Kayla Harrison has her first fight of 2022 booked after inking a new long term deal with the PFL to return for the upcoming season.
The two-time Olympic gold medalist will headline the PFL 3 card scheduled on May 6 at the Esports Stadium in Arlington, Texas as she begins her pursuit of a third straight championship with the promotion, which also comes along with a $1 million grand prize.
In the main event, Harrison will clash with Marina Mokhnatkina, who holds a 6-2 record in her career including past experience in Bellator MMA along with a win in her PFL debut this past August. Mokhnatkina will be facing long odds in May while facing one of the most dominant fighters currently competing in the sport as Harrison looks to build on her perfect 12-0 record including 10 finishes by knockout or submission.
Two-time PFL welterweight champion Ray Cooper will also make his return to action on May 6 as he faces off with Magomed Umalatov as he looks to win a third title with the promotion out of the past four seasons.
Umalatov comes into the fight with stellar credentials while holding an 11-0 record including two wins in the PFL and he’ll try to make an immediate impact in 2022 with his fight against Cooper.
Ex-UFC champion Anthony Pettis will kick off his second season with the PFL when he faces Myles Price in a featured bout on the main card. Pettis is still seeking his first win with the PFL after suffering back-to-back losses to Clay Collard and Raush Manfio, which knocked him out of the season this past year.
Rounding out the main card will be UFC and Bellator veteran Rory MacDonald as he faces Brett Cooper in a featured welterweight matchup. MacDonald is also coming off two consecutive losses in a row in the PFL after falling to Ray Cooper and Gleison Tibau in his first season with the promotion.
MAIN CARD ON ESPN 2:
Kayla Harrison vs. Marina Mokhnatkina
Ray Cooper III vs. Magomed Umalatov
Anthony Pettis vs. Myles Price
Rory MacDonald vs. Brett Cooper
PRELIMINARY CARD ON ESPN+
Magomed Magomedkerimov vs. Joao Zeferino
Sadibou Sy vs. Nikolai Aleksakhin
Larissa Pacheco vs. Zamzagul Fayzallanova
Gleison Tibau vs. Jarrah Al Silawi
Olena Kolesnyk vs. Abigail Montes
Vanessa Melo vs. Martina Jindrova
