PFL 3 Preview: Kayla Harrison, Anthony Pettis Lead Star-Studded Lineup

The Professional Fighters League puts a bow on the first half of its 2022 Regular Season this Friday, May 6 with PFL 3 at the Esports Stadium Arlington in Arlington Texas.

The packed card features a star-studded cast of champions, headlined by the league’s most dominant titleholder and two-time PFL women’s lightweight champion in Kayla Harrison.

The 31-year-old Harrison, who made headlines prior to the season due to her free agency, returned to the league on a multi-year deal and will look to potentially become one of only two three-peat titleholders in PFL history.

Harrison is undefeated in 12 professional bouts--11 under the PFL banner--and has captured the league’s 155-pound women’s trinket twice.

She begins the 2022 season opposite another world-class grappler in Russia’s Marina Mokhnatkina.

A six-time world champion and two-time European champion in combat sambo, Mokhnatkina transitioned into mixed martial arts (MMA) in 2016 and immediately enjoyed success.

Mokhnatkina won her first four professional bouts--all by first-round submission.

After two consecutive setbacks, Mokhnatkina regained her form with back-to-back victories, which includes a successful PFL debut in a showcase bout last season.

Now, she looks to be the first person to end Harrison’s unbeaten streak inside the PFL cage.

In the co-main event, two-time PFL welterweight champion Ray Cooper III squares off with former LFA titlist Carlos Leal.

Also looking to become a three-peat PFL champion, Hawaii’s Cooper returns to action for his fourth season in the league.

Cooper has reached the finals in all three of his previous campaigns with PFL and will be aiming for a league-record fourth appearance.

It won’t be an easy task for Cooper as he competes in one of, if not the league’s deepest division, which includes a multitude of world-class talent.

Victorious in his last ten outings, Leal heads into his co-main event bout with a ton of momentum.

The Brazilian was impressive in both of his appearances on the 2022 PFL Challenger Series, which was enough to earn him a spot on the 2022 Regular Season roster.

"The Lion" puts his streak on the line against one of the league’s homegrown stars in Cooper.

PFL 3 also features the 2022 PFL season debuts of two former UFC standouts in Anthony Pettis and Rory MacDonald.

Pettis, a former UFC lightweight champion, returns to PFL following what was a forgettable first season.

“Showtime” hopes to finally earn his first win under the PFL umbrella when he meets Ireland’s Myles Price.

One of the favorites to win the PFL welterweight championship last season, MacDonald made it all the way to the semifinals but lost to eventual champion Cooper.

This year, the Canadian tries to reach the top of the PFL’s 170-pound mountain once again, and it starts when he takes on veteran Brett Cooper.

PFL 3 also features former PFL welterweight kingpin Magomed Magomedkerimov taking on Joao Zeferino and former two-division BRAVE CF champion Jarrah Al-Silawi battling UFC veteran Gleison Tibau.

Full PFL 3 Fight Card

• Women’s Lightweight: Kayla Harrison vs. Marina Mokhnatkina
• Welterweight: Ray Cooper III vs. Carlos Leal
• Lightweight: Anthony Pettis vs. Myles Price
• Welterweight: Rory MacDonald vs. Brett Cooper
• Women’s Lightweight: Larissa Pacheco vs. Zamzagul Fayzallanova
• Welterweight: Magomed Magomedkerimov vs. Joao Zeferino
• Women’s Lightweight: Genah Fabian vs. Julia Budd
• Welterweight: Sadibou Sy vs. Nikolay Aleksahkin
• Welterweight: Gleison Tibau vs. Jarrah Al-Silawi
• Women’s Lightweight: Olena Kolesnyk vs. Abigail Montes
• Women’s Lightweight: Vanessa Melo vs. Martina Jindrova