PFL 8 (2021 season)

Last updated
PFL 8
ProfessionalFighterLeague82021.jpg
The poster for PFL 8
Information
Promotion Professional Fighters League
DateAugust 19, 2021 (2021-August-19)
Venue Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood
City Hollywood, Florida, United States
Event chronology
PFL 7 PFL 8 PFL 9

The PFL 8 mixed martial arts event for the 2021 season of the Professional Fighters League was held on August 19, 2021. This was the second event for of the playoffs with the Heavyweight and Women's Lightweight divisions competing. This event aired on ESPN, with the prelims on ESPN+. [1]

Contents

Background

Kayla Harrison, the only two-time Olympic gold medalist in judo in the history of the United States, entered her second PFL playoffs unbeaten in 10 pro bouts. She faced Genah Fabian who held a 4-1 record and had won both of her PFL regular season bouts against Julija Pajic and Laura Sanchez to advance to the playoffs. This is the second time that Harrison and Fabian had been scheduled to fight in the PFL. They were set to meet in the 2019 semifinals in October of that year, but Fabian withdrew due to an illness after issues with her weight cut. [2]

The other lightweight semifinal was expected to feature 2019 finalist Larissa Pacheco and former Invicta FC fighter Taylor Guardado. [3] However, at the weigh-ins, Larissa Pacheco missed weight by 2 pounds and therefore was removed from the tournament and was replaced by 5th seeded Mariana Morais. Morais's original opponent, Claudia Zamora, instead faced Marina Mokhnatkina after Kaitlin Young, Marina's opponent, was removed from the card. [4]

The heavyweight playoffs also began. Top seed Bruno Cappelozza took on Jamelle Jones, who qualified for the playoffs with a knockout of Klidson Abreu after stepping in as an alternate. Denis Goltsov and Ante Delija also met in the other heavyweight semifinal. [5] [6]

Results

Main Card (ESPN)
Weight classMethodRoundTimeNotes
Women's Lightweight Kayla Harrison def. Genah Fabian TKO (punches)14:01
Heavyweight Bruno Cappelozza def.Jamelle JonesTKO (punches)21:33
Women's LightweightTaylor Guardadodef. Mariana Morais Decision (split) (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)35:00
HeavyweightAnte Delijadef. Denis Goltsov Decision (unanimous) (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)35:00
Preliminary card (ESPN+)
Heavyweight Renan Ferreira def.Stuart AustinKO (punch)10:31
HeavyweightMuhammed DeReesedef. Carl Seumanutafa Decision (unanimous) (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)35:00
Women's Lightweight Marina Mokhnatkina def.Claudia ZamoraDecision (unanimous) (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)35:00
Women's LightweightAmanda Levedef.Miranda BarberSubmission (rear-naked choke)14:18
LightweightChristian Lohsendef.Jonas FlokDecision (unanimous) (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)35:00

    2021 PFL Heavyweight playoffs

    Semifinals Finals
          
    1 Flag of Brazil.svg Bruno Cappelozza TKO
    4 Flag of the United States.svg Jamelle Jones 2
    1 Flag of Brazil.svg Bruno Cappelozza UD
    3 Flag of Croatia.svg Ante Delija 5
    2 Flag of Russia.svg Denis Goltsov 3
    3 Flag of Croatia.svg Ante DelijaUD
    Legend
    (SD)
     (Split Decision)
    (UD)
     (Unanimous Decision)
    (MD)
     (Majority Decision)
    SUB
     Submission
    (T)KO
     (Technical) Knock Out
    L
     Loss

    2021 PFL Women's Lightweight playoffs

    Semifinals Finals
          
    5 Flag of Brazil.svg Mariana Morais 3
    4 Flag of the United States.svg Taylor GuardadoSD
    4 Flag of the United States.svg Taylor Guardado 2
    2 Flag of the United States.svg Kayla Harrison SUB
    2 Flag of the United States.svg Kayla Harrison TKO
    3 Flag of New Zealand.svg Genah Fabian 1

    * Larissa Pacheco was originally scheduled to face Taylor Guardado but was unable to continue in the tournament. She was replaced by #5 ranked Mariana Morais.

    Legend
    (SD)
     (Split Decision)
    (UD)
     (Unanimous Decision)
    (MD)
     (Majority Decision)
    SUB
     Submission
    (T)KO
     (Technical) Knock Out
    L
     Loss

    See also

    Related Research Articles

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Kaitlin Young</span> American mixed martial arts fighter

    Kaitlin Young is an American former mixed martial artist who last competed in the lightweight division. A professional mixed martial artist since 2007, Young has also competed for EliteXC, Invicta Fighting Championships, and Professional Fighters League (PFL)

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Kayla Harrison</span> American Olympic judoka and mixed martial artist

    Kayla Harrison is an American professional mixed martial artist and Olympic and world champion judoka, currently signed to the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Marina Mokhnatkina</span> Russian mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter

    Marina Yuryevna Mokhnatkina is a sambo competitor and mixed martial artist. Mokhnatkina is a six-time world champion and two-time European champion in sambo. She is also an eight-time Russian champion in sambo. She has signed with MMA promotion Professional Fighters League (PFL) to fight in the women's featherweight division.

    Genah Fabian is a New Zealand kickboxer and mixed martial artist.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">PFL 7 (2019 season)</span> Professional Fighters League MMA event in 2019

    The PFL 7 mixed martial arts event for the 2019 season of the Professional Fighters League was held on October 11, 2019, at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">PFL 10 (2019 season)</span> Professional Fighters League MMA event in 2019

    The PFL 10 mixed martial arts event for the 2019 season of the Professional Fighters League, the 2019 PFL Championship, was held on December 31, 2019, at the Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York.

