PFL World Tournament 6 Semifinals: Bracket Preview & Predictions
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The Professional Fighters League (PFL) continues its World Tournament Semifinals on Friday, June 20, from Wichita, Kansas. Women’s flyweights, bantamweights, and lightweights will go to war at the INTRUST Bank Arena, as eight fighters move one step closer to $500,000 and a shot at the World Championship.
At the top of the card, Kevin Lee makes his PFL debut against 2024 Lightweight Champion Gadzhi Rabadanov in a battle between elite grapplers. The other side of the lightweight bracket features Brent Primus vs. Alfie Davis, both coming off highlight-reel wins.
The Women’s flyweight division is also in the spotlight. Former Bellator champ Liz Carmouche brings her 15 years of experience to face undefeated Brazilian Elora Dana. The winner will face the victor between Jena Bishop and Ekaterina Shakalova, both skilled grapplers aiming to keep momentum going.
Bantamweight action sees UFC vet Jake Hadley take on Marcirley Alves, with both fighters eager to avoid a fifth career loss. On the other side of the bracket, expect fireworks between Mando Gutierrez and Justin Wetzell.
Beyond the six tournament bouts, each division includes one alternate fight, plus four showcase bouts. With high stakes, veteran names, and hungry prospects, the PFL promises wall-to-wall action—and could shape the future of three divisions. Here’s your go-to guide for fight night, including a preview of the tournament matchups and full card predictions:
Full Fight Card
Main Card (ESPN)
- Lightweight Tournament Bout: Gadzhi Rabadanov (25-4-2) vs. Kevin Lee (20-8)
- Women’s Flyweight Tournament Bout: Liz Carmouche (23-6) vs. Elora Dana (11-0)
- Lightweight Showcase Bout: Mansour Barnaoui (22-6) vs. Archie Colgan (11-0)
- Bantamweight Tournament Bout: Marcirley Alves (13-4) vs. Jake Hadley (12-4)
- Bantamweight Tournament Bout: Justin Wetzell (11-2) vs. Mando Gutierrez (11-3)
Early Card (ESPN+)
- Lightweight Tournament Bout: Brent Primus (16-4) vs. Alfie Davis (19-5-1)
- Women’s Flyweight Tournament Bout: Ekaterina Shakalova (9-2) vs. Jena Bishop (8-2)
- Bantamweight Alternate Bout: Magomed Magomedov (20-4) vs. Sarvarjon Khamidov (16-0)
- Lightweight Alternate Bout: Antonio Caruso (10-2) vs. Vinicius Cenci (8-3)
- Lightweight Showcase Bout: Darragh Kelly (7-0) vs. Mike Hamel (11-6)
- Bantamweight Showcase Bout: Matheus Mattos (14-4-1) vs. Lazaro Dayton (8-0-1)
- Women’s Flyweight Alternate Bout: Saray Orozco (8-6) vs. Ilara Joanne (12-10)
- Welterweight Showcase Bout: Alan Dominguez (11-6) vs. Nick Meck (8-2)
PFL Semifinals Preview & Predictions
Lightweight Tournament Bout: Gadzhi Rabadanov vs. Kevin Lee
The main event of the evening will look to continue the momentum of what is set to be an electric card. To add to the story will be the return of Kevin Lee. The well-travelled veteran will look to bring his credentials to the PFL in this short-notice opportunity. He squares off against last year’s champion, Gadzhi Rabadanov, who brings his success to the Smart Cage in a battle for the opportunity at this year’s title.
Rabadanov, 31, had the most impressive victory in the entire first round of fights when he knocked out Marc Diakese with ground and pound in the first round. Of late, he’s fought the best that the PFL has had to offer, and they are now reaching outside the organization for a new matchup. Rabadanov can fight anywhere but has a strong grappling base to fall back on. That skill set will be imperative in this fight.
For Lee, he enters this fight at the age of 32, but has been in the fight game forever. It feels as if he is much older. After going 11-8 in the UFC, Lee has been looking for his long-term fighting home and may have found it at the PFL. As the main event, the wrestler from Detroit will bring his experience and swagger to the INTRUST Bank Arena.
