Much Clearer Playoff Picture Leads Key Takeaways From PFL 4

The fourth event of the 2022 Professional Fighters League (PFL) regular season is in the books, and fans are already getting a clear picture of what they can expect to see once the playoffs roll in this coming August.

PFL 4 delivered an exciting night of fights that saw Alexander Martinez and Antonio Carlos Jr. win in their respective headlining bouts and clinch their spots in the final four.

Apart from the results, there were also quite a few storylines that could be taken from Friday night’s fights.

Here are some major takeaways from PFL 4.

The stiff road to the PFL 205-pound crown

PFL 4 saw the light heavyweight semifinals set, with Rob Wilkinson, Omari Akhmedov, Antonio Carlos Jr., and Delan Monte earning their spots.

The matchups would likely be the No. 1-seeded Wilkinson taking on the No. 3-ranked seed Carlos Jr., and the No. 2-rated Akhmedov facing No. 4-graded Monte.

As dominant as Carlos Jr. has been in his PFL stint, it’s hard to predict that he’d easily run through Wilkinson--a fellow UFC veteran--especially given the latter’s spectacular run under the promotion's banner.

Akhmedov has also been dominant this season, with both his regular-season wins coming by way of stoppage.

On the other hand, Monte is also a wild card, following his first-round TKO win over former champion Emiliano Sordi at PFL 4.

Carlos Jr. should still be the favorite to win the title, but it’s going to be a tight race, for sure.

Anthony Pettis becomes an early favorite

The PFL lightweight division’s final four is pretty much set, with just one more spot up for grabs.

Thanks to a vintage performance from Anthony Pettis at PFL 1, the former UFC lightweight champion earned himself six big points to put him in a prime position to clinch a spot in the semis after just one fight.

With Alexander Martinez and Olivier Aubin-Mercier both winning by decision and managing just three points each at PFL 4, Pettis can secure the top spot in the rankings with a win of any kind at PFL 5 next Friday, June 24.

If Pettis’ performance at PFL 1 is any indication of how the lightweight tournament will play out, his followers could be looking at another world championship reign for "Showtime."

Jeremy Stephens is still nowhere in the PFL title picture

UFC veteran Jeremy Stephens will always be known for his exciting fighting style, but he’ll also likely be known as someone who just couldn’t break into the title picture scene.

The 36-year-old came to PFL during the offseason, likely with the notion that the league gave him the fastest way to a championship.

Fastest, however, doesn’t necessarily mean the easiest. In his PFL debut, Stephens was matched up against Clay Collard and ended up losing by unanimous decision in a war of attrition.

It wouldn’t be surprising if many fans and experts alike predicted a win in favor of Stephens, given his UFC pedigree, in his most recent outing at PFL 4 against Myles Price.

Stephens was victorious but only managed a split decision result at the expense of Price, ultimately eliminating the ten-time UFC Performance Bonus winner from playoff contention.

Considering the level of talent that he’s faced throughout his mixed martial arts career, Stephens could have gone 2-0 and furnished much more emphatic wins versus Collard and Price.

Going 1-1 in the regular season with a split decision was surely not what fans or Stephens himself was expecting when he signed with PFL.

Stephens could return next season and pull off an Anthony Pettis-like resurgence, but that remains to be seen.

The unpredictability of PFL's tournament format

This may not be a big takeaway, but the aftermath of PFL 4 has made this even more apparent.

The PFL’s tournament-style format, which awards the fighters points based on their wins (quicker finishes earn higher points), pretty much makes every year’s postseason intriguing.

So far this season, only two fighters who were in the semis last year have been assured of a postseason return--Alexander Martinez and Antonio Carlos Jr.

Even last season’s lightweight champion Raush Manfio could see himself eliminated if Stevie Ray can manage to pull off an impressive stoppage against Anthony Pettis at PFL 5.

Expect even more fascinating developments as the PFL playoff bracket continues to take shape in the coming weeks.

The 2022 regular season resumes with PFL 5 on Friday, June 24th. Catch it live on ESPN and ESPN+.