Fight Facts: 2023 PFL 8 Playoffs

Fight Facts is a breakdown of all of the interesting information and cage curiosities on every card, with some puns, references and portmanteaus to keep things fun. These deep stat dives delve into the numbers, providing historical context and telling the stories behind those numbers.

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TOTAL NUMBER OF PFL FIGHTS: 963
TOTAL NUMBER OF PFL EVENTS: 105

The Professional Fighters League established its finalists for the heavyweight and women’s featherweight divisions with a truncated fight card that brought it when it counted. All four semifinal bouts ended by first-round stoppage, delighting the fans in New York. PFL 8: 2023 Playoffs featured a knockout artist among knockout artists, a hulking Russian on a warpath and the speediest submission of any woman to grace its cage.

Trending Upwards: The event was PFL’s 18th this year, including the Challenger Series as well as its European Series shows. This ties the most fight cards for any one year in company history, and with three more on the 2023 docket, it will pass that mark next week.

Slim Production, Still Lasted Four Hours: Due to weight issues and other cancelations, PFL 8: 2023 Playoffs carried on with just seven bouts in total. The seven-fight billing in a non-championship, non-Challenger Series card is the shortest since PFL Fight Night in 2017, when just four matches took place that night.

Skyscraper on Skyscraper Violence: Snatching up a place in the heavyweight finals, Renan Ferreira dispatched Maurice Greene in Round 1. Ferreira has now finished his foe in 10 of 11 wins, with seven first-round stoppages on his resume.

The Unluck of the Draw: In 2021, 2022 and now 2023, Larissa Pacheco met Olena Kolesnyk in tournament bouts, with the prior two at 155 pounds and the third at featherweight. Pacheco demolished Kolesnyk in all three, sealing the most one-sided trilogy in a major organization since Wanderlei Silva encountered Kazushi Sakuraba twice in 2001 and again in 2003.

She Is Only 28: Pacheco elevated her finish rate to 86% by decking Kolesnyk for the third time. With eight stoppages under her belt as a PFL fighter, only three combatants have earned more: Justin Gaethje (nine), Ray Cooper III (10) and Kayla Harrison (11).

Fists of Fury: Of her eight wins inside the distance, seven for Pacheco have come by knockout. This puts her behind just Cooper’s eight and Gaethje’s nine for the most in World Series of Fighting-PFL history.

So Far Ahead of the Pack: The triumph was Pacheco’s 11th with the company, making her and Harrison the only two women to surpass 10 wins with PFL. In fact, the only other female fighter with at least five victories is fellow finalist Marina Mokhnatkina.

Stockpiling Checks: Pacheco has now won nine fights in a row since losing a decision in the 2019 finals to Harrison. In the history of the organization, just 12 other fighters have even won nine fights. Of those 12, six celebrate lengthier win streaks of 10 or more straight.

She Can Smash: Needing just 14 seconds to blow through Kolesnyk, Pacheco clocks in with the third-fastest finish – and knockout – in promotional history. Movlid Khaybulaev’s 10-second flying knee and Marthin Hamlet’s 13-second win by knee injury remain above hers.

Speed Keeps Killing: Adding to a 2021 decimation of Julija Pajic in 51 seconds and a 45-drubbing of Amber Leibrock in June, Pacheco now holds the top three fastest finishes in PFL women’s divisional history. She lays claim to five of the spots in its top 10.

Harrisonian Odds: Ahead of the trilogy match with Kolesnyk, Pacheco closed as a prohibitive -2000 betting favorite. Only 11 other fighters in PFL history have been that heavily favored, and the only one to lose is -2000 Magomed Idrisov against Steven Siler in 2018.

No Longer an “International” Fighter: Throttling Jordan Heiderman with an arm-triangle choke, Denis Goltsov reached the finals of the heavyweight bracket. The Russian lifted his pro finish rate to 81%, and became the first heavyweight in league history to amass 10 wins.

Beat That, Kayla: Punching her ticket to the featherweight finals, Mokhnatkina put Amber Leibrock away with an armbar in 105 seconds. This clocks in as the quickest submission in the history of all women’s divisions in WSOF and PFL.

Irish Pride: In a showcase bout on the main card, Nathan Kelly outworked Damion Nelson to pick up the decision win. Since dropping his first two pro outings, the Irishman has not tasted defeat, while earning just his second victory on the scorecards.

Out Ishii-ed Ishii: Danilo Marques defeated Satoshi Ishii by unanimous decision to bounce back from a June knockout loss. The Brazilian becomes one of 10 heavyweights in company history to claim multiple wins at the hands of the judges, with the record five held by Jared Rosholt.

Flyweight Tourney Looms: Thus far in organizational history, 14 bouts have been scheduled at 125 pounds among women. Including Maira Mazar’s split verdict over Kaytlin Neil, 11 of those bouts have taken place in 2023.

Never Say Never Again: Coming into 2023 PFL 8 Playoffs, Goltsov had never qualified for the finals (four seasons, 11 fights), Heiderman had never been defeated (seven fights) and Mazar had never prevailed on split scorecards (14 fights).