Texas will play host to the first leg of the Professional Fighters League’s 2023 playoffs.
The promotion announced in a press release on Thursday that its first playoff event in 2023 would take place on Aug. 4. The card will be held at Boeing Center at Tech Port in San Antonio, Texas. This particular event will include the commencement of the featherweight and light heavyweight brackets, along with other various matchups as the organization determines. It is unclear at the time if the PFL will remain in Texas for the other two playoff shows, or if it will travel elsewhere for them.
PFL CEO Peter Murray included a statement about this news, saying, “The PFL is excited to bring our brand of MMA to Boeing Center at Tech Point and our fans in the great state of Texas. The PFL’s unique season format provides fighters with a merit-based path to a World Championship and $1 million prize. On August 4th, PFL fans in San Antonio and around the world will see the best featherweight and light heavyweight action in combat sports.”
The organization has struggled as of late to keep its season going smoothly, with a whopping 10 competitors failing post-fight drug tests following its first three events. Most recently, 2022 light heavyweight champ Rob Wilkinson tested positive for a banned substance, and he has been removed from the tourney. The 205-pound division as a whole has been rocked with five different fighters including Wilkinson and his April opponent Thiago Santos getting flagged. At the time, just three fighters in the weight category hold points, with Marthin Hamlet and Josh Silveira claiming six apiece and Ty Flores with three.
On the featherweight side of the equation, 2022 tourney winner Brendan Loughnane remains the lone athlete with more than three points, doing so by dispatching Marlon Moraes in April. Movlid Khaybulaev, Bubba Jenkins and Gabriel Braga all remain with three points each. The top four scoring fighters from each weight class earn a spot in the playoffs, which will then determine the finalists that will compete at a date and location to be announced.
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