Lance Palmer celebrates after winning the PFL featherweight title in 2018.
PFL 5 Card Shuffled Around As Three Fighters Miss Weight
PFL 5 is a day away. As the featherweights and lightweights get ready for their bouts, some shuffling has gone around on the card as 3 total fighters missed weight. Featherweight, Gadzhi Rabadanov and lightweights, Ramsey Nijem and Carlao Silva missed the cut for their bouts.
All three fighters are pulled from the card as Silva weighted 159 pounds. Nijem attempted to weigh in twice but “he would not put his full feet on the scale either time, according to ESPN. Rabadanov did not weigh in at all. Since Nijem and Silva are in the same division, their opponents will face off in the cage. That puts Natan Schulte and Jesse Ronson set to face off on the prelims on ESPN+.
Rabadanov’s opponent, Daniel Pineda, will get three points for a victory because of his opponent’s weight, much like Sara Kauffman earlier in the season.
“With playoff spots on the line, these fighters will come out with an incredible sense of urgency, determined to keep that dream of a title and million-dollar prize alive,” says PFL’s president, Ray Sefo. “MMA fans witnessed that at PFL 4 here at Ocean Casino Resort, an event that saw six of eight fights end early. PFL 5 features returning champions looking to repeat, competitors who fell short last season and are looking for revenge, and new challengers looking to establish themselves in the PFL. It will be an action-packed night with incredible storylines unfolding.”
This is the main event of the evening!
The co-main event in PFL 5 has Lance Palmer, last year’s champion, taking on the 34-1 Brazilian, Luis Rafael Laurentino. Laurentino’s last fight was a 23 second knockout and has him sitting at the first seed. Palmer is only sitting on 3 points and could miss the playoffs if he were to lose.
In the main event, lightweights square off as Chris Wade, the Long Island product, faces Akhmed Aliev. Aliev is leading the lightweight division. Wade is in fourth in the lightweight division and would clinch a playoff spot with a win.
