The ''PFL 3''

mixed martial arts Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, inc ...

event for the 2021 season of the

Professional Fighters League The Professional Fighters League (PFL) is an American mixed martial arts league founded by venture capitalist Donn Davis in 2017 and launched in 2018, following the acquisition and restructuring of the former World Series of Fighting (WSOF) promot ...

was held on May 6, 2021. This was the third regular season event of the tournament and included fights in the

Heavyweight Heavyweight is a weight class in combat sports and professional wrestling. Boxing Professional Boxers who weigh over are considered heavyweights by 3 of the 4 major professional boxing organizations: the International Boxing Federation, the Wo ...

and women's

Lightweight Lightweight is a weight class in combat sports and rowing. Boxing Professional boxing The lightweight division is over 130 pounds (59 kilograms) and up to 135 pounds (61.2 kilograms) weight class in the sport of boxing. Notable lightweight boxe ...

divisions. After the previous two events aired on

ESPN2 ESPN2 is an American multinational pay television network owned by ESPN Inc., a joint venture between The Walt Disney Company (which owns a controlling 80% stake) and Hearst Communications (which owns the remaining 20%). ESPN2 was initially fo ...

, this was the first event airing on

ESPN ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...

Background

The event was headlined by a heavyweight bout, contested by the former

UFC The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

Heavyweight champion

Fabrício Werdum Fabrício Werdum (; born 30 July 1977) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist and former UFC Heavyweight Champion who competes in the Heavyweight division. He is also a 4-time Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion, a two-time Abu Dhabi Combat Club Wor ...

and Renan Ferreira. In the co-main event, the 2019 PFL Lightweight champion

Kayla Harrison Kayla Jean Harrison (born July 2, 1990) is an American professional mixed martial artist and former Olympic and world champion judoka, currently signed to the Professional Fighters League (PFL). Harrison competed in the weight category in jud ...

fought Mariana Morais. In the second heavyweight fight of the main card, the 2019 PFL Heavyweight champion

Ali Isaev Ali Isaevich Isaev (russian: Али Исаевич Исаев; born 18 December 1983 in Makhachkala, Soviet Union) is a Dagestani-Azerbaijani professional mixed martial artist and former amateur wrestler. He currently competes in the Heavyweigh ...

was scheduled to face promotional newcomer Hatef Moeil. However, during the week of the event, it was announced that the bout was pulled due to unknown reasons and would be rescheduled for June. Justin Willis and Denis Goltsov were expected to face each other at this event. However, Willis was pulled from the bout after the weigh-ins due to being not medically cleared and replaced by Muhammed DeReese.

Results

Aftermath

On May 10, the

New Jersey State Athletic Control Board The New Jersey State Athletic Control Board (SACB) regulates all contests and exhibitions of unarmed combat within the state of New Jersey, including licensure and supervision of promoters, boxers, kickboxers, mixed martial arts fighters, second ...

announced that Renan Ferreira's TKO win against

was overturned to a

No contest ' is a legal term that comes from the Latin phrase for "I do not wish to contend". It is also referred to as a plea of no contest or no defense. In criminal trials in certain United States jurisdictions, it is a plea where the defendant neith ...

after they found that referee Keith Peterson missed a pair of taps by Ferreira that were caught on camera as Werdum applied a choke right before he lost by TKO. Due to this decision, both Werdum and Ferreria received one point in the standings.

Standings After Event

The PFL points system is based on results of the match. The winner of a fight receives 3 points. If the fight ends in a draw, no contest, or no decision, both fighters will receive 1 point. The bonus for winning a fight in the first, second, or third round is 3 points, 2 points, and 1 point respectively. The bonus for winning in the third round requires a fight be stopped before 4:59 of the third round. No bonus point will be awarded if a fighter wins via decision. For example, if a fighter wins a fight in the first round, then the fighter will receive 6 total points. A decision win will result in three total points. If a fighter misses weight, the opponent (should they comply with weight limits) will receive 3 points due to a walkover victory, regardless of winning or losing the bout, with the fighter who missed weight being deducted 1 standings point; if the non-offending fighter subsequently wins with a stoppage, all bonus points will be awarded. A fighter who was unable to compete for any reason, will receive a 1-point penalty (-1 point in the standings). The fighters who made weight will not receive a walkover, but will earn points and contracted purse amounts based on their performance in the altered matchup.

Heavyweight

Women's Lightweight

References

{{2021 in mixed martial arts Professional Fighters League 2021 in mixed martial arts April 2021 sports events in the United States Events in Atlantic City, New Jersey