Fight Facts: PFL 2022 Regular Season 5

Fight Facts is a breakdown of all of the interesting information and cage curiosities on every card, with some puns, references and portmanteaus to keep things fun. These deep stat dives delve into the numbers, providing historical context and telling the stories behind those numbers.

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TOTAL NUMBER OF PFL FIGHTS: 769
TOTAL NUMBER OF PFL EVENTS: 82

Upset was the word of the day for the Professional Fighters League on Friday, which saw not one but two massive heavyweight favorites get humbled. Featherweights and the largest weight class – plus a conclusion for the lightweight bracket – concluded their respective portions of the regular seasons, with surprises abound throughout the evening. PFL 5: 2022 Regular Season featured a twice-in-a-lifetime submission, what should have been the end of three ex-champs’ return runs and a blatant violation of PFL’s playoff standing rules.

Inflation Even at the Sportsbooks: At PFL 5: 2022 Regular Season, two of the five biggest betting upsets in company history took place. At +600 odds in the main event, Matheus Scheffel topped -900 Bruno Cappelozza by decision. Klidson Abreu, an even higher underdog at +650, overcame Renan Ferreira at -1000 odds.

See You at the Party, Pettis: In the lone lightweight match on the card, Steven Ray tapped Anthony Pettis with a body triangle to get the submission win. Ray earned himself a place on the playoffs, where he will rematch top-seeded Pettis in the semifinals.

Achilles Rib: The submission from a body lock is the first of its type in World Series of Fighting-PFL history. Pettis, who surrendered to the same lock by Dustin Poirier in 2017, is one of the few fighters in major MMA ever to tap to that technique.

This Is Not an Accident: After three grueling rounds, Abreu defeated Ferreira on the scorecards. Despite his head-to-head win over Ferreira – the top tiebreaker provision when fighters are tied in points going into the playoffs, per the 2022 PFL Official Rules – Abreu did not qualify for the $1 million tourney, even though both men closed with six points apiece.

The Finish Was Sorely Needed: Chris Wade secured himself the top seed at 145 pounds by punting Kyle Bochniak with a head kick and finishing the job with follow-up punches. “The Long Island Killer” has only recorded two career knockouts, and both have stemmed from head kicks in the PFL cage.

Billy Jack Wade: The two head kick-related knockouts from Wade make him just one of two fighters in promotional history to register multiple knockouts from this strike. Marlon Moraes was the first, doing so in 2013 and again in 2016.

More Cro Cop-Style Head Kicks, Please: Winning the second seed with an exhausting decision victory over Shelton Graves, Ante Delija concluded the heavyweight bracket with eight points. He has reached the playoffs in both tournament seasons he has joined, and his only defeats under the PFL banner have come against Cappelozza.

No-Break Bubba: Outworking Reinaldo Ekson to take home three points and the decision, Bubba Jenkins picked up the No. 3 seed with six total points. All five of his PFL fights since joining the league in 2021 have gone the full 15 minutes.

A Wild Russian Appears: Denis Goltsov settled for a unanimous verdict against Maurice Greene to clinch the No. 1 seed at heavyweight with nine points. No heavyweight surpassed that total this year, in sharp contrast to last season, in which two competitors earned 10 points or more.

Follow Your Own Rules: While he topped Sheymon Moraes on the scorecards for a three-point decision win, Lance Palmer ended his season with the No. 6 spot at featherweight, below the man in Moraes that he just beat. This also ignores the top tiebreaker provision as stated in the PFL rulebook.

Moral Victory: In victory, Palmer recorded his 16th win with the company. He further adds to his total, with no other competitor (Kayla Harrison, Ray Cooper III) sporting more than 12.

Palmer on the Prelims: The decision for Palmer pads his lead for the most victories at the hands of the judges in organizational history with 10. Natan Schulte and Wade are the closest to his tally, with seven each.

Two Years in a Row, No Playoff Picture: The most active fighter in league history remains Palmer, as he fought for the 22nd time as a WSOF or PFL fighter. The aforementioned Wade did tie for second place with 15 on this same event, where he sits alongside Schulte and Cooper III.

Kraken Released: Although his second-round stoppage of Sam Kei did not qualify him for the playoffs on the heels of one single win, Juan Adams put the PFL on notice by stopping Kei at the midpoint of Round 2. All 10 wins for “The Kraken” have come inside the distance.

Out of Nowhere: The No. 2 seed at featherweight goes to Ryoji Kudo following his one-punch knockout of Alejandro Flores Garcia. He and Wade are the only men to register stoppages this season at 145 pounds.

Never Say Never Again: Coming into PFL 5: 2022 Regular Season, Cappelozza (20 fights) and Ferreira (12 fights) had never lost on the scorecards, Bochniak had never been finished (17 fights) and Kei had never competed in the Western Hemisphere (13 fights).