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PFL 4 (2024): Moldavsky vs. Vassell Preview
June 11, 2024
The PFL is back and will be continuing its 2024 season on Thursday, June 13th from Uncasville, Connecticut. The Main Card will be featured on both ESPN and ESPN+, so the promotion will have another chance to get some new eyes on the product. If you have never watched PFL before, it is a fun alternative to the UFC. It focuses on standings and has its fighters try to get as many points during the season as possible to determine the winners of the divisions at the end of the year at a big blow-off show. Thursday will feature the second round of fights from the Heavyweights and Women’s Flyweights Division. The card was shuffled around a lot, but let’s take a look at what we currently have scheduled for Thursday…
Main Card
Valentin Moldavsky vs. Linton Vassell; Heavyweight
Dakota Ditcheva vs. Chelsea Hackett; Women's flyweight
Denis Goltsov vs. Thiago Santos; Heavyweight
Liz Carmouche vs. Kana Watanabe; Women's flyweight
Preliminary Card
Marcelo Golm vs. Tyrell Fortune; Heavyweight
Taila Santos vs. Jena Bishop; Women's flyweight
Oleg Popov vs. Davion Franklin; Heavyweight
Ilara Joanne vs. Shanna Young; Women's flyweight
Gokhan Saricam vs. Steve Mowry; Heavyweight
Juliana Velasquez vs. Lisa Mauldin; Women's flyweight
Danilo Marques vs. Tim Johnson; Heavyweight
Sumiko Inaba vs. Saray Orozco; Women's flyweight
Melissa Balic vs. Kristina Katsikis; Women's flyweight
The Prelims
The PFL Prelims tend to be a lot of fun. The Prelims also have season ramifications, so there are some really quality fighters and fights on this card. Let’s take a look at what I am looking forward to…
Danilo Marques and Tim Johnson did not have a fight in the first go around of the season, but are facing off on Thursday. These are two big men who will be looking to get an impressive finish.
It’s kind of crazy to see Juliana Velasquez’ name early on in the Prelims. Sure, she has lost her last three fights, but they were all against Liz Carmouche and they are Juliana’s only losses. Now that she’s done with Liz for a while, she has the chance to get back on track. I expect her to try and put on a show to remind people why she should be a worry in the division.
Talia Santos gets a pretty favorable matchup against Jena Bishop for her second fight of the season. Talia Santos looked great in her first PFL fight. This is a tough division, but she is a clear standout as one of the top choices to win the season.
Marcelo Golm vs. Tyrell Fortune is a really fun way to end the Prelims. Two big men hunting for a finish? Sign me up.
Liz Carmouche vs. Kana Watanabe
Both Liz and Kana looked good in their first fight. They were both able to grind out impressive wins to get to this rematch of their 2021 fight. In that fight, Liz Carmouche was able to get a really impressive KO win over Kana in the first round. Kana will do everything in her power to not have that happen again. Liz hasn’t lost since she left the UFC and is looking better than ever. This is going to be a really entertaining fight, with the winner becoming a possible favorite for the winner of the division.
Denis Goltsov vs. Thiago Santos
Thiago Santos is a late replacement for Sergei Bilostenniy. Either way, Denis Golstov remains a big issue in the division. He’s a beast and has the PFL experience to dominate a season. Santos is a heck of a fighter, though, and is super tough. This will probably come down to whoever lands the first clean shot.
Dakota Ditcheva vs. Chelsea Hackett
The hype machine is firmly behind Dakota Ditcheva. She has become one of the faces of the season and has been doing a lot of press. Chelsea Hackett is tough, but Ditcheva is poised to continue her hot streak and keep getting pushed as the present AND future of PFL.
Valentin Moldavsky vs. Linton Vassell
Moldavsky currently sits at the top of the Heavyweight standings after his quick first round TKO in his first fight of the season. Linton Vassell didn’t have success in his first fight of the season, but is a tough veteran who is looking to prove that he can still be a force at 41 years old. This should be a fun way to end the card.
My Picks
Valentin Moldavsky
Dakota Ditcheva
Denis Goltsov
Liz Carmouche
Marcelo Golm
Taila Santos
Oleg Popov
Ilara Joanne
Juliana Velasquez
Tim Johnson
Sumiko Inaba
Melissa Balic
Thursday night looks to be a lot of fun. Not only do we get a bunch of Heavyweight fights that have a good chance to go to a highlight reel finish, but the Women’s Flyweight matchups might give us some awesome fights in the next set of Flyweight fights.
What are you looking forward to on the PFL card on Thursday? Who do you think will end up winning the season? Let me know at matt.tenhoeve@gmail.com. I will be back later this week to talk about The Ultimate Fighter and UFC Fight Night: Perez vs. Taira. See you then!
