2023 PFL MMA SEASON ON ESPN PLATFORMS KICKS OFF LIVE FROM THE THEATER AT VIRGIN HOTELS LAS VEGAS ON SATURDAY, APRIL 1

PFL ANNOUNCES MAIN AND CO-MAIN BOUTS FOR FIRST THREE REGULAR SEASON EVENTS ON APRIL 1, APRIL 7, AND APRIL 14

MMA Star Shane Burgos Makes PFL Debut with Return of PFL World Champions: Brendan Loughnane, Larissa Pacheco and Olivier Aubin-Mercier

Sign Up Today for Regular Season Event Ticket Pre-Sale

NEW YORK, Feb. 2, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Professional Fighters League (PFL), the fastest growing and most innovative sports league, today announced that its 2023 Regular Season will begin on Saturday, April 1 in the "Fight Capital of the World" at The Theater at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas, part of Curio Collection by Hilton, live on ESPN, ESPN Deportes and ESPN+. The PFL Regular Season features a true sports-season format, where elite fighters from around the world compete in a Regular Season, Playoffs, and Championship, with each winner of the six weight divisions receiving a $1 million prize.

Pre-sale for PFL Regular Season tickets is now open (code: "PFL") and will be available to the public for purchase on February 7 via AXS.com.

The first of three consecutive Regular Season events hosted at the venue will feature some of the world's best Featherweight and Light Heavyweight fighters, headlined by 2022 PFL World Champions Brendan Loughnane and Rob Wilkinson facing off against Marlon Moraes and Thiago Santos, respectively.

The second event of the PFL Regular Season will take place on April 7 and showcase some of the world's top Heavyweight and Women's Featherweight MMA fighters. Croatian Ante Delija, who rose to the top of the division last year to claim the PFL World Championship, will take on Yorgan De Castro, while Larissa Pacheco, who defeated MMA superstar Kayla Harrison to claim the 2022 PFL World Championship, makes her season debut against Julia Budd.

The third event from The Theater at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas on April 14 will feature the league's world-class roster of Lightweight and Welterweight stars. The show's main card will feature Olivier Aubin-Mercier, the 2022 PFL Lightweight World Champion, taking on Shane Burgos in his highly-anticipated PFL debut. In the co-main, last season's Welterweight winner Sadibou Sy will face off in the SmartCage across from Jarrah Al-Silawi.

PFL 1 – April 1, 2023 (ESPN)
Main: Brendan Loughnane vs. Marlon Moraes (FW)
Co-Main: Robert Wilkinson vs. Thiago Santos (LHW)

PFL 2 – April 7, 2023 (ESPN2)
Main: Ante Delija vs. Yorgan De Castro (HW)
Co-Main: Larissa Pacheco vs. Julia Budd (WFW)

PFL 3 – April 14, 2023 (ESPN2)
Main: Olivier Aubin-Mercier vs. Shane Burgos (LW)
Co-Main: Sadibou Sy vs. Jarrah Al-Silawi (WW)

"The Professional Fighters League is excited to return this April to Las Vegas, the fight capital of the world, to kick off the 2023 PFL Regular Season with a three-event residency at the reimagined The Theater at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas," said PFL CEO Peter Murray. "The PFL's extensive roster of world-class fighters will be on display for all US events live on ESPN, ESPN Deportes and ESPN+, along with international distribution to 160 countries globally for MMA fans around the world."

"With all six of last year's PFL World Champions returning to the SmartCage, along with the league debuts of MMA stars Shane Burgos and Thiago Santos, fans across the world will see the best this sport has to offer when the 2023 PFL Regular Season kicks off from Last Vegas on April 1," said PFL President of Fighter Operations Ray Sefo.

PFL is the #1 fastest growing company in MMA and the #2 MMA company on worldwide basis. PFL is the only in MMA with the sports-season format, where individual fighters compete in sports-season "win and advance" meritocracy like all other major sports. The PFL fighter roster is global and world-class, with fighters from over 20 countries and 25% independently ranked in the top 25. PFL leads in technology and innovation, with its proprietary PFL SmartCage powering real-time betting and next-gen viewing experience. PFL is aired primetime live in the U.S. on ESPN and ESPN+ and in 140 countries via 25 leading broadcast and streaming partners.

About Professional Fighters League

Professional Fighters League (PFL) is the fastest growing and most innovative sports league.  PFL is the #2 MMA company worldwide on all key metrics and the only with the sports-season format where individual fighters compete in Regular Season, Playoffs, and Championship.  The Company has four global live fight franchises:  PFL League Season, PFL Challenger Series, PFL PPV Super Fights, and PFL Europe. 

PFL airs live in the U.S on ESPN and ESPN+ and is broadcast and streamed to 140 countries with 25 international leading media partners, including DAZN, DirectTV, Viaplay, Sky Sports, and MBC.  PFL has dozens of major brand sponsors such as Anheuser-Busch, GEICO, Bose, US Marine Corps, and Celsius Energy Drink. 

PFL is backed by blue-chip investors including Ares, Luxor Capital, Elysian Park Ventures, Knighthead, Legends, and numerous NBA, MLB, NHL, and MLS team owners.

MMA is the growth sport of this decade, with over 600 million fans worldwide, the youngest audience demo of any sport, and true global revenue streams.

