Five Bouts That Could Steal The Show At Friday's PFL 6

The Professional Fighters League (PFL) wraps up its 2022 regular season on Friday, July 1 at the Overtime Elite Arena in Atlanta, Georgia, with playoffs spots up for grabs in the women’s lightweight and welterweight divisions.

PFL 6 features some of the league’s biggest names in Kayla Harrison, Rory MacDonald and Ray Cooper III--all competing for a place in the semifinals.

With the stakes at an all-time high, Friday night could definitely deliver a number of exciting matches.

Here are some of those to watch out for.

Kayla Harrison vs. Kaitlin Young

When the biggest star in the league is fighting, it’s almost always must-see TV.

This is the case for Friday night’s main event, which features two-time PFL women’s lightweight champion Kayla Harrison taking on Kaitlin Young.

A finish pretty much guarantees Harrison a place in the postseason and an opportunity to go for a historic PFL title three-peat.

A win for Young, on the other hand, gives her a shot at creeping into the semifinals and has the makings of the biggest upset in the sport of mixed martial arts (MMA).

Rory MacDonald vs. Sadibou Sy

Rory MacDonald has been a title favorite since making his PFL debut in 2021.

The former Bellator champion and UFC title contender made the playoffs last season, but he came up short against the eventual champion Ray Cooper III in one of the most anticipated bouts of the season.

This year, MacDonald is in a prime position to compete for a title once again and will just need to pick up a win at PFL 6 to return to the postseason.

Meanwhile, his opponent Saidbou Sy is widely seen as an underdog, but he could pull off a massive upset and put himself in running for the coveted crown as well.

Ray Cooper III vs. Brett Cooper

Due to missing weight and losing to Carlos Leal at PFL 3, 2021 PFL welterweight champion Ray Cooper III will need to pull off nothing less than a first-round finish to get into the postseason.

Like Cooper, his opponent Brett Cooper also looks to wash away the bitter taste of defeat after bowing to Rory MacDonald via first-round submission back in May.

Those stakes alone make this bout a must-watch.

Nikolay Aleksakhin vs. Carlos Leal

At PFL 3, Carlos Leal demonstrated why he was one of the most talked-about prospects to come out of the PFL Challenger Series.

The Brazilian took the fight to reigning champion Ray Cooper III and walked away with an impressive win.

At PFL 6, he gets another chance to prove himself and earn a playoff spot when he meets former ONE welterweight title conder Nikolay Aleksakhin in a pivotal three-round tiff.

Jarrah Al-Silawi vs. Magomed Umalatov

Speaking of prospects to come out of the PFL Challenger Series, Jarrah Al-Silawi has been pushed as one of the best standouts to come out of the Middle East.

He lived up to that billing at PFL 3 with a win over former UFC veteran Gleison Tibau.

With a spot in the playoffs and a chance at becoming the first Middle Eastern PFL world champion on the line, Al-Silawi has quite a bit of motivation to put on an impressive performance this Friday.

Catch PFL 6 live in the United States on ESPN and ESPN+.