The top eight welterweights and top four lightweights are heading to the postseason, which begins Oct. 11 in Las Vegas. The men will fight two-round quarterfinal fights, followed by three-round semifinals later that same night. The women, with four playoff participants, will also fight the three-round semis. The survivors move on to the Dec. 31 finals in both divisions.
Let's go fight by fight and break down the brackets in each weight class:
Women's lightweight semifinals
Sarah Kaufman (No. 1 seed) vs. Larissa Pacheco (4)
Kaufman skated into the playoffs with a first-round finish of Morgan Frier in May and a walkover victory Thursday when her opponent, Roberta Samad, did not make weight. Kaufman took a calculated risk by not fighting Samad and settling for three points, rather than fighting her and trying for the bonus points that would have come with a finish. It worked out perfectly for the Canadian, though, as she still landed the top seed.
The PFL is set for the playoffs, and you can watch the action beginning Oct. 11 on ESPN+. You can also watch archives of all six regular-season cards in their entirety.
Across from Kaufman (21-4, 1 NC) will be fellow UFC veteran Pacheco (12-3), who fell to Kayla Harrison by decision in her first fight and stopped Bobbi Jo Dalziel in the first round last week. Kaufman will be a big favorite. She's a former Strikeforce and Invicta FC champion at bantamweight. Pacheco, who also has fought at bantamweight and featherweight, has 15 pro fights but is just 24 years old.
Kayla Harrison (2) vs. Genah Fabian (3)
Harrison, a two-time Olympic gold medalist in judo, earned the second seed Thursday by finishing Frier with a first-round submission. She defeated Pacheco by decision in her first fight. Fabian knocked out Moriel Charneski in the first round last week to get into the playoffs, after falling to Dalziel in her first fight.
This will be your classic styles clash: grappler vs. striker. Harrison (5-0) is obviously world-class in the clinch and on the ground. But Fabian (2-1) is a former professional kickboxer with punching power, strength and reach. While Harrison is expected to be able to close the distance and get Fabian to the ground, this could be the toughest test of Harrison's very young MMA career. Harrison has not felt the kind of power Fabian wields, except maybe from training partner Amanda Nunes in the American Top Team gym.