John Martin PFL CEO reflects on an electric
night for PFL.
Title shot coming soon for AJ McKee, the future of the league, and
more after an iconic night.
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— PFL (@PFLMMA)
June 28, 2026
The
Professional Fighters League visited San Diego for a
homecoming, of sorts. With nearly every fight ending by finish,
several fighters sent a massive statement to their division and as
the company ramps up their schedule, the matchmakers will be busy
scheduling tonight’s winners.
After turning back Salamat
Isbulaev in the main event, McKee has to look around and see
who else is there for him. McKee has done everything and more at
145 pounds, and with Shabliy getting a win, opening the door to a
move down to featherweight, it is a surprise big time fight that
may have not been on the radar until they both won. Shabliy and
McKee felt as if they were on a collision course at 155 pounds, and
if the PFL wants a high-level big name matchup for the vacant
featherweight title, McKee and Shabily would make a lot of
sense.
After a big win over Viviane
Araujo in her hometown, Liz
Carmouche did not emphasize a matchup against Dakota
Ditcheva, and instead called for the opening of a bantamweight
women’s division. While it feels that there is no other
championship fight to make besides Ditcheva and Carmouche, Ditcheva
still has business to handle against Denise
Kielholtz in July. Vieira is slated to face Cris
Cyborg in August in what could be Cyborg’s last ever MMA bout.
For the sake of Vieira’s future, a matchup against Carmouche in a
bantamweight contest would make the most sense unless there’s the
consideration of a move to flyweight after the featherweight clash
against Cyborg. If the idea of a bantamweight tilt does not come to
fruition, then there’s no denying that Carmouche should be on the
short list of names for a crack at the crown at 125.
The Bishop revenge tour could effectively begin tonight following
her first-round finish over Ariane
Lipski da Silva on Saturday. No longer can Bishop be viewed as
just a dark horse contender hiding behind everyone else, but given
the state and uncertainty of the division, Bishop can begin to
avenge her losses. Fighting Santos would get Bishop an opportunity
to right the closest fight of her career, where she lost a split
decision back in the 2024 tournament. Having made tremendous
strides since their first meeting, the winner of that matchup
should be in line to have their eyes on whoever becomes champion at
125. PFL CEO John Martin mentioned Bishop as a name to watch and
monitor for an opening at the flyweight title fight.