PFL 2 Predictions

PFL 2 Predictions

Douglas Vegas Bets|
April 03, 2023|
0

The PFL season continues this weekend with another set of weight classes introduced into the mix as last season's Women's Lightweight champion Larissa Pacheco returns against Julia Budd in the Featherweight main event. The rest of the main card is filled with Heavyweight matchups that are tough to call, so let's get into my predictions.

Odds Provided by BetOnline.ag accurate as of 3:00 PM EST 4/3/2023

Larissa Pacheco -550 vs. Julia Budd +400

Last season's Lightweight winner Larissa Pacheco takes on former Bellator champion Julia Budd in the main event at Featherweight. Larissa Pacheco has been phenomenal the last two seasons as she has won six straight, finishing all her opponents other than Kayla Harrison by knockout in round one. Julia Budd is a tough fighter who has competed with some of the best in the world in Cris Cyborg and Aspen Ladd, although she is getting up there in age and has a losing record since joining PFL.

Although Budd is tough, I expect Pacheco to continue her dominant run and get a finish over an older Budd early in the fight.

Pick: Pacheco

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Bruno Cappelozza -205 vs. Matheus Scheffel +165

This is a rematch from last season, where Scheffel scored a massive upset win. Bruno Cappelozza looks for revenge here for his only loss in the PFL with his wins, including having defeated last season's champion Ante Delija twice, having shown his devastating knockout power. Matheus Scheffel is coming off a second-place season where he used his grappling to wear down opponents to reach the final before being finished in round one of the championship vs. Ante Delija.

Despite his loss last time out, Cappelozza remains the favorite and I agree that he is a very high-level fighter. I believe that he will use his powerful striking this time and find a knockout early in the fight.

Pick: Cappelozza

Denis Goltsov -300 vs. Yorgan De Castro +240

Two Heavyweights with a wealth of high-level experience meet here. Denis Goltsov has had a nice run in the PFL, with his only loss since 2019 coming to last year's champion Ante Delija; he has shown a strong grappling game for a Heavyweight, which can give opponents trouble. Yorgan De Castro makes his PFL debut here; he has three straight wins since his UFC departure showing his power and some improvements to his overall game.

I'm taking Goltsov here as although De Castro has improved, he still has many holes in his game that can be exploited, although he is live for a knockout with his power.

Pick: Goltsov

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Renan Ferreira +160 vs. Rizvan Kuniev -200

The First Heavyweight matchup of three straight here on the main card features a clash of styles. Renan Ferreira is a massive and powerful striker with several knockouts inside one minute during his PFL run. Rizvan Kuniev makes his PFL debut here with an excellent record; although he has not fought high-level competition, he has shown a solid ground game, with his last fight being a first-round submission over UFC veteran Anthony Hamilton.

I'll pick Ferreira here as he has much more high-level experience, and his size and power combined with that may be too much for Kuniev.

Pick: Ferreira

Who do you have in each of these matchups? Leave your prediction in the comments below.

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