2022 PFL Championships: A look at the 12 finalists
Dozens of fighters started out in the 2022 PFL season with the goal of fighting for the championship – and million dollar prize that comes with it.
In the back half of 2022, only two fighters in each weight class remain, totaling a dozen overall. Some suffered losses during the season and rebounded. Others were inserted mid-season, rallied, and capitalized. One fighter even won two short-notice outings as an alternate to clinch his spot in the final.
Each finalist had their own unique journey and now are on the verge of becoming millionaires with a single punch or kick – or a 15-minute all-out war. Fate is in their hands.
2022 PFL Championships are scheduled for Nov. 25 at a yet-to-be-announced location in the U.S.. Scroll below to see who the 12 finalists are and learn about their 2022 journeys toward the finals.
Heavyweight finalist: Ante Delija (22-5)
2022 PFL 2 at the Esports Stadium Arlington in Arlington, Texas, Thursday, April 28, 2022. (Cooper Neill / PFL)
Opponent: Matheus Scheffel (17-8)
Regular season: 2-0 (W1 vs. Matheus Scheffel via TKO; W2 vs. Renan Ferreira via unanimous decision)
Playoff win: Renan Ferreira via TKO (ground-and-pound) – Round 1, 4:31
The skinny: For the second consecutive year, [autotag]Ante Delija[/autotag] makes the PFL championship. Last year, Delija lost a unanimous decision in the championship fight against Bruno Cappelozza. The bout is regarded by many as one of the best in PFL history. Cappelozza won by decision that night, but Delija got right back on the horse afterward. He’s 3-0 since that defeat with two knockout victories – including the man he fights Nov. 25.
Heavyweight finalist: Matheus Scheffel (17-8)
2022 PFL 2 at the Esports Stadium Arlington in Arlington, Texas, Thursday, April 28, 2022. (Cooper Neill / PFL)
Opponent: Ante Delija (22-5)
Regular season: 1-1 (L1 vs. Ante Delija via TKO; W1 vs. Bruno Cappelozza via unanimous decision)
Playoff win: Juan Adams via TKO (punches) – Round 3, 3:45
The skinny: [autotag]Matheus Scheffel[/autotag] won’t just have the chance to avenge his most recent loss Nov. 25, he can win a million dollars in the process. The win would top off a successful season for the longtime Brazilian MMA veteran. The 2022 PFL season marked Scheffel’s first stint with a major promotion after numerous visa issues through the years – and he’s capitalized on it thus far.
Light heavyweight finalist: Omari Akhmedov (24-7-1)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JULY 01: /ACTION during PFL 7 at the Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden on August 5, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images)
Opponent: Rob Wilkinson (16-2)
Regular season: 2-0 (W1 vs. Viktor Pesta via TKO; W2 vs. Teodoras Aukstuolis via submission)
Playoff win: Josh Silveira via unanimous decision
The skinny: Former UFC fighter [autotag]Omari Akhmedov[/autotag] has found new life in the PFL. Between his brutal knockouts and quality fight purses, Akhmedov reaped hell – and the benefits of his labor – during the 2022 season. In one of two UFC alumni battles on the 2022 PFL Championships card, Akhmedov looks to extend his winning streak to four.
Light heavyweight finalist: Rob Wilkinson (16-2)
PFL 4 at the Overtime Elite Arena in Atlanta, Georgia, Friday, June 17, 2022. (Cooper Neill / PFL)
Opponent: Omari Akhmedov (24-7-1)
Regular season: 2-0 (W1 vs. Bruce Souto via TKO; W2 vs. Viktor Pesta via TKO)
Playoff win: Delan Monte via knockout (knee) – Round 1, 1:37
The skinny: Reasonable revisionist history shows [autotag]Rob Wilkinson[/autotag] perhaps wasn’t worthy of a UFC release in 2018. He was shown his pink slip after a loss to UFC newcomer Israel Adesanya – and since that time has not lost. After back-to-back regional finishes, Wilkinson was onboarded onto the 2022 PFL season. His three promotional appearances have lasted less than six minutes total. All three have ended by knockout.
Welterweight finalist: Sadibou Sy (12-6-2)
PFL 6 at the Overtime Elite Arena in Atlanta, Georgia, Friday, July 1, 2022. (Cooper Neill / PFL)
Opponent: Dilano Taylor (10-2)
Regular season: 2-0 (W1 vs. Nikolay Aleksakhin via split decision; W2 vs. Rory MacDonald via unanimous decision)
Playoff win: Carlos Leal via unanimous decision
The skinny: One of the few fighters who have partaken in all four PFL tournaments, [autotag]Sadibou Sy[/autotag] has finally clinched his first championship final. He entered MMA with a kickboxing background, but has since rounded his game out enough to succeed in MMA, too.
Welterweight finalist: Dilano Taylor (10-2)
PFL 6 Ceremonial Weigh In at the Overtime Elite Arena in Atlanta, Georgia, Thursday, June 30, 2022. (Cooper Neill / PFL)
Opponent: Sadibou Sy (12-6-2)
Regular season: 1-1 (W1 vs. Joao Zeferino via split decision; L1 vs. Magomed Magomedkerimov via TKO)
Playoff win: Rory MacDonald via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 3:59
The skinny: There are underdogs. There are alternates. Then, there’s [autotag]Dilano Taylor[/autotag]. He first appeared on PFL programming in 2022 on the Challenger Series. Though he won, he was not offered a shot in the 2022 season initially. However, he stepped in for a visa issue-plagued Magomed Magomedkerimov on just days’ notice against Joao Zeferino – and won. Despite the victory, he was not given an automatic second fight in the season. However, when Zeferino withdrew during fight week, Taylor stepped in on days’ notice again. He lost, but was inserted into the alternate slot yet again. History repeated itself when Taylor stepped in on days’ notice again – and this time finished former UFC welterweight title challenger Rory MacDonald with punches in Round 1.
