The Professional Fighters League made its debut in 2018 with a format intended to feel familiar for sports fans as a way to bring a new audience to combat sports. There is a regular season with standings, then playoffs, and to cap it all off, the biggest hook of all: a $1 million payout to the champion of each weight division.
The PFL came into existence after a group of investors bought the World Series of Fighting promotion and rebranded it.
After two years of crowning champions, the 2020 PFL season was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. On April 23, the PFL returns to action with six divisions and a slightly altered regular season format.
Ahead of the PFL's return to ESPN2 and ESPN+, here are some of the key things you'll need to know going into Season 3.
Who fights in the PFL?
There are six weight classes: men's divisions at heavyweight (up to 265 pounds), light heavyweight (205), welterweight (170), lightweight (155) and featherweight (145), and a women's lightweight division.
There are 10 fighters in each men's division (down from 12) in 2021, and 10 fighters in the women's lightweight division (up from eight).
Will I recognize any of the names?
The PFL made a number of high-profile signings of stars that made their names in the UFC and Bellator since the end of the 2019 season, including Anthony Pettis, Rory MacDonald, Fabricio Werdum and Antonio Carlos Junior.
Defending PFL women's lightweight champion Kayla Harrison has been front and center since joining the promotion. She came into the sport as the most decorated American judoka ever; in 2012, she became the first athlete from the United States to win an Olympic gold medal in judo, and four years later she won gold again. Her MMA record is now
In addition to Harrison, back-to-back PFL champions Lance Palmer and Natan Schulte return with eyes on a three-peat, while Ali Isaev, Ray Cooper III and Emiliano Sordi shoot for their second $1 million payday in the PFL.
The full lineup and standings for each division can be found here.
Oh, and two-division undisputed women's boxing Claressa Shields is fighting in the PFL this year, too.
Wait, Claressa Shiled is fighting for $1 million in MMA?
Well, no, at least not this season. But Shields will make her pro MMA debut on June 10 in a showcase fight against Brittney Elkin. Interestingly enough, Harrison similarly made her pro MMA debut in a PFL showcase against Elkin in June 2018.
How does the season format work?
Each fighter competes twice during the regular season, earning points that are dependent on how each fight ends. The winner of each three-round bout is awarded three points, with bonuses added for knockouts and submissions -- three points for a finish in the first round, two points if it happens in the second round and one point if it comes in the third.
The four fighters who accumulate the most points in each of the six divisions advance to the playoffs.
Tiebreakers are as follows:
Head-to-head (if applicable)
Number of regular season fights (whoever had the larger number of regular season fights wins -- a no contest and walkover win count as a fight, a walkover loss does not).
Number of finishes
Winning percentage (number of wins divided by number of fights, draws count as half a win; number of wins and fights both include walkovers, but no contests will not be considered fights during this step).
Least amount of time spent in the cage when winning (walkover wins count for 15 minutes spent in cage for this step).
Most amount of time spent in the cage when losing (walkover losses count for 0 minutes spent in cage for this step).
Combined scores on judges' scorecards for all results that ended in decision
Lowest combined opponent scores on judges' scorecards for all results that ended in decision
Most combined league points scored by opponents (all regular season opponents).
Coin flip
In the case of a three (or more)-way tie:
Head-to-head (did any of the tied fighters defeat all of the other tied fighters in question, or more than the others they tied with?)
Number of regular season fights (whoever had the larger number of regular season fights wins -- a no contest and walkover win count as a fight, a walkover loss does not).
Number of finishes
Winning percentage
Least amount of time spent in the cage when winning
Most amount of time spent in the cage when losing
Combined scores on judges' scorecards for all results that ended in decision
Lowest combined opponent scores on judges' scorecards for all results that ended in decision
Most combined league points scored by opponents
Random draw
How does the season play out?
The 2021 season gets underway with PFL 1 on Friday, April 23 at Ocean Casino Resort in Atlantic City, New Jersey with 10 fights -- five in the men's lightweight division, and five at featherweight. The event, which will be headlined by Pettis vs. Clay Collard, will be televised on ESPN+ (5:30-9 p.m. ET) and ESPN2 (9-11 p.m. ET).
PFL 2 (welterweight and light heavyweight) happens on Thursday, April 29 and PFL 3 (heavyweight, women's lightweight) takes place on Thursday, May 6. The second round of regular season fights take place on Thursday, June 10 (men's lightweight and featherweight), Thursday, June 17 (welterweight and light heavyweight) and Friday, June 25 (heavyweight, women's lightweight). All regular season events are set to take place at Ocean Casino Resort.
How do the playoffs work?
There are three playoff events set for the fall, with dates and venues still to be announced. It all leads to the World Championship finale in New York.
The playoffs are single elimination, with the No. 1 seed (highest points-earner) facing the No. 4 seed, and No. 2 and No. 3 squaring off in the other semifinal. Semifinal fights will be three-round bouts.
The six championship fights will each feature five, five-minute rounds, with the winner taking home the PFL title and $1 million.