2023 PFL 3 Co-Main Event Breakdown

Unlike last year"s schedule, this year"s regular season will be 50 percent over by the time the PFL 3 main event concludes. Last season didn"t even begin until April 20, 2022, with PFL 1, a rare Wednesday night card.

Friday"s card features lightweights and welterweights taking to the SmartCage for their first shot at accumulating points in the standings as they seek to become the top four finishers ahead of the August playoffs. Welterweight fights serve as the focus for both the PFL 3 co-main and main events.

Live coverage of PFL 3 begins at 7 pm ET/ 4 pm PT on both ESPN and its subscription-based streaming platform, ESPN+, with action continuing exclusively on ESPN+ at 9:30 pm ET/ 6:30 pm PT. All told, PFL 3 features a full 12-fight card (barring any postponements between now and then.)

Magomedkerimov Fights Egli in PFL 3 Co-Main Event

As previously stated, two contests at the welterweight division top the show, beginning with the PFL 3 co-main event. Magomed Magomedkerimov (30-6 MMA, 0-0 PFL 2023, zero points in the standings) takes on Ben Egli (14-4 MMA, 0-0 PFL 2023.) All PFL fights through the semifinal round of the playoffs are an advertised maximum of three rounds at five minutes per round.

Friday"s PFL 3 main event is no exception. After the main event ends, the regular season will return Thursday, June 8 in Atlanta with PFL 4.

PFL 3 Co-Main Event Fighter Comparison

Heading into the PFL 3 co-main event, Magomed Magomedkerimov stands as the taller man at 6-foot-1, compared to Ben Egli at six feet even. Additionally, Egli owns a four-inch reach advantage (77 inches to 73 inches) over Magomedkerimov. The latter owns a 42-inch leg reach, with no such information available for the former at press time.

Preliminary betting odds were not available as of April 8. If you plan on betting on this or any other fight happening over the weekend, please wager responsibly.

Magomed Magomedkerimov Dealing With Another Opponent Change Ahead of PFL 3 Co-Main Event

Magomed Magomedkerimov, a former PFL Welterweight Champion, enters the PFL 3 main event having posted a record of 4-1 over the last five fights. At present, he"s on a two-fight winning streak.

Most recently, he scored a unanimous decision victory over Gleison Tibau (36-18 MMA) in a showcase bout at a contracted catchweight of 175 lbs. in the PFL 10 undercard on Nov. 25. Ben Egli was not Magomedkerimov"s original opponent for the PFL 3 co-main event.

When the card was initially revealed earlier this year, Magomedkerimov was supposed to have squared off against Don Madge (10-4-1 MMA) in the co-main, but the latter withdrew from the card. Postponed fights have become a regular occurrence for Magomed Magomedkerimov and his camp.

This is the sixth time that a fight of his has had to be canceled since the 2019 PFL season. Not counting the cancellation of the 2020 PFL season due to COVID-19, the following is a list of all postponed bouts for Magomedkerimov in that stretch.

• Oct. 11, 2019: PFL Semifinal vs. Ray Cooper III: Fight canceled due to Cooper falling ill.
• April 29, 2021: Regular season bout vs. Joao Zeferino: Fight canceled due to Magomedkerimov withdrawing from the card.
• Aug. 13, 2021: PFL Semifinal vs. Joao Zeferino: Fight canceled due to Zeferino withdrawing from the card.
• May 6, 2022: Regular season bout vs. Joao Zeferino: The fight was canceled for the third time between the two due to Magomedkerimov being unable to enter the United States (visa.)
• July 1, 2022: Regular season bout vs. Joao Zeferino: Fight canceled for the fourth time due to Zeferino withdrawing from the card. Magomedkerimov faced Dilano Taylor, winning by second-round knockout.
• April 14, 2022: Regular season bout vs. Don Madge: Fight canceled due to Madge withdrawing from the card.

He"s used to having changes in opponents. How will this change affect him? Tune into the PFL 3 co-main event and find out.

Ben Egli Breaks Through With First Shot in Major MMA in PFL 3 Co-Main Event

In the other corner, Ben Egli has gone 3-2 in his last five fights. A veteran of Chael Sonnen"s Submission Underground, he"s on a two-fight win streak at present.

Last time out, he scored a second-round submission (guillotine choke) against Tsogookhuu Amarsanaa (9-3 MMA) in Fierce FC 18"s co-main event on Jan. 29, 2022. After 10 years in the professional ranks, he finally gets a chance in major MMA on Friday.

However, with a year away from the cage, the question of ring rust pops up again. Will he be ready to fight again close to 15 months later? For the answer, tune in this weekend.

Analysis, Film Study, and Prediction

Stylistically, the PFL 3 co-main event looks to favor Ben Egli, a grappler, with Magomed Magomedkerimov being a Pankration fighter and freestyle wrestler. Thus, this fight could be contested primarily on the cage mat.

Magomedkerimov is Brutal with Guillotines

Of Magomed Magomedkerimov"s 30 career wins, nine of them have come by way of submission. When it happens, as it did in PFL 1 in 2019 versus John Howard, it can be something special to watch.

During the first round of a scheduled three, Magomedkerimov wasted little time putting Howard on the mat. He grappled with Howard and wouldn"t let him try to get up, peppering him with punches to the head to soften him up for a possible submission later on in the round.

Even though Magomedkerimov rose to his feet, he took mount again, scrambling and sprawling to pacify any attempts for Howard to create offense himself. With 25 seconds left in the round, the former landed a body shot, setting off a flurry of ground and pound.

Inside the final seconds, Magomedkerimov applied the necessary torque to sink in a guillotine choke, forcing Howard to tap out with just six seconds left to go. All it will take for Magomedkerimov to win the PFL 3 main event is to land one takedown.

If he dumps Egli once, it"s his world.

Ben Egli Can Get it Done by Submission, Too

In the other corner, don"t discount Ben Egli"s prowess on the ground. Roberto Neves found that out firsthand in 2018.

Egli didn"t touch gloves with Neves at the start of the fight, and the two fighters exchanged strikes, but the latter became the aggressor, highlighted by a two-punch combo, knocking him down on the canvas.

Neves was able to stand back up, but Egli just knocked him right back down with a right-handed punch. From there, he teed off with ground-and-pound shots and slowed the pace of the fight down with grappling.

Upon rolling over, Egli attempted to sink in a rear-naked choke but was unsuccessful and transitioned to back mount, enabling him to lock in the RNC. If Egli can beat Magomedkerimov to the takedown, he"ll walk away the winner on Friday.

Final Thoughts

The first takedown landed may be the only one needed in the fight. One last piece of advice: Pay the pizza guy before the PFL 3 co-main event starts.

Prediction: Magomed Magomedkerimov by First-Round Submission.

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