We have expert PFL World Championship predictions for Friday’s fight card. There’s no UFC this week, so we’re going to analyze the biggest PFL card of the year and uncover the best value bets.
There are 12 fights scheduled for the 2023 PFL World Championship card. Six of those fights are for titles and we’re going to preview all of those fights to identify the top PFL World Championship predictions.
The 2023 PFL season concludes on Friday night. Olivier Aubin-Mercier will fight Clay Collard in the main event for the lightweight championship. This is a stacked fight card that you don’t want to miss. I doubt we’ll see a lot of underdogs win. Keep that in mind when making PFL World Championship predictions.
2023 PFL World Championship Preview
When: Friday, November 24th 2023
Where: The Anthem in Washington, DC
Time: 8:00 PM ET
Watch: ESPN+ and Pay-Per-View (PPV)
We’re going to focus on the six PFL World Championship title fights (HW, LHW, WW, LW, FW and WFW). All of these fighters have advanced through the 2023 PFL season to compete for the title.
Despite these fights being title bouts between the top contenders in each weight class, there are some big favorites and we’ll need to examine the alternate betting markets to get the best value.
Let’s jump into our expert PFL World Championship predictions, starting with the main event.
Expert PFL World Championship Predictions
The countdown is almost over. The 2023 PFL World Championship event is almost here.
After a grueling 2023 PFL season, it’s time to determine which fighters will win the title fights. There are some intriguing fights on the card featuring top tier fighters. If you don’t watch a lot of PFL, this event is the one you want to watch and there’s no excuse not to watch with no UFC this weekend.
The main event should be electric. Collard threw more than 300 strikes in his win against Shane Burgos, which is a Fight of the Year nominee. Aubin-Mercier was last year’s lightweight champion and he’ll look to become just the third fighter in PFL history to win back-to-back titles.
Here are my PFL World Championship predictions:
Olivier Aubin-Mercier vs. Clay Collard Prediction
- Fight Odds: Aubin-Mercier (-270) vs. Collard (+220)
Aubin-Mercier (20-5) is undefeated in the PFL (9-0). After suffering three consecutive losses in the UFC, he took some time off and has been great in the PFL. Collard (24-10-0-1) is 3-0 this year, including one TKO/KO win (Steven Ray). Both of these guys are durable . OAM has never been finished.
Collard needs to utilize his 3” reach advantage (74” vs. 71”) to land shots and keep Aubin-Mercier from closing the gap and landing takedowns. If Collard can land volume like he did in his last fight, he has a shot, but that’s easier said than done. OAM has knocked out three of his last four opponents.
I’m going with a same-fight parlay in the main event for my PFL World Championship predictions.
Best Bet: Aubin-Mercier and Over 2.5 Rounds (-135)
Denis Goltsov vs. Renan Ferreira Prediction
- Fight Odds: Goltsov (-265) vs. Ferreira (+215)
Goltsov (32-7) is on a five-fight win streak and he has finished four of those opponents in the first round. He has lots of power (15 TKO/KO wins), but he’s also great at submissions (11 submission wins). He’ll have the edge in this fight against Ferriera (11-3-0-3), but Ferreira also has power (nine TKO/KO wins).
The way I see this fight going is Goltsov will aim to take Ferreira down. Ferreira has looked terrible when forced to the mat and Golstov will be able to finish him. We’re not getting the best odds, but my top play is Goltsov inside the distance. Goltsov is one of the safest PFL World Championship predictions.
Best Bet: Goltsov Inside the Distance (-225)
Larissa Pacheco vs. Marina Mokhnatkina Prediction
- Fight Odds: Pacheco (-900) vs. Mokhnatkina (+600)
Pacheco (22-4) is a massive favorite to win the women’s featherweight title. She has won nine fights in a row and she could become the first PFL fighter to win titles in multiple weight classes. Mokhnatkina (11-3) is on a five-fight win streak and she has finished three of those opponents.
Mokhnatkina is a Sambo World Champion and an excellent grappler. Her problem is striking. She’s not a good striker and she eats a lot of shots when attempting to land takedowns. Pacheco has insane power and she won’t need to land many clean shots to cash for our PFL World Championship predictions.
Best Bet Pacheco by TKO/KO/DQ (-150)
Sadibou Sy vs. Magomed Magomedkerimov Prediction
- Fight Odds: Sy (+140) vs. Magomedkerimov (-165)
Sy (16-6-2-1) is the defending champion at welterweight. Magomedkerimov (33-6) is an MMA veteran and he has knocked out two of his three opponents during the 2023 PFL season. Sy has won seven fights in a row, including one against Rory MacDonald. He lost to Magomedkerimov back in 2021, though.
Sy has improved his grappling since that fight and will be hungry to remain champion. He needs to utilize his huge reach advantage (80” vs. 73”) and keep Magomedkerimov at a distance. Sy is going to want to exact some revenge and he’s one of the best underdog PFL World Championship predictions.
Best Bet: Sy ML (+140)
Josh Silveira vs. Impa Kasanganay Prediction
- Fight Odds: Silveira (+170) vs. Kasanganay (-205)
Silveira (12-1) is 3-0 during the 2023 PFL season, with three first round finishes. Kasanganay (14-3) is on a five-fight win streak, with four of the wins coming by finish and three coming in the first round. Both of these guys earned PFL contracts from the PFL Challenger Series and will want the $1 million prize.
Kasanganay has been knocked out twice in his career. Both of these fighters are going to push the pace and I expect an early finish. It’s tough to predict the winner, but one of my best PFL World Championship predictions is on under 3.5 rounds. One of these guys will secure a finish in the first or second round.
Best Bet: Under 3.5 Rounds (-170)
Gabriel Braga vs. Jesus Pinedo Prediction
- Fight Odds: Braga (-110) vs. Pinedo (-110)
MMA betting sites have this fight as a toss up and there isn’t much separating these two. Braga (12-0) is undefeated in his career and 4-0 with the PFL. Pinedo (22-6-1) joined the PFL this year and he went 1-2, losing his debut against Braga by split decision. He knocked out his last two opponents.
Both of Pinedo’s wins this year were unexpected and he was a big underdog in both. Will Braga be able to defeat Pinedo for the second time this year? The first fight was very close. Both of these guys will look to land a knockout, but I’m betting on this fight to go over 3.5 rounds.
This is one of the toughest fights for PFL World Championship predictions, so go easy on it.
Best Bet: Over 3.5 Rounds (-150)
That wraps up my PFL World Championship predictions. Make sure you sign-up for a Sports Hub account to access all of our expert MMA picks. Our experts release UFC predictions for every event.
