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List of Professional Fighters League champions

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Professional Fighters League (formerly the World Series of Fighting, or "WSOF") is an American mixed martial arts promotion, and the following is a history of its champions in each weight class. As well as championship history for their International promotions WSOF: Canada and WSOF Global Championship.

PFL Tournament winners

[edit]
Event Date Division Winner Runner-up
PFL 11 (2018) Dec 31, 2018 Heavyweight Brasilien Philipe Lins Vereinigte Staaten Josh Copeland
Light Heavyweight Vereinigte Staaten Sean O'Connell Brasilien Vinny Magalhães
Middleweight Vereinigte Staaten Louis Taylor Russland Abus Magomedov
Welterweight Russland Magomed Magomedkerimov Vereinigte Staaten Ray Cooper III
Lightweight Brasilien Natan Schulte Russland Rashid Magomedov
Featherweight Vereinigte Staaten Lance Palmer Vereinigte Staaten Steven Siler
PFL 10 (2019) Dec 31, 2019 Heavyweight Russland Ali Isaev Vereinigte Staaten Jared Rosholt
Light Heavyweight Argentinien Emiliano Sordi Vereinigte Staaten Jordan Johnson
Welterweight Vereinigte Staaten Ray Cooper III Vereinigte Staaten David Michaud
Lightweight Brasilien Natan Schulte (2) Tadschikistan Loik Radzhabov
Featherweight Vereinigte Staaten Lance Palmer (2) Vereinigte Staaten Alex Gilpin
Women's Lightweight Vereinigte Staaten Kayla Harrison Brasilien Larissa Pacheco
PFL 10 (2021) Oct 27, 2021 Heavyweight Brasilien Bruno Cappelozza Kroatien Ante Delija
Light Heavyweight Brasilien Antônio Carlos Júnior Norwegen Marthin Hamlet
Welterweight Vereinigte Staaten Ray Cooper III (2) Russland Magomed Magomedkerimov
Lightweight Brasilien Raush Manfio Tadschikistan Loik Radzhabov
Featherweight Russland Movlid Khaybulaev Vereinigte Staaten Chris Wade
Women's Lightweight Vereinigte Staaten Kayla Harrison (2) Vereinigte Staaten Taylor Guardado
PFL 10 (2022) Nov 25, 2022 Heavyweight Kroatien Ante Delija Brasilien Matheus Scheffel
Light Heavyweight Australien Rob Wilkinson Russland Omari Akhmedov
Welterweight Schweden Sadibou Sy Vereinigte Staaten Dilano Taylor
Lightweight Kanada Olivier Aubin-Mercier Scotland Stevie Ray
Featherweight England Brendan Loughnane Vereinigte Staaten Bubba Jenkins
Women's Lightweight Brasilien Larissa Pacheco Vereinigte Staaten Kayla Harrison
PFL 10 (2023) Nov 24, 2023 Heavyweight Brasilien Renan Ferreira Russland Denis Goltsov
Light Heavyweight Vereinigte Staaten Impa Kasanganay Vereinigte Staaten Josh Silveira
Welterweight Russland Magomed Magomedkerimov (2) Schweden Sadibou Sy
Lightweight Kanada Olivier Aubin-Mercier (2) Vereinigte Staaten Clay Collard
Featherweight Peru Jesus Pinedo Brasilien Gabriel Alves Braga
Women's Featherweight Vereinigte Staaten Larissa Pacheco (2) Russland Marina Mokhnatkina
PFL 10 (2024) TBA Heavyweight Russland Russland
Light Heavyweight
Welterweight Russland Russland
Lightweight
Featherweight
Women's Flyweight

PFL Europe Tournament winners

[edit]
Event Date Division Winner Runner-up
PFL Europe 4 (2023) Dec 8, 2023 Light Heavyweight Slowenien Jakob Nedoh England Simeón Powell
Lightweight Polen Jakub Kaszuba Republic of Ireland John Mitchell
Bantamweight Tadschikistan Khurshed Kakhorov Südafrika Frans Mlambo
Women's Flyweight England Dakota Ditcheva Italien Valentina Scatizzi
PFL Europe 4 (2024) Dec 14, 2024 Welterweight
Lightweight
Bantamweight
Women's Flyweight

Men's Championship history (defunct)

[edit]
All WSOF Championships were retired and vacated on June 7, 2018, when the PFL league format began at PFL 1. The PFL crowns seasonal champions as an alternative to recognizing a single lineal champion.