    Carl Taulauniu Seumanutafa is a Samoan mixed martial artist and bare-knuckle boxer who competes in the Heavyweight division. A professional since 2007, he has competed for Bellator, Strikeforce, ShoXC, EliteXC, Tachi Palace Fights, King of the Cage, M-1 Global, and the PFL.

    This is a list of events and standings for the Professional Fighters League, a mixed martial arts organization based in the United States, for the 2021 season.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">PFL 3 (2021 season)</span> Professional Fighters League MMA event in 2021

    The PFL 3 mixed martial arts event for the 2021 season of the Professional Fighters League was held on May 6, 2021. This was the third regular season event of the tournament and included fights in the Heavyweight and women's Lightweight divisions. After the previous two events aired on ESPN2, this was the first event airing on ESPN.

    Larissa Pacheco is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who competes in the Featherweight division of the PFL. She won the 2022 PFL Women's Lightweight Championship and 2023 PFL Women's Featherweight Championship. As of October 2023, she is ranked #2 in the women's featherweight rankings by Fight Matrix.

    Mariana Morais is a Brazilian female mixed martial artist who competes in the Bantamweight division. From April 2020 to October 2020, Fight Matrix had Morais ranked within the top 10 of the rankings for Women's Featherweight+, rising to as high as #9.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">PFL 6 (2021 season)</span> Professional Fighters League MMA event in 2021

    The PFL 6 mixed martial arts event for the 2021 season of the Professional Fighters League was held on June 25, 2021. This was the third regular season event of the tournament and included fights in the Heavyweight and women's Lightweight divisions. This event will aire on ESPN2, with the prelims on ESPN+.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">PFL 10 (2021 season)</span> Professional Fighters League MMA event in 2021

    The PFL 10 mixed martial arts event for the 2021 season of the Professional Fighters League was held on October 27, 2021. This was the finale of the playoffs for all divisions, with the winners getting $1 million cash prize.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">PFL 1 (2022 season)</span> Professional Fighters League MMA event in 2022

    The PFL 1 mixed martial arts event for the 2022 season of the Professional Fighters League was held on April 20, 2022 at the Esports Stadium Arlington in Arlington, Texas. This marked the first regular season event of the tournament and included fights in the Lightweight and Light Heavyweight divisions.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">PFL 3 (2022 season)</span> Professional Fighters League MMA event in 2023

    The PFL 3 mixed martial arts event for the 2022 season of the Professional Fighters League was held on May 6, 2022, at the Esports Stadium Arlington in Arlington, Texas. This will be the third regular season event of the tournament and included fights in the Women's Lightweight and Welterweight divisions.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">PFL 6 (2022 season)</span> Professional Fighters League MMA event in 2022

    The PFL 6 mixed martial arts event for the 2022 season of the Professional Fighters League was held on July 1, 2022, at the Overtime Elite Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. This marked the sixth regular season event of the tournament and included fights in the Women's Lightweight and Welterweight divisions.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">PFL 10 (2022 season)</span> Professional Fighters League MMA event in 2022

    The PFL 10 mixed martial arts event for the 2022 season of the Professional Fighters League was held on November 25, 2022, at the Hulu Theater in New York City, United States. This was the finale of the playoffs for all 2022 divisions, with the winners getting a $1 million cash prize. The event also marked the organization's first pay-per-view card, being available on ESPN+ PPV.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">PFL 2 (2023 season)</span> Professional Fighters League MMA event in 2023

    The PFL 2 mixed martial arts event for the 2023 season of the Professional Fighters League was held on April 7, 2023, at The Theater at Virgin Hotels in Paradise, Nevada, United States. This marked the second regular-season event of the tournament and included fights in the Heavyweight and Women's Featherweight divisions.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">PFL 10 (2023 season)</span> Mixed martial arts event

    The PFL 10 was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Professional Fighters League that took place on November 24, 2023, at The Anthem in Washington, D.C., United States. This was the finale of the playoffs for all 2023 divisions, with the winners getting a $1 million cash prize.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Olena Kolesnyk</span> Ukrainian mixed martial arts fighter

    Olena Oleksandrivna Kolesnyk is a Ukrainian mixed martial artist and former amateur boxer and kickboxer. She currently competes in the Featherweight division of Professional Fighters League (PFL). A professional MMA fighter since 2014, she has formerly competed in the Invicta Fighting Championships. In July 2023, Kolesnyk reached No. 10 in World Women's Featherweight rankings according to Fight Matrix.

    References

    1. Lee, Alexander K. (2021-06-08). "PFL 2021 playoff dates announced for August". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2021-06-26.
    2. Newswire, MMA Fighting (2021-08-03). "PFL announces full card for second playoff event headlined by Kayla Harrison vs. Genah Fabian on Aug. 19". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2021-08-04.
    3. "Kayla Harrison vs. Genah Fabian headlines 2021 PFL Playoffs 2". MMA Junkie. 2021-08-03. Retrieved 2021-08-04.
    4. Lee, Alexander K. (2021-08-18). "Larissa Pacheco out of PFL playoffs after missing weight, Mariana Morais to fight Taylor Guardado at PFL 8". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2021-08-19.
    5. Sherdog.com. "Professional Fighters League Adds Two European Prospects to Women's Lightweight for 2022". Sherdog. Retrieved 2021-08-04.
    6. Mahjouri, Shakiel (2021-08-03). "PFL announces second playoff card headlined by Kayla Harrison vs. Genah Fabian". MMAmania.com. Retrieved 2021-08-04.