The Professional Fighters League (PFL) held the weigh-ins for its fifth event of the 2021 season Wednesday, June 16. The official pre-fight check took place at the Ocean Casino in Atlantic City, N.J.
PFL 5, 2021 features the men’s welterweight and light heavyweight divisions, as competitors make one final push to qualify for the biggest night in MMA: The 2021 PFL Championship.
Atop the main card on ESPN2 is a high-profile welterweight showdown between former Bellator champion and UFC contender Rory MacDonald and 22-year veteran Gleison Tibau. MacDonald strolls into the bout with six points in hand thanks to a quick rear-naked choke victory over Curtis Millender in his PFL debut back at PFL 2, 2021. Tibau, meanwhile, is coming off a decision defeat to Joao Zeferino at the same event and will be looking to get back on track against the mega-talented Canadian.
The ESPN2 card also features some can’t-miss action in the Light Heavyweight division, as 2019 PFL king Emiliano Sordi takes on Dan Spohn, while UFC vets Cezar Ferreira and Chris Camozzi throw down to open up the main card.
Tucked away among those three fights on ESPN2 is a welterweight showdown that just might steal the show Thursday evening. In the PFL 5, 2021 main event, PFL’s most decorated knockout artist, Ray Cooper III, returns to action to face dangerous Russian Nikolai Aleksakhin.
The 10-fight card kicks off Thursday night, June 17, with a preliminary card airing live on ESPN+ beginning at 5:30 p.m. ET. The remainder of the card will shift to ESPN2 at 9 p.m. ET. For additional broadcast details, click here.
Below are the full results of the PFL 5, 2021 weigh-ins:
- Welterweight: Sadibou Sy (170) vs. Aleksei Kunchenko (169.6)
- Light Heavyweight: Tom Lawlor (203.6) vs. Jordan Young (206)
- Welterweight: Magomed Magomedkerimov (171) vs. Curtis Millender (170.6)
- Welterweight: Joao Zeferino (171) vs. Jason Ponet (169.4)
- Light Heavyweight: Marthin Hamlet (205.8) vs. Cory Hendricks (204)
- Light Heavyweight: Antonio Carlos Jr. (205) vs. Vinny Magalhaes (204)
- Light Heavyweight: Cezar Ferreira (205.4) vs. Chris Camozzi (204.6)
- Light Heavyweight: Emiliano Sordi (205) vs. Dan Spohn (205.6)
- Welterweight: Ray Cooper III (171.8)* vs. Nikolai Aleksakhin (169)
- Welterweight: Rory MacDonald (171) vs. Gleison Tibau (170.6)
* Cooper missed weight and will be deducted one point. He is ineligible to earn points against Aleksakhin as a result. His opponent, Aleksakhin, is guaranteed three points minimum.