Heavyweight Championship

[edit]
206 to 265 lbs (93 to 120 kg)
No. Name Event Date Reign Defenses
1 Griechenland Smealinho Rama
def. Derrick Mehmen
WSOF 14
Edmonton, AB, Canada
Oct 11, 2014 237 days
2 Bulgarien Blagoy Ivanov WSOF 21
Edmonton, AB, Canada
Jun 5, 2015 3374 days

1. def. Derrick Mehmen at WSOF 24 on Oct 17, 2015
2. def. Josh Copeland at WSOF 31 on Jun 17, 2016
3. def. Shawn Jordan at WSOF 35 on Mar 18, 2017
4. def. Caio Alencar at PFL Fight Night on Nov 2, 2017

Ivanov vacated title on April 25, 2018, after becoming free agent and signing with the UFC.

Light Heavyweight Championship

[edit]
186 to 205 lbs (84 to 93 kg)
No. Name Event Date Reign Defenses
1 Vereinigte Staaten David Branch
def. Teddy Holder
WSOF 23
Phoenix, AZ, U.S.
Sep 18, 2015 507 days

1. def. Vinny Magalhães at WSOF 33 on Oct 7, 2016

Branch vacated title on February 6, 2017, after becoming free agent and signing with the UFC.

Middleweight Championship

[edit]
171 to 185 lbs (77 to 84 kg)
No. Name Event Date Reign Defenses
1 Vereinigte Staaten David Branch
def. Jesse Taylor
WSOF 10
Las Vegas, NV, U.S.
June 21, 2014 961 days

1. def. Yushin Okami at WSOF 15 on Nov 15, 2014
2. def. Clifford Starks at WSOF 30 on Apr 2, 2016
3. def. Louis Taylor at WSOF 34 on Dec 31, 2016

Branch vacated title on February 6, 2017, after becoming free agent and signing with the UFC.

Welterweight Championship

[edit]
156 to 170 lbs (70 to 77 kg)
No. Name Event Date Reign Defenses
1 Vereinigte Staaten Steve Carl
def. Josh Burkman
WSOF 6
Coral Gables, FL, U.S.
Oct 26, 2013 154 days
2 Brasilien Rousimar Palhares WSOF 9
Las Vegas, NV, U.S.
Mar 29, 2014 492 days

1. def. Jon Fitch at WSOF 16 on Dec 13, 2014
2. def. Jake Shields at WSOF 22 on Aug 1, 2015

Palhares was stripped of the title on August 3, 2015.
3 Vereinigte Staaten Jon Fitch
def. João Zeferino
WSOF 30
Las Vegas, NV, U.S.
Apr 2, 2016 698 days

1. def. Jake Shields at WSOF 34 on Dec 31, 2016
2. def. Brian Foster at PFL Daytona on Jun 30, 2017

Fitch vacated title on March 1, 2018, after signing with Bellator.

Lightweight Championship

[edit]
146 to 155 lbs (66 to 70 kg)
No. Name Event Date Reign Defenses
1 Vereinigte Staaten Justin Gaethje
def. Richard Patishnock
WSOF 8
Hollywood, FL, U.S.
Jan 18, 2014 1196 days

1. def. Nick Newell at WSOF 11 on July 5, 2014
2. def. Luis Palomino at WSOF 19 on Mar 28, 2015
3. def. Luis Palomino at WSOF 23 on Sep 18, 2015
4. def. Brian Foster at WSOF 29 on Mar 12, 2016
5. def. Luiz Firmino at WSOF 34 on Dec 31, 2016

Gaethje vacated title on April 27, 2017, after signing with the UFC.

