The 2023 season of the Professional Fighters League (PFL) is upon us and, for the first time, an Australian will go in as one of the reigning champions.
Rob Wilkinson claimed the light heavyweight title and the US$1 million prize when he defeated Omari Akhmedov in the final back in November.
The Tasmanian will take on former UFC title challenger Thiago Santos in the opening round of the new campaign which gets underway in Las Vegas on April 1 (April 2 in Australia).
MORE: Rob Wilkinson reveals how he celebrated $1m PFL championship, future UFC ambitions
Here's everything you need to know about how to watch PFL in Australia.
How to watch PFL in Australia?
Fans in Australia can tune into the PFL live on Stan Sport.
All PFL events can be streamed live and exclusively through Stan Sport.
Stan Sport offers a free seven-day trial to new users.
PFL 2023 schedule
The season kicks off with PFL 1 on Sunday, April 2 (April 1 in the US).
MORE: PFL 1 2023 date, time, odds, schedule & card for the start of the fifth season of MMA organization
All times in AEST
PFL 1: 8am Sunday, April 2
PFL 2: 9am Saturday, April 8
PFL 3: 9am Saturday, April 15
PFL 4: 8am Friday, June 9
PFL 5: 8:30am Saturday, June 17
PFL 6: 9am Saturday, June 24
MORE: PFL format, explained: Breaking down MMA league season, points, playoff system & more
What is the PFL?
Following the acquisition and restructuring of the World Series of Fighting, the PFL was founded in 2017 by Donn Davis. With a launch in 2018, it is the first major MMA promotion where athletes compete in a regular season, post-season, and championship format.
The PFL uses a point system, with wins in a certain round resulting in a certain number of points. The point system of the PFL is based on the round of the fight. A fighter is awarded three points for a win, with a loss worth zero points. If a fighter wins in the first round, they are awarded three extra points. A round-two finish will earn them two extra points, and one point is awarded for a round-three finish.
MORE: Breaking down the purse and salary history of PFL fighters
Fighters in each division compete multiple times a season for a spot in the PFL Finals. The divisions are the following (since 2023):
- Heavyweight
- Light Heavyweight
- Welterweight
- Lightweight
- Featherweight (men and women's)
The winner of the PFL Finals takes home the championship title from their division and $1 million.
MORE: PFL winners by year: Full list of MMA league tournament champions, results for every division