Professional Fighters League to debut June 30; Fitch-Foster to headline
Fight fans will get their first glimpse of the newly launched Professional Fighters League on June 30 at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla., with longtime welterweight Jon Fitch taking on Brian Foster in the four-fight card's main event, MMAjunkie's John Morgan confirmed Thursday.
The event will air on NBCSN after the Coca-Cola Firecracker 250 NASCAR XFINITY Series race. Its full bill is as follows:
- Jon Fitch vs. Brian Foster
- Ronny Markes vs. Smealinho Rama
- Herman Terrado vs. Joao Zeferino
- Caros Fodor vs. Jason High
While the PFL's inaugural season won't debut until January 2018, the June event will mark the first of four scheduled throughout the remainder of 2017. The quartet of cards are reportedly meant to determine the upcoming season's rankings. The remaining three are set for July 29 in Everett, Wash., Oct. 14 in Las Vegas, and Nov. 4 in Washington, D.C.
The PFL was formed in April after a group of D.C.-based businessmen purchased World Series of Fighting. The 10-month season will feature bouts across seven weight classes, with each postseason winner pocketing a $1-million prize.
WSOF folded with 35 events to its name, the last of which took place in March. Both Fitch and Foster competed under the WSOF banner, with the former going down as its final welterweight champion.