Fighter’s League returns on Thursday, June 10 for the 4^th week of the regular season. That means that we are about to cross the midway point of the proceedings, with a lot still to fight for. Thursday night will see a main card that has 4 fights, all of which will be in the Lightweight and Featherweight divisions. For those of you unfamiliar with this event, winners of fights receive points for their victory, with bonus points added dependent on when the fight is won. For example, a fighter winning in Round 1 would get 3 points for the win and 3 bonus points for winning in the opening round, for a total of 6 points. Let’s now take a closer look at the 4 Thursday night fights along with their PFL odds.

MMA Betting Preview for PFL 4: Shields Vs Elkin

PFL Regular Season: Lightweights & Featherweights

• Brendan Loughnane (-280) Vs Tyler Diamond (+240)

The Featherweights are up first in the main card, with Loughnane in prime position to move into the playoffs with a win here. Loughnane picked up 6 points in his first fight in the PFL after winning in the opening round. Things may not be quite as easy this time around, though, as he is going up against a fighter who is 12-1 in his career and who is also coming off a win in his first fight. This has all the makings of a close fight, but I think Loughnane gets it by decision.

• Bubba Jenkins (-270) Vs Bobby Moffett (+230)

We stick with the Featherweights for the second fight of the night, with this one being a must win for one of these fighters. Moffett is yet to fight in the PFL this year, but a loss here would put him at a serious disadvantage. He has lost 2 in a row ahead of this one and has not fought since 2019. Jenkins, on the other hand, is coming off a decision win in his first league fight and has now won 4 in a row. I really don’t see any way in which Jenkins loses this one.

• Anthony Pettis (-255) Vs Alex Martinez (+215)

The third fight of the night sees the return of the Lightweights in what looks to be a very interesting fight. Pettis is vastly more experienced than Martinez, but he is also under some real pressure here after losing his first fight in PFL 2021. He needs a win and perhaps some bonus points along the way to stay in this thing. Martinez is a perfect 8-0 in his pro career and has the benefit of having picked up 3 points in his first fight. This one makes me a little nervous, but I am taking Pettis for the win.

• Claressa Shields (-300) Vs Brittney Elkin (+250)

We close out the evening with a women’s Lightweight bout that looks very much like a one-sided affair. Shields has spent her entire career in the boxing ring, going a perfect 11-0 to this point, but she is making the move to MMA for this one. Her first fight comes against a fighter who has not had a ton of success, losing 3 in a row to see her record fall to 3-6. This looks like the perfect spot for Shields to get her first win, with a KO looking likely.