Bruno Cappelozza is arguably PFL’s most fearsome fighter. And he’ll get his second straight headlining nod next month.
Cappelozza, PFL’s defending heavyweight champion, will meet Matheus Scheffel in the main event of PFL 5 on June 24 in Atlanta, officials told ESPN. Cappelozza is currently in third place (six points) in the PFL heavyweight season standings, behind Renan Ferreira and Denis Goltsov, respectively. Scheffel is still looking to get on the board following a loss to start the season against Ante Delija.
The PFL 5 card is mostly heavyweights and featherweights, but the co-main event has some lightweight star power. Former UFC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis will take on another UFC veteran, Stevie Ray. Pettis currently leads the lightweight division standings with six points with Ray stuck on zero points after a loss.
PFL 5 will begin at 5:30 p.m. ET on ESPN+ and air at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN (with an ESPN+ simulcast).
Cappelozza (15-5) has won five straight. The Brazil native is coming off a first-round TKO win over Stuart Austin on April 28. Cappelozza, 33, beat Delija last October to win the PFL heavyweight title. Scheffel (15-8), a 29-year-old from Brazil, is a Dana White’s Contender Series veteran.
Pettis (25-12) beat Myles Price via first-round submission to start the PFL season May 6. The Milwaukee native snapped a two-fight losing streak with that victory, his first in PFL. Pettis, 35, held the UFC lightweight title from 2013 to 2015. Ray (23-10), a 32-year-old from Scotland, lost his PFL debut to Alexander Martinez on April 20.
The PFL follows a regular-season-and-playoffs format that is unique in professional mixed martial arts. League winners, by division, receive a $1 million prize at the end of the season.
The full lineup for PFL 2 includes:
Cappelozza (6 points) vs. Scheffel (0 points), heavyweight
Pettis (6) vs. Ray (0), lightweight
Chris Wade (3) vs. Kyle Bochniak (0), featherweight
Renan Ferreira (6) vs. Klidson Abreu (3), heavyweight
Ante Delija (5) vs. Stuart Austin (0), heavyweight
Denis Goltsov (6) vs. Sam Kei (0), heavyweight
Ali Isaev (0) vs. Jamelle Jones (0), heavyweight
Bubba Jenkins (3) vs. Saba Bolaghi (0), featherweight
Lance Palmer (0) vs. Sheymon Moraes (3), featherweight
Brendan Loughnane (3) vs. Boston Salmon (0), featherweight
Alejandro Flores (3) vs. Ryoji Kudo (0), featherweight