The Professional Fighters League continues its 2024 season with PFL 5 on Friday, June 21, at the Jon M. Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. This will be the first time the PFL hosts an event in Salt Lake City. The night will feature the Lightweight and Light Heavyweight divisions. Most of the fights will be win-or-go-home, with the strategy being to get an early finish to maximize points in the playoffs system.
Main Event: Clay Collard vs. Mads Burnell
The main event features Lightweights Clay Collard and Mads Burnell. Collard is coming off a TKO victory against Patricky Pitbull in PFL 2 and looks to continue his regular-season winning streak. Burnell will be looking to bounce back from a submission loss to Michael Dufort. Not expecting anything less than two fighters punching each other until the ref steps in. Collard proves that he can stand and bang with the best, finishing Burnell in the first and advancing to the playoffs in August.
Co-Main: Impa Kasanganay vs. Jakob Nedoh
In the co-main event, a Light Heavyweight Division battle takes place between Impa Kasanganay and Jakob Nedoh. Kasanganay got his arm raised with a TKO victory in PFL 2 and has six points. Nedoh, after a TKO loss to Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov, needs a quick win to have a slight chance to make the playoffs. Impa is the reigning champ and will have no problem advancing to the playoffs later this summer.
Patricky Pitbull vs. Bruno Miranda
Former Bellator Lightweight Champion Patricky Pitbull needs to bounce back off his loss to Clay Collard in PFL 2. He has now lost two fights in a row. Miranda tapped out on a submission by Brent Primus in his last fight and has also lost two straight. The former welterweight may have needed one fight in the Lightweight Division to adjust, especially when points are crucial in the PFL Regular Season. Not expecting Pitbull to go down on punches again, but he is 38 years old and may be a little cautious off that TKO loss. Miranda will take advantage of this opportunity and get the decision victory.
Rob Wilkinson vs. Josh Silveira
Rob Wilkinson, the 2022 PFL Light Heavyweight winner, faces Josh Silveira in a marquee Light Heavyweight match. This division really is stacked this year. Wilkinson made easy work of Tom Breese to get the six pointer in April, while Silveira got the quick victory over Sadibou Sy to keep pace in the standings. Silveira record speaks for itself, at 13-2, but will not be enough to overcome the knees and punches that the 18-2-1 Wilkinson will be bringing early and often. This may be a win or go home fight. Five fighters have six points and this is the only matchup with two of them against each other. Only the top four will advance to the playoffs.
Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov vs. Simon Biyong
Yagshimuradov looks to secure a playoff spot and comes in as -425 favorite, while Biyong comes in having lost two straight, including the first round submission loss to Antônio Carlos Júnior in PFL 2. Biyong is 6’6 and has a seven inch height advantage over his opponent and will not go down easy. No value to take the favorite and the underdog is not worth a play. Expect it to go to the judges to decide the outcome of this fight.
Antônio Carlos Júnior vs. Alex Polizzi
Antônio CarlosJúnior, the 2021 PFL Light Heavyweight winner, faces Alex Polizzi in his second fight since his 2022 injury. Carlos Junior looked great getting the submission win over Simon Biyong in the first round to grab six points. Polizzi struggled against last year’s champ Impa Kasanganay, losing in the first round by TKO. Junior has an uphill battle in this stacked division, as he is not in the playoffs as of right now. He may have to change his strategy to try to get an early victory. He comes in as a heavy -400 favorite in this one. Look for Carlos Junior to go out there and get an early first round finish to have a better chance at making the playoffs.
Salt Lake City Preliminary Card
Brent Primus vs. Solomon Renfro
Sadibou Sy vs. Tom Breese
Gadzhi Rabadanov vs. Elvin Espinoza
Adam Piccolotti vs. Michael Dufort
Anthony Romero vs. Sergio Cassio
Karl Albrektsson vs. Andrew Sanchez
Brayhan Zurcher vs. Julian Ruiz
PFL POINTS SYSTEM
The PFL points system awards points based on the outcome of the match. A fight winner earns 3 points. In the event of a draw, both fighters receive 1 point each. Bonus points are given for finishing a fight early: 3 points for a first-round win, 2 points for a second-round win, and 1 point for a third-round win, provided the stoppage occurs before 4:59 of the third round. No bonus points are awarded for decision victories.
For instance, a fighter securing a win in the first round will receive a total of 6 points (3 for the win and 3 as a bonus). A decision win results in 3 total points. If a fighter misses weight, their opponent, assuming they make weight, is awarded 3 points for a walkover victory, irrespective of the actual bout outcome; if the non-offending fighter wins by stoppage, they receive all applicable bonus points.
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2024 PFL 5 in Salt Lake City.