Lightweight: Olivier Aubin-Mercier (16-5)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JULY 01: /ACTION during PFL 7 at the Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden on August 5, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images)
Opponent: Stevie Ray (25-10)
Regular season: 2-0 (W1 vs. Natan Schulte via split decision; W2 vs. Raush Manfio via unanimous decision)
Playoff win: Alex Martinez via unanimous decision
The skinny: The Canadian Gangster is championship final-bound. Undefeated across two seasons in PFL, [autotag]Olivier Aubin-Mercier[/autotag] has proved his UFC departure a good one thus far. While he has yet to pick up a finish in a system that rewards them with points, Aubin-Mercier still found a way to make it to the biggest fight of them all – where finishing doesn’t matter.
Lightweight: Stevie Ray (25-10)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JULY 01: /ACTION during PFL 7 at the Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden on August 5, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images)
Opponent: Olivier Aubin-Mercier (16-5)
Regular season: 1-1 (L1 vs. Alex Martinez via unanimous decision; W1 vs. Anthony Pettis via submission)
Playoff win: Anthony Pettis via unanimous decision
The skinny: Coming out of retirement usually proves to be a poor decision for MMA notables. [autotag]Stevie Ray[/autotag] swims against the tides, however. After a loss to Alex Martinez in his promotional debut, his first fight in over two years, Ray picked up back-to-back wins over former UFC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis, including a Submission of the Year candidate twister.
Women's lightweight: Kayla Harrison (15-0)
PFL 6 at the Overtime Elite Arena in Atlanta, Georgia, Friday, July 1, 2022. (Cooper Neill / PFL)
Opponent: Larissa Pacheco (18-4)
Regular season: 2-0 (W1 vs. Marina Mokhnatkina via unanimous decision; W2 vs. Kaitlin Young via TKO)
Playoff win: Martina Jindrova via submission (arm-triangle choke) – Round 1, 3:17
The skinny: When fight fans think of PFL, chances are [autotag]Kayla Harrison[/autotag] is one of the first athletes that come to mind – and for good reason. A two-time champion, Harrison remains unbeaten. She has yet to face true adversity or challenge in the cage. Fifteen times fighters have tried. Fifteen attempts have failed. Just ask her 2022 PFL Championships opponent Larissa Pacheco, who has come up short twice before.
Women's lightweight: Larissa Pacheco (18-4)
PFL 6 at the Overtime Elite Arena in Atlanta, Georgia, Friday, July 1, 2022. (Cooper Neill / PFL)
Opponent: Kayla Harrison (15-0)
Regular season: 2-0 (W1 vs. Marina Mokhnatkina via unanimous decision; W2 vs. Kaitlin Young via TKO)
Playoff win: Martina Jindrova via submission (arm-triangle choke) – Round 1, 3:17
The skinny: If [autotag]Larissa Pacheco[/autotag] beats Kayla Harrison at 2022 PFL Championships, she’ll avenge not one, but two of her past losses. While Harrison has proven to be the clear-cut No. 1 woman in PFL, Pacheco has all but solidified her unofficial slot as No. 2. Since her second loss to Harrison, Pacheco has gone 5-0 with five finishes.
Featherweight finalist: Bubba Jenkins (19-4)
2022 PFL 2 at the Esports Stadium Arlington in Arlington, Texas, Thursday, April 28, 2022. (Cooper Neill / PFL)
Opponent: Brendan Loughnane (25-4)
Regular season: 2-0 (W1 vs. Kyle Bochniak via unanimous decision; W2 vs. Reinaldo Ekson via unanimous decision)
Playoff win: Ryoji Kudo via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 1:49
The skinny: One of the most seasoned fighters on the PFL roster, [autotag]Bubba Jenkins[/autotag] has fought pretty much everywhere. After all these years, he might finally be getting elite-level respect, albeit through earned opportunity. With eight wins in his most recent nine fights, Jenkins enters 2022 PFL Championships on a three-fight win streak. If he makes it four, he’ll be a millionaire.
Featherweight finalist: Brendan Loughnane (25-4)
Opponent: Bubba Jenkins (19-4)
Regular season: 2-0 (W1 vs. Ryoji Judo via technical decision; W2 vs. Ago Huskic via unanimous decision)
Playoff win: Chris Wade via unanimous decision
The skinny: Initially known as “the guy Dana White snubbed on Dana White’s Contender Series,” [autotag]Brendan Loughnane[/autotag] has built his own brand away from that since his PFL signing. With seven wins in eight PFL appearances, Loughnane is one of the most beloved fighters on the roster, especially with United Kingdom fans. Now, he’s set to fight for all the PFL marbles.
Full 2022 PFL Championships fight card to date:
Kayla Harrison vs. Larissa Pacheco
Olivier Aubin-Mercier vs. Stevie Ray
Omari Akhmedov vs. Rob Wilkinson
Ante Delija vs. Matheus Scheffel
Bubba Jenkins vs. Brendan Loughnane
Sadibou Sy vs. Dilano Taylor