Unfortunately for Kevin Lee, it seems his fighting prime may be behind him. Recent sparring footage raises questions about his readiness on short notice. Rabadanov is also one of the most dangerous and difficult matchups in the PFL Lightweight Division. Lee’s addition to the PFL is welcome, but Rabadanov will look to defend his title once again.
Prediction: Gadzhi Rabadanov via KO/TKO
Women’s Flyweight Tournament Bout: Liz Carmouche vs. Elora Dana
An intriguing matchup in the Women’s Flyweight division. In what is a true veteran versus prospect fight, the PFL sees the return of veteran Liz Carmouche. She will take on a prospect in 26-year-old Elora Dana. At the professional level, Carmouche has 5 times as much experience. She faces off against a hungry grappler that looks to be in the best form of her career.
The former Bellator, Strikeforce, and UFC title challenger/holder has had an illustrious career. Her return to the PFL tournament at the age of 41 was shocking. But then, she looked like the fighter of old getting a first-round KO with ground and pound. She was dangerous and in phenomenal shape. Last season, Carmouche nearly made the championship fight before losing to Taila Santos. This came after her 3 title defenses in Bellator and she is looking to return to her throne.
The prospect, Dana, is a former Jungle Fight champion and entered the PFL with high potential. She has 5 submissions to go with 1 KO in her 8 victories. With 5 straight finishes, she is razor hot entering the biggest fight of her career. She’ll face the toughest test of her career, but she appears ready.
Despite Carmouche having a lot of the on-paper advantages, the adage father time waits for nobody is at the forefront. In the past, Carmouche has struggled with strong grappling, and grappling is what Dana looks to showcase. This is not an easy fight for Dana, but this could be a massive upset that pushes Dana to the title finale.
Prediction: Elora Dana via Submission
Bantamweight Tournament Bout: Marcirley Alves vs. Jake Hadley
Two international prospects meet up at 135 pounds to see who will be one-half of the championship fight. With a significant amount of finishes on both sides of this fight, one would expect much of the same in this fight. With both men being under 30 years old, this could be the start of an illustrious career in the PFL. Both men are promotional newcomers this season and are hoping to become staples in this division.
The 25-year-old Brazilian Alves trains out of Chute Boxe and has 10 KOs so far in his career. At this stage in his career, it is a guarantee that we have yet to see the best from this competitor. In his last fight, he went to war with Leandro Higo en route to a split decision victory. Before that, Alves had loads of success at the top of the Brazilian regional scene.
Jake Hadley, a former UFC flyweight, made the move up to bantamweight toward the end of his UFC run and has since found a home in the PFL. In his opening bout, he scored a third-round Scottish Twister submission—one of the most memorable finishes of the round. Now, the former Cage Warriors champion is chasing another title shot on a new stage.
This fight will be a fun back-and-forth affair between two experienced yet young fighters. This matchup is likely to follow the classic striker-versus-grappler blueprint with Alves looking to avoid Hadley’s takedowns. Across 3 rounds, this fight should make for great entertainment and may hold the favorite to the championship fight. If Hadley can utilize his wrestling, he should stay one step ahead.
Prediction: Jake Hadley via Unanimous Decision
Bantamweight Tournament Bout: Justin Wetzell vs. Mando Gutierrez
In what is expected to be a high-paced affair in the Bantamweight division, Justin Wetzell and Mando Gutierrez will face off. Both men were new to the PFL this season and have made a splash after the first round of the tournament. With nearly equal experience and fun styles, the matchmakers did a good job of finding a way for these two men to meet in the PFL Smart Cage this Friday.
Justin Wetzell is a longtime competitor of the LFA and a former undefeated 10-0 amateur. The pressure fighter is a dominant force on the mats and has fared very well against the upper echelon of the talent pool. In the previous round, Wetzell won a decision versus Kasum Kasumov but missed weight. He will have to beat the scales before looking to beat Gutierrez and extend his 4 fight winning streak.
