The PFL has announced its opening women’s lightweight and men’s welterweight matchups for the 2022 regular season, and the matchups include some of the company’s biggest names.
Two-time women’s lightweight champion Kayla Harrison (12-0) will face Russia’s Marina Mokhnatkina (6-2) in the PFL 3 main event. In the co-main event, 2021 welterweight champion Ray Cooper III (24-7-1) will meet Magomed Umalatov (11-0).
The PFL 3 event will take place on May 6 at Esports Stadium Arlington in Arlington, Texas, the same venue as PFL 1 (April 20) and PFL 2 (April 28). Those earlier events will feature the promotion’s other four weight classes: heavyweight, light heavyweight, lightweight and welterweight.
A two-time Olympic gold medalist in judo, Harrison was not guaranteed to return to the PFL in 2022. She received multiple offers as a free agent in late 2021 and early 2022. Bellator MMA offered Harrison a lucrative deal; however, the PFL had the right to match the offer and opted to do so.
According to ESPN, Harrison is tied as the No. 7 female pound-for-pound fighter.
In addition to the main and co-main, PFL 3 will feature former UFC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis against Myles Price. That bout was originally scheduled for April 20 but was postponed.
PFL events are scheduled to air on ESPN, ESPN Deportes and ESPN+ in 2022. Additional regular-season events are scheduled for June 17, June 24 and July 1.
The full lineup for PFL 3 on May 6 includes:
Kayla Harrison vs. Marina Mokhnatkina, women’s lightweight
Ray Cooper III vs. Magomed Umalatov, welterweight
Anthony Pettis vs. Myles Price, lightweight
Rory MacDonald vs. Brett Cooper, welterweight
Magomed Magomedkerimov vs. Joao Zeferino, welterweight
Genah Fabian vs. Julia Budd, women’s lightweight
Sadibou Sy vs. Nikolai Aleksakhin, welterweight
Larissa Pacheco vs. Zamzagul Fayzallanova, women’s lightweight
Gleison Tibau vs. Jarrah Al Silawi, welterweight
Olena Kolesnyk vs. Abigail Montes, women’s lightweight
Vanessa Melo vs. Martina Jindrova, women’s lightweight