Three names are confirmed for the new era of the Professional Fighters League in 2025.
PFL has abandoned its season format for more traditional tournaments in 2025, similar to the early Bellator style of events, and the first fighters confirmed in the grand prix are Impa Kasanganay, Taila Santos, and Marc Diakiese.
The promotion will still announce the other 59 fighters to the roster, and is expected to reveal the full brackets in February. The eight tournament winners will pocket $500,000 each.
Kasanganay (18-5) won the 2023 light heavyweight season after a 5-0 run under the PFL banner that year. Kasanganay made his way to another season final in 2024, but lost to Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov.
Santos (22-4) also made it to the PFL finals in her first year since leaving the UFC, but came up short against Dakota Ditcheva for the million-dollar check in November 2024. Santos, who once challenged Valentina Shevchenko for UFC gold, is 3-1 in PFL.
Diakiese (18-7) parted ways with the UFC after competing 15 times inside the octagon between 2016 and 2023, walking away after completing his deal with a win over Kaue Fernandes in Brazil and heaving beat the likes of Joe Duffy and Lando Vannata in the company. The 31-year-old veteran won a decision over Tim Wilde in his Bellator debut this past September.
PFL will hold tournaments in every male division from bantamweight to heavyweight, plus women’s flyweight division.