Mando Gutierrez is a Mexican fighter who is a brawler with strong wrestling. He has been fighting the highest level of competition, including a first-round submission over Francesco Nuzzi in the previous round. Also an undefeated Amateur the former Dana White Contender Series contestant is looking to find a second home with the PFL.
Expect this fight to be a fun battle on the feet between two boxers that will turn into a fun scrap on the mats. With that said, the fighter who is pressuring forward will most likely end up on top and will steal minutes away. Justin Wetzell trains with Elevation Fight Team and Cory Sandhagen and this may help give him an edge.
Prediction: Justin Wetzell via Submission
Lightweight Tournament Bout: Brent Primus vs. Alfie Davis
This bout is an early favorite for Fight of the Night. Two veterans of the game meet as lightweights look to advance to the championship finale. Both men have 10 or more fights under the Bellator banner, and this match has surprisingly never taken place.
The American Brent Primus, 40, is a finisher of the highest regard with 11 finishes on his record. Primarily a grappler, Primus has beaten the likes of Mansour Barnaoui, Michael Chandler, Clay Collard, and Benson Henderson. With all of that experience, Primus has translated his skills well to PFL, going 4-1 in the promotion thus far. After a slick submission win in the third round of the first round, the 2024 title challenger hopes to keep his momentum.
His opponent, Alfie Davis, hails from across the pond. “The Axe Man” shocked the PFL fanbase, knocking out Clay Collard in the first round. Having fought a high level of competition, Davis has sharp skills across the board. He fights out of Great Britain Top Team, the home of many surging fighters in England. If he can continue to keep his forward pressure, Davis can end up in a $500,000 championship final.
This will be an extremely fun fight between two well-matched opponents. If Davis can stay off his back, he should have the ability to control the fight. If Primus can control where the fight is, though, he can dictate who wins this fight. This will be a high pace, up tempo fight that will be must watch television.
Prediction: Alfie Davis via TKO/KO
Women’s Flyweight Tournament Bout: Ekaterina Shakalova vs. Jena Bishop
The opening tournament fight of the evening will be a showdown of grapplers at different ends of the spectrum. Despite similar records, Jena Bishop, 39, is significantly senior to the prospect in Ekaterina Shakalova, 27. Both women are coming off victories over former Bellator competitors, utilizing their specialty, their grappling.
For Shakalova, she is a submission specialist with 5 submissions in her 9 professional victories. Additionally, she was the champion in 2 different regional promotions. Since stepping up to the Bellator/PFL level, her record is a strong 2-1. Her last victory was a dominant first-round rear-naked choke over former Bellator champion Juliana Velasquez. Momentum is on the native of Ukraine’s side, and this is the next step for her development.
On the other side of the cage is Bishop. Bishop enters after a unanimous decision victory over a veteran in Kana Watanabe. In this match, she utilized her wrestling and edged out a decision to end a 2 fight losing streak. Despite that, those 2 opponents are some of the best in the game: Taila Santos and Dakota Ditcheva. The black belt will look to lean on her top control here to get one step closer to the World Title.
Expect most of this fight to take place on the ground. Both women are most comfortable there. Despite that, when grapplers meet, it often leads to a standup fight. With that, Shakalova will be the more skilled and comfortable fighter. This fight will see two tough opponents face off and display their strengths. Expect this one to see the scorecards and Shakalova to be one step ahead of Bishop.
Prediction: Shakalova via Unanimous Decision
Quick Pick Predictions
- Gadzhi Rabadanov via KO/TKO
- Elora Dana via Submission
- Jake Hadley via Unanimous Decision
- Justin Wetzell via Submission
- Alfie Davis via KO/TKO
- Ekaterina Shakalova via Unanimous Decision
- Magomed Magomedov via Unanimous Decision
- Tony Caruso via Submission
- Darragh Kelly via Submission
- Lazaro Dayton via Split Decision
- Ilara Joanne via Unanimous Decision
- Nick Meck via Unanimous Decision
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