Bruno Cappelozza vs. Stuart Austin

In July of 2018, Bruno Cappelozza fought current UFC Light Heavyweight title contender Jiri Prochazka. After losing to Prochazka, Cappelozza had a 3 year absence away from the sport and it seemed like he wouldn’t be returning. It was in early 2021 when Cappelozza was offered a contract from the PFL to compete in their 2021 Season as a Heavyweight. Cappelozza signed the contract and made the most of it as he went on to win the PFL Championship and $1 Million. He went through a rollercoaster of emotions the night he won the Championship. After he had his hand raised, his corner informed him that his father had died. His team didn’t want to let him know of his father’s passing because they didn’t want him to be distracted heading into the biggest fight of his life. Cappelozza returns to the PFL this Thursday and will once again try to earn a Championship and $1 Million. He’s a big favorite on Verdict, with 82.3% of the community predicting him to defeat Stuart Austin in his season opener.

Lance Palmer vs. Chris Wade

Lance Palmer has had great success in the PFL, as he’s won 2 PFL Championships and a total of $2 Million in 2018 and 2019. However, 2021 didn’t go that way for Palmer. He failed to win a single fight and his streak of winning PFL Championships came to an end. He’ll take on Chris Wade who competed in last year’s PFL Championship but lost to Movlid Khaybulaev. Both Palmer and Wade have had great success in the PFL and they’ll finally compete against each other this Thursday in their 2022 season opener.

Renan Ferreira vs. Jamelle Jones

Of all of the Heavyweights competing for the PFL this year, Renan Ferreira might be the most dangerous. He’s 6’8 and 253 lbs. of lean muscle. He's only had 1 real loss in his 9 year career and that came in 2016. He’s finished 7 out of his 8 wins. His nickname “The Problem” is fitting because he really is a problem for every Heavyweight in the division. His fight against Fabricio Werdum ended in controversy last year after the athletic commission ruled it a no contest. The original ruling of the fight was Ferreira winning by TKO. The fight was overturned to a no contest after the athletic commission ruled that Ferreira had tapped to a triangle choke that the referee didn’t notice. This prevented Ferreira from advancing to the PFL Championship event. He’ll get a fresh start this Thursday when he takes on Jamelle Jones.

Brendan Loughnane vs. Ryoji Kudo

You might remember Brendan Loughnane from Dana White’s Contender Series. Loughnane won his fight, but was refused a UFC contract by the President after he shot for a takedown late in the fight. Since then, Loughnane signed to compete for the PFL. Many expected Brendan Loughnane to win the PFL Championship in 2021, but those dreams were spoiled by Movlid Khaybulaev. With Khaybulaev out of this years competition, Loughnane returns to the league to finish what he started: Become a PFL Champion.