PFLmma.com; Instagram (@PFLmma); Twitter (@PFLMMA); Facebook (/PFLmma)

About The Theater at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas

Exclusively booked and managed by AEG Presents, The Theater at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas is a premier live entertainment venue featuring the most highly-regarded talents in music and comedy. Formerly The Joint, the venue has hosted some of the top names in entertainment across countless genres since its inception, including iconic acts such as Paul McCartney, Bert Kreischer, Blink-182, Drake, Guns N' Roses, Imagine Dragons, Journey, Karol G, Kenny Chesney, The Killers, Machine Gun Kelly, Nine Inch Nails, Prince, Rex Orange County, Santana, The 1975, and countless others.

The Theater provides an immersive setting for guests to experience both legendary and groundbreaking artists on a variety of levels, from intimate performances with 1,800 guests to large-scale, full-capacity experiences with 4,600 guests. Setting the bar for the most luxury in-venue concert experience, The Theater offers exclusive VIP offerings, including luxury private suites tended by dedicated VIP hosts, top-shelf spirits, a private expedited entry, in-venue merchandise delivery, custom swag, VIP social lounges and more, guaranteed to give guests an unparalleled live entertainment and VIP experience at every touchpoint. To learn more about the venue's VIP service or to book, please email [email protected]. For tickets or more information on The Theater at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas, visit virginhotelslv.com/venue/the-theater.

About Virgin Hotels Las Vegas

Virgin Hotels Las Vegas is a reimagined and re-conceptualized casino resort. The property is part of Curio Collection by Hilton and has been awarded the AAA Four Diamond Award in its first year of operation. The integrated resort intermixes a passion for food and beverage with music and culture and features three hotel towers totaling over 1,500 Chambers and suites; the 60,000 sq. ft. Mohegan Casino Las Vegas operated by Mohegan and the Mohegan Sun Sportsbook powered by Betfred; a five-acre desert pool oasis including Élia Beach Club and a multi-functional event lawn; live music and entertainment theater with 4,600 capacity operated by AEG Presents; 24 Oxford showroom accommodating 650 guests; and an exclusive portfolio of twelve food and beverage venues including Todd English's Olives, Kris Yenbamroong's Night + Market, the legendary Nobu, Michael Morton and David Morton's ONE Steakhouse, Kassi Beach House from restauranteur Nick Mathers, Casa Calavera by global hospitality company TAO Group, famous Afters Ice Cream, Pizza Forte by the Ferraro Family and signature Virgin Hotels restaurants and bars including The Kitchen at Commons Club, The Bar at Commons Club, The Shag Room and Funny Library Coffee Shop. The property is owned by JC Hospitality, LLC, in partnership with Juniper Capital Partners, Virgin Group, LiUNA, Fengate Asset Management, Dream and Orlando Development. The off-Strip playground is located at 4455 Paradise Road. For more information, visit www.virginhotelslv.com.

About Virgin Hotels

Virgin Hotels is a luxury lifestyle hospitality brand that combines heartfelt service and a personalized hotel experience inspired by the innovation and smart disruption that Sir Richard Branson's global Virgin Group has pioneered for over 50 years. Each property intermixes a passion for food and beverage with music, design, and culture, fusing with the local landscape and providing a vibrant and inclusive environment for travelers and locals alike. The current portfolio includes five hotels—Virgin Hotels Chicago, Virgin Hotels Dallas, Virgin Hotels Nashville, Virgin Hotels New Orleans, Virgin Hotels Las Vegas, and newly launched Virgin Hotels Edinburgh. Locations in Glasgow and New York City are scheduled to debut in 2023, followed by Miami and Denver in 2025 as well as the launch of Virgin Residences. In addition, Virgin Hotels continues to explore hotel, conversions, and ground-up development in Boston, Los Angeles, Austin, Philadelphia, Seattle, London, and more.

About Curio Collection by Hilton

Curio Collection by Hilton is a global portfolio of more than 120 one-of-a-kind hotels and resorts handpicked for their distinct character. Curio Collection properties offer guests the ability to experience independent hotels, offering authentic, curated experiences through local offerings and elevated amenities, while providing the benefits of Hilton and its award-winning guest loyalty program Hilton Honors. Experience Curio Collection by Hilton by booking at curiocollection.com or through the industry-leading Hilton Honors app. Hilton Honors members who book directly through preferred Hilton channels have access to instant benefits. Learn more about Curio Collection by Hilton at stories.hilton.com/curio, and follow the brand on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

About ESPN

ESPN, the world's leading sports entertainment brand, features eight U.S. television networks, direct-to-consumer ESPN+, ESPN Radio, ESPN.com, endeavors on every continent around the world, and more. ESPN is 80 percent owned by ABC, Inc. (an indirect subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company) and 20 percent by Hearst.  

About ESPN+ 

ESPN+ is the industry-leading sports streaming service that offers fans in the U.S. thousands of live sports events, original programming not available on ESPN's linear TV or digital networks and exclusive editorial content from dozens of ESPN writers and reporters. Launched in April 2018, ESPN+ has grown to more than 24.3 million subscribers. Fans sign up to ESPN+ for just $9.99 a month (or $99.99 per year) at ESPN.com, ESPNplus.com or on the ESPN App (mobile and connected devices).

SOURCE Professional Fighters League (PFL)