In less than two weeks, the 2024 Regular Season of the Professional Fighters League (PFL) will kick off in San Antonio, Texas. This year’s roster of fighters is perhaps the most high-profile in the history of the league, thanks to the influx of talent from Bellator MMA, which was recently acquired by the PFL in late-2023.
Every season, the PFL’s million-dollar tournament has managed to produce household names from fighters who were once upon a time relative unknowns such as Kayla Harrison, Renan Ferreira, Brendan Loughnane, and Ray Cooper III, all of whom have reached the pinnacle of the league.
This season however, the PFL’s flagship tournament will feature a mix of established fighters and up-and-comers, all looking to change their lives with a million-dollar purse.
So before this upcoming season gets underway, let’s see who are the names to look out for in what could be the biggest PFL season ever.
Honorable Mentions: Liz Carmuouche, Talia Santos, Valentin Moldavsky, Neiman Gracie
Brett Johns (Featherweight, 20-3)
A native of Swansea, Wales, Brett Johns has a wealth of experience under his belt, having competed in major promotions like the UFC, Bellator, and the PFL. “The Pikey” made his SmartCage debut at PFL Europe 4 last year, defeating David Crol via third-round TKO. This year, Johns moves up to the main roster, so to speak, and will try to fight his way to a PFL world championship and a million-dollar payday.
Patricky Pitbull (Lightweight, 25-12)
Don’t let the record fool you, Patricky Pitbull is as dangerous as they come. The brother of two-division Bellator Champion Patricio Pitbull, Patricky himself is a former Bellator World Champion and owns wins over the likes of Josh Thomson, Benson Henderson, Tatsuya Kawajiri, Peter Queally, and Roberto de Souza. A long-time staple with Bellator, Patricky now tries to recapture success in the PFL.
Dakota Ditcheva (Women’s Flyweight, 10-0)
A standout striker from England, Dakota Ditcheva has been on these kinds of lists ever since she made her PFL Europe debut last year. Now, after becoming the inaugural PFL Europe Women’s Flyweight Champion, Ditcheva moves on up to the PFL’s million-dollar tournament and is set on adding another PFL championship to her collection. Undefeated in ten professional bouts, Ditcheva is definitely a name to watch out for this season.
Andrey Koreshov (Welterweight, 27-4)
A two-time Pankration gold medalist, Andrey Koreshov is also one of those fighters who have been with Bellator seemingly since forever. The Omsk, Russia native made his Bellator debut back in 2012, and has faced a who’s-who of Bellator welterweight royalty, including the likes of Ben Askren, Marius Žaromskis, Lyman Good, Douglas Lima, Benson Henderson, and Lorenz Larkin among others. In 2015, Koreshov finally won the Bellator Welterweight Championship and this year, he hopes to take home the PFL Welterweight Championship as well.
Phil Davis (Light Heavyweight, 24-7)
All things considered, Phil “Mr. Wonderful” Davis is one of, if not the biggest name in the tournament this year. Davis was a top contender in the UFC, having defeated the likes of Brian Stann, Alexander Gustafsson, Minotouro Nogueira, Lyoto Machida, and Glover Teixeira. In Bellator, Davis found success as he became the promotion’s light heavyweight titleholder, and his run with the promotion includes notable wins over the likes of King Mo Lawal, Linton Vassell, Lyoto Machida (again) and Yoel Romero. Considering Davis’ pedigree, he’s likely a favorite to bring home the PFL title.
The 2024 PFL Regular Season begins with PFL 1 on Thursday, April 4th in San Antonio Texas, followed by PFL 2 on Friday, April 12th in Las Vegas, Nevada. The first half of the season wraps up with PFL 3 on Friday, April 19th in Chicago, Illinois. Catch the action live on ESPN and ESPN+.