5 New Faces to Watch Out For in 2025 PFL World Tournament

The Professional Fighters League heads into its 2025 slate on Thursday, April 3, with a host of new changes and new faces. Gone are the days of the traditional season and points-based standings, but don’t fret. The new single-elimination style tournament is set to pit many of the world's top martial artists in a gauntlet that will undisputedly separate the best.

PFL is set to dish out $20 million in total prize money between 64 fighters across eight different divisions. With a $500,000 bonus set aside for each winner, there’s no question why the field is so stacked this year. Rising stars, savvy veterans, and former champions will lay it on the line for the chance to be immortalized. Here are five of the most exciting new faces that you should watch out for heading into the PFL 2025 World Tournament.

Marc Diakiese

Division: Lightweight
Record: 18-7
Top wins: Joseph Duffy (DEC), Damir Hadzovic (DEC), Tim Wilde (DEC)

What to know: Diakiese was a promising prospect in the Ultimate Fighting Championship for eight years before signing with PFL in 2024. “Bonecrusher” stands at 5-foot-10 and carries good size for the division. Training out of Great Britian Top Team, Diakiese has shared the cage with heavy hitters such as Dan Hooker, Rafael Fiziev and Michael Johnson, but unfortunately came up short in his most significant moments. At 32, Diakiese hopes that a fresh start in a new promotion will do him good as he treks towards the finals. That won’t be easy, however. Diakiese is set to face last season’s champion, Gadzhi Rabadanov (24-9), on April 18.

Alexandr Shabliy

Division: Lightweight
Record: 24-4
Top wins: Alfie Davis (DEC), Brent Primus (TKO- RD2), Patricky Freire (DEC)

What to know: Shabliy was one of the most battle-tested lightweights from Bellator MMA and should enter the tournament confident after having already notched wins over Alfie Davis and Primus. Shabliy carried a nine-fight win streak into his Bellator lightweight championship title fight last September against Usman Nurmagomedov, but unfortunately, it wasn’t enough. Shabily hung tough with the reigning champ but was visibly outworked in the exchanges, but that was against arguably the best 155-pounder in the game. Shabliy is a world-class threat and a potential favorite to win the whole thing. His hunt towards the title begins on April 18 with a rematch against Primus. The first time Shabliy squared off with the former Bellator lightweight kingpin, he perfectly timed Primus’s left lead round kick with an overhand right that crumbled the former champion to the canvas before finishing him off with a barrage of blows.

Fighters only get one shot! Watch the PFL World Tournament LIVE at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN2.

Fabian Edwards

Division: Middleweight
Record: 13-4
Top wins: Lyoto Machida (KO-RD1), Gegard Mousasi (DEC), Aaron Jeffery (DEC)

What to know: With wins over two MMA legends in Machida and Mousasi, Edwards started to climb out of the shadow of his older brother and former UFC welterweight champion Leon and established himself as the top contender for the Bellator middleweight title. Edwards took two swings at Johnny Eblen’s belt and came up short both times, but he could make a deep run in the PFL tournament. Edwards is an expert kickboxer who’s been improving his takedown defense. Don’t sleep on “The Assassin.” Edwards is a sneaky counter-puncher who can put you away if he finds an opening. Fellow middleweights in the tournament may be frustrated by his slick footwork and fast hands. However, he’ll need every tool at his disposal to last in this loaded middleweight class. Edwards is tested out the gate against former tournament champion Impa Kasanganay on April 18.

Magomed “Tiger” Magomedov

Division: Bantamweight
Record: 20-4
Top wins: Petr Yan (DEC), Enrique Barzola (SUB-RD4), Danny Sabatello (SUB-RD1)

What to know: With a name so nice you say it twice, Magomedov is a dangerous addition to PFL’s bantamweight battalion. The Russian came up tough and saw great competition early in his career, even notching a win over former UFC champion Yan, before becoming a Bellator staple. Magomedov got two shots at the Bellator title and should arguably be the champion now. After losing to Patchy Mix by guillotine in December 2022, Magomedov returned two years later and gave Mix one of the most challenging fights of his career. Magomedov was relentless in the rematch and pushed Mix to the brink before losing a razor-thin split decision (46-49, 48-47, 48-47). Two out of the three Sherdog.com virtual scorers scored the fight for Magomedov. With the sting of that loss behind him, Magomedov can make it up to himself with a title run in the PFL. He’s got relentless wrestling and a herky-jerky striking pace that can make it tough to find a rhythm against him. He’ll face Leandro Higo on April 11 in the first round.

Jason Jackson

Division: Welterweight
Record: 18-5
Top wins: Benson Henderson (DEC), Douglas Lima (DEC), Yaroslav Amosov (KO-RD3)

What to know: Jackson was disappointed to learn that he wasn’t getting an immediate rematch for his Bellator welterweight title, but that’s not going to stop the “Ass Kicking Machine” from wreaking havoc on the 170-pound division. Jackson’s explosive striking and well-rounded wrestling make him a threat to any fighter in the tournament. The former champion is one of the most experienced and battle-tested fighters in the field, but at 34, it’ll be interesting to see if there’s still enough gas in the tank to come out on top.