PFL 3 is upon us. With no UFC action taking place over this Easter holiday weekend, Friday’s card is the only major MMA show happening inside the United States.
This week, lightweights and middleweights take to the SmartCage for quarterfinal action. For the first time in this ongoing PFL World Tournament, ESPN proper will be the linear television designation for the fights in America.
Live coverage from Stage 19 in Universal Orlando, the former home of Nickelodeon Studios, begins with the early card at the adjusted start time of 5 pm ET/ 2 pm PT Friday evening on ESPN+. Late card action follows at 7 pm ET/ 4 pm PT on ESPN in addition to ESPN+. Note: Due to ESPN’s coverage of next week’s NFL Draft in Green Bay, the tournament will have a bye week before concluding the quarterfinals on May 1.
If you’re watching PFL 3 on Friday night from up north in Canada, you can find the event from gavel-to-gavel at the appointed hours on DAZN. All told, after some pre-fight adjustments, the final version of the event Friday will feature a total of nine contests on the schedule, barring any further changes between now and Friday night.
𝗢𝗙𝗙𝗜𝗖𝗜𝗔𝗟: Your updated #PFLWorldTournament
Fight Card
• Nick Maximov is off the card
• Khalid Murtazaliev vs. Nick Maximov (MW alternate fight) is off the card
• 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲: 7PM Main Card on ESPN | 5PM Early Card on ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/DhsULp8pg8— PFL (@PFLMMA) April 15, 2025
PFL 3 Main Event: Impa Kasanganay vs. Fabian Edwards
At the top of the bill this coming Friday evening in a middleweight contest, 2024 runner-up Impa Kasanganay (18-5 MMA), a former graduate of Dana White’s Contender Series and a UFC alumnus, makes the walk to the cage in Central Florida for a contest versus Fabian Edwards (13-4 MMA). All fights on Friday night are a maximum of three rounds at five minutes per round.
Kasanganay enters the PFL World Tournament with a record of 3-2 in his last five fights. He had an active year in 2024, with five bouts in just a little bit over nine months’ time. On Black Friday, he saw his three-fight winning streak snapped at the hands of Dovlet Yagshimuradov (25-7-1 MMA) with a first-round knockout in just 58 seconds during the PFL World Championship card.
It’s been nearly five months since that contest. After getting so close to the championship last year, revenge is clearly on Impa Kasanganay’s mind.
Meanwhile, Fabian Edwards comes into PFL 3 with a 3-2 record of his own over the last five contests. Like Impa Kasanganay, Edwards will be looking to right the ship after a defeat in his most recent affair, a unanimous decision after five rounds to Johnny Eblen (16-0 MMA) in the PFL Super Fights: Battle of the Giants card last October.
This is everything the PFL matchmakers could have wanted when constructing the card ahead of the show on Friday night. The PFL 3 main event is a clear candidate for Fight of the Night, but will it deliver?
PFL 3 Co-Main Event: Gadzhi Rabadanov vs. Marc Diakiese
Immediately prior to the main event, the co-headlining bout of Friday night’s card sees a lightweight attraction matching last year’s champion Gadzhi Rabadanov (24-4-2 MMA) with Marc Diakiese (18-7 MMA).
Rabadanov will be making the walk at PFL 3 on Friday evening with a record of 5-0 since joining the PFL’s active roster ahead of the 2024 season. Back in November of last year, he took the belt with a third-round knockout by way of punches over Brent Primus (15-4, 1 NC MMA) on championship night.
He’s on a hot streak entering the tournament, but every fight on every show in this format is of the highest stakes imaginable. How will he fare this time around?
In the other corner, Marc Diakiese has posted a 3-2 mark in his last five contests. A veteran of both Bellator MMA and the UFC, he comes into the bracket at 155 on a two-fight winning streak.
Last September, his first and only appearance in Bellator proved to be successful, besting Tim Wilde (17-6-1 MMA) by split decision after 15 minutes. A recurring theme of PFL events in the aftermath of the promotion buying Bellator in 2023 has been crossovers. Only time will tell of Diakiese’s PFL debut will end with him getting his hand raised in victory in PFL 3.
PFL 3: Sadibou Sy vs. Dalton Rosta
Also on the PFL 3 late card on Friday night, you’ll see a middleweight contest pairing Sadibou Sy (17-8-1, 1 NC MMA) and Bellator crossover Dalton Rosta (9-1 MMA). The former will touch down in Orlando having posted a 3-2 record in his last five contests. Back in June of last year, he scored a third-round knockout (right hand followed by uppercuts) of Andrew Sanchez (14-8 MMA) during PFL 5 in Salt Lake City.
Sy’s victory wasn’t enough to extend his season, however. Friday’s contest is his first at 185 since the 2018 PFL Playoffs. He’s fought at welterweight, securing the 170-lb division’s championship in 2022 and finishing at runner-up the next year and at 205 last season. His adversary is a tough guy to beat, however.
Across the way, Dalton Rosta has posted a 4-1 mark over his five most recent bouts. Less than 24 hours after Sadibou Sy was eliminated from playoff contention in Utah, Rosta returned to the win column by way of majority decision over Norbert Novenyi Jr. (8-1 MMA) during Bellator Champions Series 3 in Dublin, Ireland.
This young man is a fun fighter to watch. If he can secure as little as one takedown on Sadibou Sy in PFL 3 on Friday night, it may be everything he needs to get the victory inside Universal Orlando.
Final Thoughts
Which fight or fights are you looking forward to during PFL 3 on Friday night? Let us know in the comments.
