TORONTO — Canadian welterweight Rory (The Red King) MacDonald will meet American Brett (Fudoshin) Cooper at PFL 3 on May 6 at Esports Stadium Arlington in Arlington, Texas.
Lightweight champion Kayla Harrison takes on Russia's Marina Mokhnatkina in the main event. Welterweight title-holder Ray Cooper III will meet undefeated Russian Magomed (Prince) Umalatov in the co-main event.
The Professional Fighters League card will also see former UFC champion Anthony (Showtime) Pettis fight Ireland’s Myles Price in a contest which was rescheduled from PFL 1.
“The return of the most dominant woman in MMA Kayla Harrison, Anthony (Showtime) Pettis seeking redemption, and the greatest welterweight division in the entire sport led by Ray Cooper III and Rory MacDonald makes this one of the best MMA cards of the year,” PFL CEO Peter Murray said in a statement.
The 2022 PFL season kicks off April 20 with the remaining regular-season events scheduled for April 28, May 6, June 17, June 24 and July 1.
The Professional Fighters League offers mixed martial arts competition in a regular-season and playoff format. The four competitors in each division who earn the most points during the regular season advance to the playoffs, which culminates with the PFL World Championship where the two finalists in each division meet for the title and US$1 million.
MacDonald, a B.C. native who fights out of Montreal, lost a unanimous decision to Cooper in the 2021 PFL playoffs. The 32-year-old lost a controversial decision to Brazil's Gleison Tibau before that.
MacDonald (22-8-0) has won just two of his last seven fights (2-4-1) albeit against elite opposition.
Cooper (28-15-0) won his PFL debut last August, knocking out Tyler (The Zombie) Hill in the first round. He has had his hand raised in five of his last seven bouts.
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 6, 2022
The Canadian Press
