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Marc RaimondiESPN
Playoff eligibility and seeding for two PFL divisions will be determined in July.
Defending welterweight champion Magomed Magomedkerimov will face Chris Curtis in the main event of PFL 4 on July 11 in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The card, which will air on ESPN+ and ESPN2, will decide who makes the playoffs and the playoff seeding for the welterweight and women’s lightweight divisions.
In the co-main event, two-time Olympic judo champion Kayla Harrison faces Morgan Frier. Also on the main card, Ray Cooper III faces John Howard in a battle of welterweight sluggers.
Magomedkerimov (23-5) is coming off a first-round submission win over Howard at PFL 1 earlier this month, earning himself six points. The Dagestan native has now won nine straight, including the PFL 170-pound $1 million championship fight against Cooper last December. Magomedkerimov, 29, is a favorite to defend his PFL crown and win the prize money again.
Curtis (21-5) beat Andre Fialho by third-round TKO at PFL, picking up four points. The Canadian “Action Man” has won eight straight, including a victory last year on Dana White’s Contender Series. Curtis, 31, has only ever lost to UFC veterans going back to his debut fight in 2009.
Tied with Magomedkerimov on top of the welterweight standings heading into PFL 4 are Sadibou Sy and Glaico Franca. Curtis is behind those three with four points. Handesson Ferreira is currently in sixth place with three points. The top eight fighters make the playoffs at 170 pounds.
Harrison (4-0) defeated Larissa Pacheco at PFL 1 via decision, earning herself three points. The Ohio native, who trains out of American Top Team in Florida, debuted last year for PFL and has quickly become one of the top prospects in MMA, man or woman. Harrison, 28, won Olympic gold medals in judo in 2016 and 2012.
Frier (4-2) fell to Sarah Kaufman by first-round submission at PFL 1, so she is coming into her fight with Harrison with zero points on the season. The 28-year-old California native was on a four-fight winning streak before meeting Kaufman.
Kaufman, the former Strikeforce champion who fights Roberta Samad at PFL 4, leads the women’s lightweight pack with six points. Harrison, Samad and Bobbi Jo Dalziel are behind her with three points. The top four women’s lightweight fighters will make the playoffs.