PFL Round 2 Match-Ups: Who’s Fighting? [April 2021]

Where can I watch?

April 29th marks the next tournament event in the Professional Fighters League’s 2021 season. Round 2 will include fights in the Welterweight and Light Heavyweight divisions, which are both stacked with returning champions and new top talent.

What are the Key Match-Ups in Round One?

The ESPN2 Main Card will feature the following bouts:

• Rory MacDonald vs. Curtis Millender
• Ray Cooper III vs. Jason Ponet
• Magomed Magomedkerimov vs. Jaoa Zeferino
• Emiliano Sordi vs. Chris Camozzi

Rory MacDonald vs. Curtis Millender
Former Bellator champion Rory MacDonald, known by his nickname “The Red King,” is the top-15 welterweight in the world, having made his pro debut at just 16 years old. He has gone on to collect 21 wins, 14 via stoppage. His unforgettable UFC 189 title fight against Robbie Lawler was aptly named MMA’s “Fight of the Decade.”

MacDonald was originally supposed to fight former UFC veteran David Michaud, who had to pull out of the PFL season due to a heart condition. Curtis Millender is the new contender who is eagerly replacing Michaud for the entire 2021 season. Millender has been a professional competitor since 2013 and his record stands at 18-6-0, with 6 of his 18 wins achieved via knockout.

He has long wanted to compete against MacDonald, commenting recently, “I’m putting Rory down. I have to put him down.” The pairing will make for a captivating bout, with MacDonald’s killer technique and Millender’s drive to prove himself.

Ray Cooper III vs. Jason Ponet

Hawaiian knockout virtuoso and PFL 2019 Welterweight World Champion Ray Cooper III will compete for his second welterweight title against Jason Ponet (20-12-1), the “Amazonian Samourai.” Cooper has a 20-7-1 record and beat top Welterweight MacDonald in 2019, so we’ll see how he takes on Ponet, one of France’s hottest MMA prospects. 

Magomed Magomedkerimov vs. Joao Zeferino

Magomedkerimov (26-5-0) is the 2018 Welterweight World Champion with a whopping 26 wins and famously the best guillotine chokehold in professional MMA. Preparing for a hearty comeback after an injury hindered his title defense in 2019, he will take on Brazil’s Joao Zeferino (24-9-0), who is unbeaten (3-0) in the PFL. Zeferino is a high-level stoppage master who puts up a tough fight, having gotten 16 submissions. He beat veteran fighter Paul Bradley in a memorable 2018 bout with a right-hand haymaker that sent Bradley to the cage before finishing him off.

 Emiliano Sordi vs. Chris Camozzi

Although newly signed to the PFL, UFC veteran and Glory kickboxing star Camozzi (25-14-0), strongly believes he can beat Emiliano Sordi (22-8-0), the 2019 Light Heavyweight World Champion. Sordi is the first fighter from Argentina to secure a major MMA title, and has garnered every single one of his 22 wins by stoppage with 16 knockouts.

When asked about their upcoming fight, Camozzi said, “Why not fight the toughest guy first?” He’s confident that their match, his first in PFL, will be anything but boring.

The Preliminary Card Fights on ESPN+ will include the following matches:

• Antonio Carlos Jr. vs. Tom Lawlor
• Vinny Magalhaes vs. Jordan Young
• Cezar Ferreira vs. Nick Roehrick
• Gleison Tibau vs. Aleksei Kunchenko
• Sadibou Sy vs. Nikolai Aleksakhin
• Dan Spohn vs. Martin Hamlet

You can watch the April 29th Main Card fights at 9 pm ET (6 pm PT) on ESPN2. The Preliminary fights air prior to the Main Card at 5:30 pm ET (2:30 pm PT) on ESPN+.