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PFL 3 2024: Koreshkov vs. Umalatov Preview
April 17, 2024
The UFC might be taking the week off after their historic UFC 300 card, but the MMA world is not. PFL is back in action on Friday, April 19th with their third show of the 2024 season, which will feature the Welterweights and Featherweights. This is, yet again, another strong card for PFL with their unique season format and the addition of some familiar Bellator names. If you are looking for an MMA fix this weekend and haven’t checked out PFL, Friday would be a good time to jump in. Let’s take a look at what they have set up…
Main Card (ESPN+ and ESPN2 at 10 p.m. ET)
Andrey Koreshkov vs. Magomed Umalatov
Brendan Loughnane vs. Pedro Carvalho
Logan Storley vs. Shamil Musaev
Gabriel Braga vs. Justin Gonzales
Goiti Yamauchi vs. Neiman Gracie
Bubba Jenkins vs. Kai Kamaka III
Prelims (ESPN+ at 6:30 p.m. ET)
Adam Borics vs. Enrique Barzola
Timur Khizriev vs. Brett Johns
Laureano Staropoli vs. Murad Ramazanov
Don Madge vs. Brennan Ward
Tyler Diamond vs. Otto Rodrigues
Romain Debienne vs. Thad Jean
Prelims
There are some fun matchups and names on the Prelims. Here’s what I’m looking forward to…
Brennan Ward makes his PFL debut after spending over a decade with Bellator. Ward is an exciting fighter, win or lose. He will fight the returning Don Madge (who hasn’t fought since 2022), who also has a lot of his fights end in finishes. Keep an eye on this one!
Laureano Staropoli and. Murad Ramazanov will face each other in their PFL debuts (although Staropoli did fight in PFL Europe). They both have impressive reputations outside of the promotion, so it’ll be interesting to see who can get the big debut win here.
Brett Johns is a fun fighter who has a ton of experience - from Cage Warriors to Titan FC to UFC to Bellator. He will be taking on the undefeated Timur Khizriev in another Prelim fight to keep an eye on.
Bubba Jenkins vs. Kai Kamaka III
Jenkins has gone deep in the last three PFL seasons, but just couldn’t get it done in the playoffs. He’ll be looking to start the season strong here and try to get his momentum back. Kamaka III is on a three fight win streak, but that was in Bellator. PFL is a fresh start and he’ll have to adapt to the season format. Both of these fighters have a lot of experience and know how important a win is here.
Goiti Yamauchi vs. Neiman Gracie
This is a rematch from 2022 where Yamauchi got the KO. It’s been almost two years, though, and that fight took place in Bellator. A lot has changed. The last five years have been up and down for both fighters, so they will be looking to make a statement here to show that they are to be watched in this 2024 season.
Gabriel Braga vs. Justin Gonzales
Braga has had a roller coaster of a year. He almost won the 2023 season and was looking to make another big splash in 2024. Unfortunately, his father was murdered and he took some time for himself, as he should. He’s back now, though, and taking on the Bellator veteran Justin Gonzales. Gonzales is on a losing streak coming into PFL, but is dangerous and looking to prove that he can get back on track. This should be a fun matchup.
Logan Storley vs. Shamil Musaev
Another Bellator veteran, Logan Storley, makes his debut in PFL. Storley was pretty consistent in Bellator, even holding an interim championship, but never won the main title. His consistency, though, had an inclination for close fights, so he’ll have to be careful here in the season format where points are important. The undefeated (with one no contest) Shamil Musaev will be making his PFL debut, as well. The KSW veteran is tough and will certainly be looking to not only keep his losses at zero, but also make sure he gets the points to start the season off right.
Brendan Loughnane vs. Pedro Carvalho
The PFL veteran, Brendan Loughnane, will be looking to start the 2024 season off right after his upset loss against Jose Pinedo last year. Loughnane was the favorite to win the division last year, so he’ll be trying to prove that he should still be considered the favorite this year. Pedro Carvalho will be coming over from Bellator to try and make Loughnane’s journey a tough one. Carvalho is very talented, but is 2-5 in his last seven fights. A win is very important for both men here.
Andrey Koreshkov vs. Magomed Umalatov
The undefeated Magomed Umalatov gets his first PFL main event against the Bellator veteran Andrey Koreshkov. Koreshkov is riding in with a 5 fight win streak and will look to take away Umalatov’s zero. Both of these men are dangerous on their feet and on the ground. Both of these men have some vicious strikes. Both of these men are ridiculously tough and fun to watch. I’m excited for this main event!
My Picks
Andrey Koreshkov
Brendan Loughnane
Shamil Musaev
Gabriel Braga
Goiti Yamauchi
Bubba Jenkins
Adam Borics
Timur Khizriev
Murad Ramazanov
Brennan Ward
Otto Rodrigues
Thad Jean
This is a really fun card for PFL early in the season. The main card is filled with interesting matchups. Bellator fans should enjoy this show, with a lot of familiar names making their PFL debuts. With the UFC off this week, this is a great time for PFL to get some shine.
What are you looking forward to on this show? Are you excited to see so many Bellator names make their PFL debut? Let me know at matt.tenhoeve@gmail.com. I’ll be back next week to talk about the results for this show and preview the action taking place next weekend. See you then!
