The Professional Fighters League (PFL) has announced its lightweight roster for the 2019 season.
The promotion revealed their female 155-pound fighters on International Women’s Day. While Kayla Harrison has made it clear that she plans to spearhead the division, competition simply wasn’t there right away. PFL promised that the female weight class would be part of the next tournament season and they have delivered.
PFL Women’s Lightweight Roster Revealed
Here’s how the women’s lightweight tournament shapes up:
- Kayla Harrison (USA)
- Sarah Kaufman (Canada)
- Genah Fabian (New Zealand)
- Bobbi Jo Dalziel (Canada)
- Svetlana Khautova (Russia)
- Roberta Samad (Brazil)
- Larissa Pacheco (Brazil)
- Morgan Frier (USA)
PFL CEO Peter Murray had the following to say on the introduction of the female 155-pound tournament:
“As we continue to elevate our roster and reimagine the sport, we are proud to introduce the first-ever women’s 155-pound division. These athletes are breaking down barriers every day, and through our unique-to-the-sport season format, fans will be able to follow their journeys and engage in their stories from PFL Regular Season kick-off May 9 to PFL Championship New Year’s Eve.”
PFL’s President of Fighter Relations, Ray Sefo, also chimed in:
“PFL is the only major MMA organization with a women’s lightweight division. Fans are going to love this talented group of women athletes competing for a world title and the $1 million prize. Kayla Harrison is a US household name and the favorite heading into the season, but she’ll be facing strong competition from around the world, including top fighters from Brazil, Canada, New Zealand, and Russia who want to enforce their will in the cage.”
PFL struck a multi-year broadcast deal with ESPN. The promotion will be seen live on ESPN2 and ESPN+. In addition to the live events, PFL will also have shoulder programming.
What do you make of PFL’s addition of women’s lightweights?