Featherweight Championship

[edit]
136 to 145 lbs (61 to 66 kg)
No. Name Event Date Reign Defenses
1 Russland Georgi Karakhanyan
def. Lance Palmer
WSOF 7
Vancouver, BC, Canada
Dec 7, 2013 196 days
2 Vereinigte Staaten Ricky Glenn WSOF 10
Las Vegas, NV, U.S.
Jun 21, 2014 176 days
3 Vereinigte Staaten Lance Palmer WSOF 16
Sacramento, CA, U.S.
Dec 13, 2014 371 days

1. def. Chris Horodecki at WSOF 21 on June 5, 2015

4 Brasilien Alexandre Almeida WSOF 26
Las Vegas, NV, U.S.
Dec 18, 2015 226 days
5 Vereinigte Staaten Lance Palmer (2) WSOF 32
Everett, WA, U.S.
Jul 30, 2016 231 days
(602 days)
6 Vereinigte Staaten Andre Harrison WSOF 35
Verona, NY, U.S.
Mar 18, 2017 446 days

1. def. Steven Rodriguez at PFL Everett on Jul 29, 2017

The WSOF Featherweight championship was retired on June 7, 2018 when the PFL league format began at PFL 1.[1][2]

Bantamweight Championship

[edit]
126 to 135 lbs (57 to 61 kg)
No. Name Event Date Reign Defenses
1 Brasilien Marlon Moraes
def. Josh Rettinghouse
WSOF 9
Las Vegas, NV, USA
March 29, 2014 1,011 days

1. def. Josh Hill at WSOF 18 on Feb 12, 2015
2. def. Sheymon Moraes at WSOF 22 on Aug 1, 2015
3. def. Joseph Barajas at WSOF 28 on Feb 20, 2016
4. def. Josh Hill at WSOF 32 on Jul 30, 2016
5. def. Josenaldo Silva at WSOF 34 on Dec 31, 2016

Moraes vacated title on January 3, 2017, after becoming a free agent and signing with the UFC.
2 Russland Bekbulat Magomedov
def. Donavon Frelow
WSOF 35
Verona, NY, USA
March 18, 2017 446 days
The WSOF Bantamweight championship was retired on June 7, 2018 when the PFL league format began at PFL 1.[1][2]

Flyweight Championship

[edit]
116 to 125 lbs (53 to 57 kg)
No. Name Event Date Reign Defenses
1 Russland Magomed Bibulatov
def. Donavon Frelow
WSOF 24
Mashantucket, CT, USA
October 17, 2015 446 days
Bibulatov vacated title on January 5, 2017, after joining the UFC.

Women's Championship history (defunct)

[edit]
All WSOF Championships were retired and vacated on June 7, 2018 when the PFL league format began at PFL 1. The PFL crowns seasonal champions as an alternative to recognizing a single lineal champion.

Women's Strawweight Championship

[edit]
106 to 115 lb (48 to 52 kg)
No. Name Event Date Reign Defenses
1 Mexiko Jessica Aguilar
def. Alida Gray
WSOF 8
Hollywood, FL, USA
January 18, 2014 484 days

1. def. Emi Fujino at WSOF 10 on June 21, 2014
2. def. Kalindra Faria at WSOF 15 on Nov 15, 2014

Aguilar vacated title on May 18, 2015, after joining the UFC.

Symbolic Titles

[edit]
All WSOF International Championships were retired and vacated on June 7, 2018 when the PFL league format began at PFL 1. The PFL crowns seasonal champions as an alternative to recognizing a single lineal champion.

Canadian Welterweight Championship

[edit]
156 to 170 lbs (70 to 77 kg)
No. Name Event Date Reign Defenses
1 Kanada Ryan Ford
def. Joel Powell
WSOF Canada 1
Edmonton, AB, Canada
February 21, 2014 472 days
Ford vacated title on June 8, 2015, after retiring from the sport of MMA.

