FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, August 29th, 2018
FINAL PROFESSIONAL FIGHTERS LEAGUE EVENT BEFORE PLAYOFFS FOR A SHOT AT $1 MILLION TITLE TOMORROW, THURSDAY, AUGUST 30, LIVE AT 9 PM ET ON NBCSN
All Five Bouts on NBCSN Have Playoff Implications
Smealinho Rama vs. Jamie Abdallah & Sean O’Connell vs. Bozigit Ataev in Light Heavyweight Matchups
Todd Harris Calls the Action, Joined by Randy Couture, Bas Rutten, Yves Edwards, & Reporter Caroline Pearce
STAMFORD, Conn. – August 29, 2018 – NBC Sports continues coverage of the Professional Fighters League in the final event before the playoffs tomorrow, Thursday, August 30, live at 9 p.m. ET on NBCSN from the Ocean Resort Casino in Atlantic City, N.J.
The last event of the Professional Fighters League regular season features multiple weight classes in action as fighters compete in must-win matchups for the final spots in the PFL postseason, beginning in October. All five bouts on NBCSN have playoff implications.
In the light heavyweight division, Smealinho Rama (10-4, 0-1 PFL) takes on Jamie Abdallah (7-3, 0-1 PFL) in an elimination bout, while Sean O’Connell (18-9, 1-0 PFL) takes on Russian Bozigit Ataev (17-2, 0-1 PFL). Rama, a former World Series of Fighting Heavyweight Champion, went 9-1 in his first 10 fights, while Abdalla, the only Australian in the PFL, has five career first-round knockouts. O’Connell has already clinched a playoff spot, but could lock in as high as the No. 2 seed with an early stoppage, while Ataev needs a win to continue in the playoffs.
Magomed Idrisov (8-2, 0-1 PFL) faces Alexandre Bezerra (21-5), who makes his PFL debut in the featherweight division. Idrisov’s loss in PFL 1 broke his eight-fight winning streak, but now he has a chance to put it all behind him in this “win and you’re in” fight against Bezerra, who has won six of his last eight fights.
In the welterweight division, Handesson Ferreira (11-1-1) makes his PFL debut against Paul Bradley (23-9, 0-1 PFL). Ferreira has never been knocked out or submitted, his only career loss came by split decision. In addition, Caio Alencar (11-3, 0-1 PFL) faces Mike Kyle (23-15-1, 2 NC) in the heavyweight division. Alencar looks to rebound from his KO loss in PFL 1, which was only the second time he’s been stopped in his career, while UFC veteran Kyle, who has 15 knockouts in 41 career fights, makes his PFL debut.
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 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 —
