PFL Chicago’s planned co-main event bout between Jordan Newman and Josh Silveira will not take place as scheduled.
The promotion announced the news in an update minutes before the PFL Chicago preliminary card began. According to the PFL, Newman made the last-minute withdrawal.
โขJordan Newman is OUT due to undisclosed reason โขJordan Newman vs Josh Silveira now off
Raufeon Stots vs Renant Khavalov is now new PFL Chicago Co-Main Event #PFLChicago | TODAY | Wintrust Arena | Chicago, Illinois | Earlyโฆ pic.twitter.com/IUt24rOWui
It is currently unknown what prompted Newman’s withdrawal.
Due to the last-minute nature of the circumstance, no replacement opponent has been named for Silveira. It is unknown if the promotion will attempt to re-book Newman vs. Silveira for a future PFL card.
The bantamweight bout between former interim Bellator champion Raufeon Stots and Renat Khavalov will now serve as the evening’s co-main event.
Additionally, the bout between Viviane Araujo and Shanna Young has been promoted from the prelims to the main card. The main card will go on with four fights.
The main event of PFL Chicago sees former Bellator bantamweight champion Sergio Pettis face the unbeaten Mitch McKee.
The 2024 PFL Playoffs continued on Friday night with the second of three semifinal events in the postseason, and MMA News has you covered with all the action!
Theย Professional Fighters Leagueย was back this week, with the championship finals at light heavyweight and lightweight decided inside the Hard Rock Live in Hollywood, Florida.
In the 205-pound main event, 2023 PFL kingpin Impa Kasanganay returned for the next step in his pursuit of back-to-back titles. To reach a second consecutive final, “Tshilobo” got the better of his championship opponent from last year, Josh Silveira, again.
Having won that contest, Kasanganay will face either former Bellator fighter Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov with $1 million prize money and this year’s light heavyweight title on the line. That’s after the Turkmenistani outpointed 2022 champ Rob Wilkinson in the co-headliner.
Massive takedown from Kasanganay in the final :30!
The lightweight bracket, meanwhile, included Clay Collard’s attempt to make his second straight championship final and keep his hopes of a first title win alive. He ultimately failed in that task, with Brent Primus instead advancing to meet Russia’s Gadzhi Rabadanov, who knocked out Canada’s Michael Dufort.
Outside of semifinal action, notable names like Biaggio Ali Walsh and Danny Sabatello will also took to the SmartCage in “The Sunshine State.”
With the event concluded, check out the full results below, followed by all the highlights!
2024 PFL 8 Playoffs Results & Highlights
Main Card:
Light Heavyweight Semifinal Main Event: Impa Kasanganay def. Josh Silveira via decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
Light Heavyweight Semifinal Co-Main Event: Dovlet Yagshimuradov def. Rob Wilkinson via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Lightweight Semifinal: Gadzhi Rabadanov def. Michael Dufort via KO (punches): R2, 1:51
Lightweight Semifinal: Brent Primus def. Clay Collard via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)
Lightweight: Biaggio Ali Walsh def. Brian Stapleton via KO (punches): R1, 0:55
Preliminary Card:
Bantamweight: Danny Sabatello vs. Lazaro Dayron ends in majority draw (29-27, 28-28, 28-28)
The 2024 PFL Playoffs will resume this Friday with matchups from the light heavyweight and lightweight divisions. Before the bouts can be official, the fighters weighed in today.
Brian Stapleton was the only fighter to miss weight for his short-notice lightweight bout against Biaggio Ali Walsh. The matchup has changed to a catchweight fight, and Stapleton will give up a percentage of his purse.
PFL will host the continuation of the playoffs at the Hard Rock Live in Hollywood, Florida. The main event is a light heavyweight rematch between Impa Kasanganay and Josh Silveira.
In their first clash, Kasanganay won by unanimous decision to become the 2023 PFL light heavyweight champion. The former UFC fighter found success by outpacing Silveira for five rounds to get the judges’ approval. Kasanganay comes into the fight after amassing 11 points to qualify for the playoffs and will target a win to secure a second straight championship finale. That said, his opponent will be motivated to avenge last year’s result and keep his hopes of moving on to the championship alive.
The co-main event, meanwhile, will feature Rob Wilkinson taking on Dovlet Yagshimuradov in another light heavyweight semifinal. Both fighters are on impressive win streaks and qualified for the playoffs, tied with nine points in the regular season. Currently, DraftKings has 2022 champ Wilkinson as a slight favorite to advance to the next tournament round.
The PFL 8 preliminary card is expected to kick off the event at 6:30 PM ET/3:30 PM PT on ESPN+. The main card will air on ESPN and stream on ESPN+ at 9 PM ET/ 6 PM PT.
PFL 8: Impa Kasanganay vs. Josh Silveira Weigh-In Results
