Bracketology: PFL 2025 Lightweight, Middleweight World Tournaments

Here's the updated 2025 #PFLWorldTournament middleweight bracket: pic.twitter.com/sTMAFHBGAn

— Sherdog (@sherdogdotcom) April 19, 2025

The third event of the Professional Fighters League’s World Tournament first round took place on Friday night in Orlando with the middleweight and lightweight brackets taking center stage. For the first time since 2018, the PFL brought back the middleweight division, which saw multiple fighters move down from light heavyweight to their natural fit at 185, and the fights delivered.

Both brackets were highlighted as two of the most intriguing and entertaining across all eight weight divisions, and it saw several former title challengers and champions from PFL’s past when it hosted a season format. Here’s a look at the updated brackets after the opening round of the middleweight and lightweight tournaments at PFL 2025 World Tournament: First Round 3.

Here's the first #PFLWorldTournament 155-pound semifinal bout: Brent Primus vs. Alfie Davis pic.twitter.com/iBq8NlqMCZ

— Sherdog (@sherdogdotcom) April 18, 2025

Lightweight: Brent Primus vs. Alfie Davis

Primus, the 2024 PFL lightweight runner-up, was back in action looking to silence the doubters as he turned 40 this week and clinched a finish in the closing seconds of the match. Taking on short-notice opponent Vinicius Sacchelli Cenci, who accepted the fight on just seven days’ notice, the former Bellator MMA champ had a battle on his hands. While Primus would have plenty of success in the grappling exchanges, including spending minutes on the back of his opponent, it would come to fruition in the final seconds of the third round when Primus locked in the victory with a rear-naked choke with just eight seconds left.

Davis came into his matchup against Clay Collard as the betting underdog, but it didn’t take long for him to pull off the victory and upset the oddsmakers. Davis and Collard had some fun big exchanges early in the first round, but as Collard came blitzing in, Davis caught him with a short elbow and a flurry of punches would close the show.

2025 #PFLWorldTournament middleweight semifinal bout: Aaron Jeffery vs. Dalton Rosta pic.twitter.com/3xBu1z9hvi

— Sherdog (@sherdogdotcom) April 19, 2025

Middleweight: Dalton Rosta vs. Aaron Jeffery

Jeffery opened the show against Murad Ramazanov and it was a battle. Jeffery would use his relentless pressure and wrestling to get the upper hand, and while Ramazanov held his own in the very close matchup, Jeffery would get the victory by split decision.

Rosta came into his matchup against former PFL welterweight champion Sadibou Sy and made a big statement. Looking to get back to his finishing ways, Rosta did just that, getting a second-round brabo choke submission victory. The performance from Rosta was a very familiar look for the man billed “Hercules” that was led by his dominant wrestling and strength, which put him on the path to seek revenge in the semifinals. The lone blemish on Rosta’s 10-1 record is a loss to Jeffery, and now the two will meet in June with a spot in the finals on the line. Rosta said in his post-fight interview that he has been looking for this rematch for two years, and now the two are set to meet this summer.

2025 #PFLWorldTournament lightweight semifinal: Jay-Jay Wilson vs. Gadzhi Rabadanov pic.twitter.com/inncwqNBxV

— Sherdog (@sherdogdotcom) April 19, 2025

Lightweight: Jay-Jay Wilson vs. Gadzhi Rabadanov

Returning to action for the first time since 2023, New Zealand’s Wilson locked horns with veteran Mads Burnell and took control of the fight early and never let go. Throughout all three rounds, Wilson was efficient with his striking and takedowns, while Burnell did respond with moments of his own, Wilson would get another late finish on the night, picking up the TKO in the final minute of the third round.

Fighters only get one shot! Watch the PFL World Tournament LIVE Thursday, May 1 at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN2 and ESPN+.

Rabadanov had the quickest performance of the night, ending a feud with his opponent Marc Diakiese in just over 30 seconds of the first round. The two lightweights were captured on camera in an entertaining back-and-forth verbal exchange, where Rabadanov, the 2024 PFL champion, closed the short-lived rivalry with big punches that dropped Diakiese and finished with leather just 32 seconds into the fight.

2025 #PFLWorldTournament middleweight semifinal: Joshua Silveira vs. Fabian Edwards pic.twitter.com/bjPStoucNb

— Sherdog (@sherdogdotcom) April 19, 2025

Middleweight: Joshua Silveira vs. Fabian Edwards

Former PFL 205-pound finalist Silveira is back at his natural weight class at 185 pounds and put on a very impressive showing in his return to middleweight. After fighting the last two years at 205, Silveira faced off against Mike Shipman and looked quick, lean, and had the fight in his hands throughout two of the three rounds. Silveira almost locked in a submission victory at the end of Round 1, but Shipman held on and the fight would go all 15 minutes, with Silveira getting his hand raised by unanimous decision.

For the first time in the promotion’s history, the PFL has allowed full use of elbows throughout this tournament and Edwards took full advantage. Facing off against former champion Impa Kasanganay, Edwards would use elbows to open a big cut in the first round, and then the elbows would again lead to a big moment in the second stanza. After Kasanganay was starting to find his range, Edwards returned fire and dropped Kasanganay, following it up with a flurry of punches to seal his victory just over two minutes into the second period.

Here's the updated 2025 #PFLWorldTournament lightweight bracket: pic.twitter.com/FwaIdeBdS2

— Sherdog (@sherdogdotcom) April 19, 2025