PFL Responds to Fans: Elbows Allowed in Championship Matches
PFL has a clear response to fans, “You asked for elbows, we are giving you elbows.” For all championship matches elbow strikes have been legalized.
PFL and Elbow Rule Changes
During standard tournament matches, to help avoid cuts, the PFL does not allow elbows. Typically, for tournament finals elbow strikes stay outlawed. But for 2024, the PFL has heard the fans’ demands and given it to them. Elbows will be allowed at the PFL 10 2024 Championship finals going down on November 29.
Last year, CEO Donn Davis and I discussed elbows in the league and he said:
“MMA, fantastic elbows in the sports season. PFL League where you have to fight every 60 days. Not a good part of that format. So we carefully studied how do you put on the sports season format where you fight four times in nine months. And everybody said that’ll never work. And I said, there’s a way. And after studying the data of what are the injuries and what is the health of fighters?
“It would work clearly based on the data with only one thing eliminated; elbows to the head. And it does work. Five years of it works great. And so for that product, which is a great product, you can’t have elbows to the head and fight four times in nine months and it wouldn’t, it wouldn’t be good for the health of fighters. So every other product, PPV Super Fight. Yes. Bellator Champion series. Yes. Champs vs. Champs. Yes.“
PFL 10 2024
This is an upcoming mixed martial arts event scheduled for November 29, 2024, at King Saud University Stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The event will feature the finals of the 2024 Tournament across six weight divisions. The winners of each division will receive a substantial $1 million cash prize.
Featherweight: Brendan Loughnane vs. Timur Khizriev
Women’s Flyweight: Dakota Ditcheva vs. Taila Santos
Light Heavyweight: Impa Kasanganay vs. Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov
Welterweight: Shamil Musaev vs. Magomed Umalatov
Lightweight: Brent Primus vs. Gadzhi Rabadanov
Heavyweight: Denis Goltsov vs. Oleg Popov
In addition to the main card, the preliminary card will feature several matchups, including the finals of the 2024 MENA Tournament in four weight classes each winning $100,000.