Global Heavyweight Championship

[edit]
206 to 265 lbs (93 to 120 kg)
No. Name Event Date Reign Defenses
1 Russland Evgeny Erokhin
def. Brandon Cash
WSOF Global Championship 2: Japan
Tokyo, Japan
February 7, 2016 851 days 1. def. Richard Odoms at WSOF Global Championship 3: Philippines
All WSOF International championships were retired and vacated on June 7, 2018 when the PFL league format began at PFL 1.[1][2]

Global Flyweight Championship

[edit]
125 lbs (57 kg)
No. Name Event Date Reign Defenses
1 Japan Yusaku Nakamura
def. Lawrence Diguilio
Deep Cage Impact 2016: DEEP vs. WSOF-GC
Tokyo, Japan
December 17, 2016 537 days
All WSOF International championships were retired and vacated on June 7, 2018 when the PFL league format began at PFL 1.[1][2]

WSOF Tournament champions

[edit]
Event(s) Division Champion Runner-up Final
WSOF 5, WSOF 7 e WSOF 10 Middleweight Vereinigte Staaten David Branch Vereinigte Staaten Jesse Taylor June 21, 2014
WSOF 20 e WSOF 23 Light Heavyweight Vereinigte Staaten David Branch Vereinigte Staaten Teddy Holder September 18, 2015
WSOF 25 Lightweight Vereinigte Staaten Brian Foster Brasilien João Zeferino November 20, 2015

Records

[edit]

Most wins in title bouts

[edit]

The following includes all fighters with three or more championship and/or interim championship title fights. Fighters with the same number of title wins are arranged in order of most title bouts. Tournament championships are not included.

Title wins

Champion

Weight class

W D NC L
6 Vereinigte Staaten Justin Gaethje Lightweight 6 0 0 0
Brasilien Marlon Moraes Bantamweight 6 0 0 0
Vereinigte Staaten David Branch Light Heavyweight
Middleweight
2
4
0
0
0
0
0
0
5 Bulgarien Blagoy Ivanov Heavyweight 5 0 0 0
3 Vereinigte Staaten Lance Palmer Featherweight 3 0 0 3
Mexiko Jessica Aguilar Women's Strawweight 3 0 0 0
Brasilien Rousimar Palhares Welterweight 3 0 0 0

Most consecutive title defenses

[edit]

The following includes all WSOF champions who were able to consecutively defend their title two times or more. Fighters with the same number of title defenses are listed chronologically.

Defenses Champion Weight class Span
5 Vereinigte Staaten Justin Gaethje Lightweight January 18, 2014 - April 27, 2017
Brasilien Marlon Moraes Bantamweight March 29, 2014 - January 3, 2017
4 Bulgarien Blagoy Ivanov Heavyweight June 5, 2015 - April 25, 2018
3 Vereinigte Staaten David Branch Middleweight June 21, 2014 - February 6, 2017
2 Mexiko Jessica Aguilar Women's Strawweight January 18, 2014 - May 18, 2015
Brasilien Rousimar Palhares Welterweight March 29, 2014 - August 4, 2015

Multi-division champions

[edit]
Interim title

Fighters who have won championships in multiple weight classes.[3] Tournament champions are not included.

No. Champion Division Won Lost Defenses Reign Total Reign
1 Vereinigte Staaten David Branch Light Heavyweight September 18, 2015
(WSOF 23)
February 6, 2017
(Vacated)
1 507 days 1468 days
Middleweight June 21, 2014
(WSOF 10)
February 6, 2017
(Vacated)
3 961 days

Simultaneous two division champions

[edit]

This table, different from the previous one, only counts the periods in which the fighter loaded the titles simultaneously and the defenses in that period of time.

No. Champion Division Span Defenses Simultaneous Reign
1 Vereinigte Staaten David Branch Light Heavyweight September 18, 2015 – February 6, 2017 1 507 days
Middleweight 2

Champions by nationality

[edit]

Fighters with multiple title reigns in a specific division will be counted once in the Division champions. Interim champions who have never become linear champions will be listed as interim champions.

Land Tournament
champions
Division
champions
International
champions
Total
 Vereinigte Staaten 8 8 - 16
 Brasilien 6 3 - 9
 Russland 3 3 1 7
 Kanada 1 - 1 1
 Argentinien 1 - - 1
 Bulgarien - 1 - 1
 Griechenland - 1 - 1
 Mexiko - 1 - 1
 Japan - - 1 1

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d Staff (2018-08-31). "Playoff matchups set for PFL's first season of $1 million winners". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2018-08-31.
  2. ^ a b c d "Fight Card - PFL 11". PFL.
  3. ^ "MMA All-time Record Holders". sportsillustrated.