Professional Fighters League 2023 5 Regular Season Pre-Fight Media Day 

The Professional Fighters League (PFL) will host the second round of their regular season on Friday night. From top to bottom, the card has some interesting fights including another amateur fight for Biaggio Ali, a budding MMA prospect and the grandson of former world champion boxer Muhammed Ali. Biaggio will face fellow American Travell Miller, who has won three of his first five bouts.  

Denis Goltsov vs. Yorgan De Castro – Heavyweight 

A few marquee heavyweight matchups highlight round two. MMA Vet Denis Goltsov will take on former UFC knockout artist Yorgan De Castro. Goltsov is entering the fight, having won his first matchup via first-round K.O., earning him six points and the number one spot in the standings. On the other hand, De Castro is coming off a frustrating loss in which he got outwrestled and had trouble closing the distance. De Castro will surrender a reach disadvantage to his taller opponent and talked about how important it will be for him to close the distance in this fight. De Castro will most likely need a big stoppage win. During media day he said, “I am willing to walk forward and take some shots in order to get on the inside and close the distance.”   

Ante Delija vs. Maurice Green – Heavyweight

Another former UFC vet Maurice ‘The Crochet Boss’ Green will take on last season’s champion Ante Delija in the main event. Delija is coming off a minor knee surgery in between seasons and has not yet fought in 2023. Through a translator, Delija detailed how excited he is to be back in the smartcage with his knee feeling healthy. Delija’s opponent Maurice Green is coming off a highlight-reel second-round stoppage scoring him five points, good for second place in the current standings. This will be ‘The Crochet Boss’ second appearance for the PFL, and a win would be huge and set him as one of the real threats to win the 2023 championship and one million dollars.  

Aspen Ladd vs. Karolina Sobek – Women’s Featherweight

The women’s featherweight division will also have two marquee matchups, one being the return of former UFC star Aspen Ladd as she takes on Karolina Sobek. Both fighters lost their first matchup to start the 2023 season. Ladd told the media she was disappointed in herself and her last performance. She expects Sobek to come forward and apply pressure, something her last opponent did not do, causing the fight to go to the judges. Ladd detailed her home life and how she has made mental improvements from the last time we saw her perform. The matchup will certainly eliminate the loser from contention for the championship, while the winner will wait on other results later in the night.  

Larissa Pacheco vs. Amber Leibrock – Women’s Featherweight

2022 champion Larissa Pacheco is fresh off a big win to open her 2023 campaign. She faces Amber Leibrock in the co-main event Friday night. Pacheco finally broke through in 2022 with an upset championship victory over Kayla Harrison, a woman who was undefeated and had already beaten Pacheco twice. With Harrison not competing in 2023, Pacheco is favored heavily to win the championship again. She will have to get through Amber Leibrock, who currently sits in first place after a first-round knockout in a fight she was an underdog in.Leibrock is now on a four-fight first-round finish streak stretching over multiple MMA promotions. When asked about her recent success, she credited her mental coach who practices hypnotherapy. Leibrock told the media she is taking the “I have nothing to lose attitude and will give it my all” ahead of her fight in which she is a massive underdog again Friday night.