Former UFC champ Pettis headlines new PFL season starting Friday

With a roster of some of the biggest names in mixed martial arts (MMA), the third season of the Professional Fighters League (PFL) is all set to kick-off on Friday in the United States.
Headlining PFL-3 will be one of the league’s biggest off-season signings in former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and Bellator lightweight champion Anthony “Showtime” Pettis.Pettis signed with the PFL in December 2020, and was immediately tagged as the favourite to leave with the title once this season is over.
As good as Pettis is, he’s walking into unchartered territory in the PFL, and his path to gold won’t be as easy as some may think. To hoist the PFL’s 155-pound title, Pettis will outlast the rest of the division, which includes two-time defending champion Natan Schulte.
Even Pettis’ first assignment won’t be a walk in the park, as he gets set to face Clay Collard in the main event of Friday’s card.
Speaking of Natan Schulte, the PFL’s lightweight king won’t be the only two-time champion that’s set for action.
Schulte begins his title defense on the co-main event against dangerous Polish veteran Marcin Held, who has had stints with Bellator and the UFC. Held will also be making his promotional debut with the PFL.
Also competing on this season’s opening card will be two-time reigning PFL featherweight champion Lance Palmer, who draws a very tough assignment for his season debut. Palmer will take on another highly-touted newcomer in Bellator veteran and former BRAVE CF champion Bubba Jenkins.
Excellence In Innovation
To enjoy the action that goes on inside the PFL cage even more, the league has once again stepped up their innovation game, by partnering with some of the biggest names in social media and technology. Just recently, the league announced a partnership with Twitter, which will have the social media giant live-streaming real time and exclusive PFL content.
They also partnered with DraftKings as their official sportsbook and fantasy companion. With the PFL’s proprietary SmartCage technology, fans will soon be able to use real-time statistics for unique prop bets.
The rest of the 2021 season will feature even more big debuts, with Fabricio Werdum, Rory MacDonald, and boxing great Claressa Shields all set to step into the PFL cage for the first time.
Indian fans can enjoy the live telecast of PFL-3 on Eurosport India.