PFL 2: 2024 Regular Season Preview and Predictions

The PFL continues its impressive lineup in 2024 with another action-packed event. Live from Las Vegas, some of the most exciting athletes on the roster are set to compete. Many fighters need a victory here to continue their march towards gold.

The Apr. 12 event kicks off the regular season tournament for the light heavyweight and lightweight brackets. Each fighter is aiming to earn the $1,000,000 final prize. Former PFL champions such as Impa Kasanganay, Sadibou Sy, and the knockout machine Jakob Nedoh, are fighters you need to keep an eye on. This event will also feature former Bellator titleholders such as Patricky “Pitbull” Freire and Brent Primus in its lightweight tournament brackets.

The preliminary card airs live on ESPN+ starting at 6 p.m. ET, followed by the main card on ESPN2 at 9 p.m. ET.

Impa Kasanganay looks to rebound after losing to Johnny Eblen; how does he fare as he welcomes Alex Polizzi to the PFL?

While Impa Kasanganay is coming off a loss against the Bellator king Johnny Eblen, it was one of the best fights in the PFL’s history. It was a back-and-forth matchup where Kasanganay nearly knocked out the unbeaten champion.

“Tshilobo” is mentally durable and has rebounded from losses before. His entire PFL career has been made in the shadow of his spinning backkick loss to Joaquin Buckley. The US-born Kasanganay is mentally strong, and a PFL champion, I am confident he will be able to bounce back on Apr. 12. Kasanganay is likely to win this match by knockout.

Rob Wilkinson has had three consecutive fights cancelled; if he makes the walk this time does he have what it takes to defeat Tom Breese?

If it wasn’t for canceled bookings, Rob Wilkinson would nealy be riding a nine-fight winning streak, between boxing, MMA, and kickboxing. Most recently, he defeated UFC veteran Thiago Santos, but it was overturned due to elevated testosterone levels. The Australian athlete, a former PFL champion, has not returned to the smart cage since early 2023.

The UK’s Tom Breese is a dangerous MMA veteran with sharp submission skills. Impressively, he has won the vast majority of his matches by submission stoppage. Most recently, he is on a three-fight winning streak all by first-round submission win.

This is a matchup against Breese, a former LFA champion, and Wilkinson, a former PFL champion. Additionally, it is a classic MMA matchup seeing a grappler against a striker. If Wilkinson is suffering from cage rust, Breese will make sure that it is a quick night for his opponent.

Both Clay Collard and Patricky “Pitbull” Freire enter this fight on the heels of a loss; which veteran fighter rights the ship and gets back in the win column?

“Cassius” Clay Collard, of the USA, is coming off of losses against the incredibly talented AJ McKee Jr. and Canada’s Olivier Aubin-Mercier. But, this will not be the first time he’s suffered losses and bounced back in his career. Between boxing and MMA, he has earned hard consecutive losses just to put together win streaks.

Brazil’s Patricky Pitbull is looking to recover from a loss against the Russian dynamo Alexander Shabliy. But the former Bellator champion has been struggling for the past having gone 2-4 in his last six fights. He is in a position where he must win this match.

Pitbull and Collard are both ace strikers who are aiming for the knockout finish in this fight. Both men pack impressive and sharp skills on the feet.

Which fight is the sleeper match-up on this card?

Jakob Nedoh vs. Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov will end by knockout after a back and forth war. Both men pack heavy hands. Both men have won the majority of their fights by way of knockout. Slovenia’s Nedoh captured the PFL Europe title in 2023 all by way of knockout.