FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, August 1st, 2018

FIGHTING FOR THE PLAYOFFS: LIVE PROFESSIONAL FIGHTERS LEAGUE ACTION CONTINUES TOMORROW, THURSDAY, AUGUST 2, AT 9 PM ET ON NBCSN

Lightweights & Light Heavyweights Compete In Their Final Opportunity to Earn Points for PFL Playoff Positions

Jason High vs. Natan Schulte & Will Brooks vs. Robert Watley in PFL Lightweight Bouts

Vinny Magalhaes vs. Brandon Halsey Featured in PFL Light Heavyweight Matchup

Todd Harris Calls the Action, Joined by Randy Couture, Bas Rutten, Yves Edwards, & Reporter Caroline Pearce

STAMFORD, Conn. – August 1, 2018 – NBC Sports continues coverage of the Professional Fighters League tomorrow, Thursday, August 2, live at 9 p.m. ET on NBCSN from NYCB LIVE, home of the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, in Uniondale, NY. Two stacked divisions return to the cage for the fifth event of the 2018 PFL season as the lightweights and light heavyweights compete for the second time this season in their final opportunity to earn points to qualify for playoff positions. The top eight fighters in each weight class will advance to the playoffs, and by season’s end, one fighter in each class will take home $1 million and the title of PFL Champion.

In the lightweight division, Jason High (21-7, 0-1 PFL) takes on Natan Schulte (12-3, 1-0 PFL), and looks for redemption after leading the first two rounds of his bout against Efrain Escudero in PFL 2, eventually losing in the third round via submission. Schulte comes off a win against Chris Wade in PFL 2 via unanimous decision. For the light heavyweights, three-time Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion Vinny Magalhaes (15-9, 1-0 PFL) sits atop the standings and aims to secure a top playoff seed when he faces former All-American college wrestler Brandon Halsey (11-3, 1-0 PFL).

Also fighting in the lightweight division is Will Brooks (19-4, 1-0 PFL), who welcomed his second child, a son named Jaxon, just 10 days before scoring a win in his first PFL bout back in June. He’ll have extra motivation to push for the $1 million prize when he takes on former college running back Robert Watley (11-1, 1-0 PFL), who enters their bout on an 11-fight win streak.

The NBCSN show will also include Maxim Grishin (27-7, 1-0 PFL) vs. Rakim Cleveland (19-9-1, 1-0 PFL) in a light heavyweight contest, and Rashid Magomedov (20-2) making his PFL debut against Luiz Firmino (20-9, 0-1 PFL) in a lightweight matchup.

Todd Harris calls the action, joined by MMA Hall of Famers and analysts Randy Couture and Bas Rutten, alongside Yves Edwards and reporter Caroline Pearce.

The Professional Fighters League features a regular season, playoffs, and championship, and individual fighters compete in a win-and-advance postseason format. The 2018 PFL season consists of seven regular-season events, a bracket-style playoff, and a $10 million postseason prize pool.  The top eight fighters in each of the six different weight classes advance to the playoffs, with one fighter in each division earning $1 million and the title of true champion. NBC Sports will present exclusive live Thursday night PFL telecasts, including seven regular-season live events in prime time exclusively on NBCSN through the end of August.

NBC SPORTS APP: The NBC Sports app — NBC Sports Group’s live streaming product for desktops, mobile devices, tablets, and connected TVs — will stream coverage on NBCSN via “TV Everywhere,” giving consumers additional value for their subscription  service, and making high quality content available to MVPD customers both in and out of the home and on multiple platforms. The NBC Sports app is available on Apple iOS, Android and select Samsung devices, as well as on Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, Comcast’s X1, Roku, Win10, and Xbox.

The NBC Sports app is powered by Playmaker Media, NBC Sports Digital’s technology service which provides end-to-end support for companies in need of best-in-class live streaming and VOD solutions.

— NBC SPORTS —