2023 PFL 3 Main Event Breakdown

Live coverage of PFL 3 from The Theater at Virgin Hotels in Las Vegas at 7 pm ET/ 4 pm PT on ESPN and ESPN+, with coverage continuing exclusively on the latter at 9:30 pm ET/ 6:30 pm PT. This week"s card features 12 fights, absent of any adjustments to the show between now and then. Competitors at lightweight and welterweight take center stage on Friday night.

Welterweight Action Focus of PFL 3 Main Event

Much like the PFL 3 co-main event on Friday night, the PFL 3 main event sees welterweights do battle in Las Vegas. 2022 PFL Welterweight Champion Sadibou Sy (13-6-2, 1 NC MMA, 0-0 2023 PFL, zero points in the standings) begins his quest to repeat as titleholder against Jarrah Hussein al-Silawi (18-4 MMA, 0-0 2023 PFL, zero points in the standings) to close the show.

All PFL fights up to the semifinals are an advertised maximum of three rounds at five minutes per round.

PFL 3 Main Event Fighter Comparison and Betting Odds

Heading into the PFL 3 main event on Friday night, Sadibou Sy stands as the taller man at 6-foot-3, compared to the 5-foot-11 frame of Jarrah Hussein al-Silawi. Sy owns an eight-inch reach advantage (80 inches to 72 inches) and a six-inch leg reach advantage (47 inches to 41 inches) over al-Silawi.

As of Monday afternoon, the oddsmakers have Sadibou Sy installed as a -185 favorite, with Jarrah Hussein al-Silawi as a +155 underdog. If you plan on betting on this or any other fight happening this weekend, please wager responsibly.

“The Swedish Denzel Washington" Says He Still Hasn"t Peaked Ahead of PFL 3 Main Event

Sadibou Sy, nicknamed “The Swedish Denzel Washington", has posted a record of 4-1 in his last five fights. Currently, he"s on a four-fight winning streak.

Back in November, Sy won the welterweight championship in PFL 10 with a unanimous decision against Dilano Taylor (10-3 MMA), netting him the $1 million (USD) cash prize as a result. A world trip soon followed, with Sy taking his belt with him to Bali, Senegal, Sweden and Vietnam.

Ahead of the PFL 3 main event on Friday, Sadibou Sy was interviewed about various topics. Despite winning the championship last season, he claims that he"s not yet at the peak of his career.

“For me, I didn"t start fighting because of the money and the fame, or whatever," Sy began. “For me, it was just to be able to push myself and see how far I could take it. I believe that you still haven"t seen the best of me, and I"m working every day to be able to make myself proud because my goal has always been if I make myself proud, the rest of the world is going to be amazed."

This is a confident statement from Sadibou Sy, but the time for talk is just about over. Can he back up those words into action on Friday night in the PFL 3 main event? Watch to find out.

Jarrah Hussein al-Silawi Looks to Get Back on Track

In the other corner, Jarrah Hussein al-Silawi has gone 4-1 himself over the past five fights. Back on July 1, his bid for the million-dollar prize was thwarted by a first-round knockout (right hook) from Magomed Umlatov (12-0 MMA) in PFL 6.

al-Silawi began his PFL quest a year ago by way of the Challenger Series on Feb. 25, 2022 vs. Michael Lilly (7-8 MMA). That night, the former Brave CF Super-Welterweight Champion, scored a first-round knockout with a now-viral knee strike.

After that fight, al-Silawi discussed his gameplan and how it wasn"t altered for the featured fight of the evening due to earlier results on the card.

“We trained very well, I was very well-prepared," al-Silawi said, through his translator. “I didn"t feel any pressure, to be honest, with the finishes. We felt like we were ready to finish the fight in any round. I did put a little more pressure on the first round because of that."

Jarrah Hussein al-Silawi had a four-fight winning streak snapped last summer in Atlanta and has spent over nine months trying to plot out a game plan for his next fight. Friday, he faces the champ in what could be the toughest test of his career during the PFL 3 main event.

Analysis, Film Study, and Prediction

Stylistically, the PFL 3 main event appears to be another toss-up. Both of these men are proficient in striking, with Sadibou Sy being a kickboxer and Muay-Thai fighter by trade.

At the same time, however, Jarrah Hussein al-Silawi is a decent grappler, having won five career fights by submission. It"ll be a classic strength vs. strength matchup, but who"s stronger?

Sadibou Sy Can Get the Job Done Quickly

While a Sadibou Sy knockout hasn"t happened lately, when it has happened, it"s been over in a hurry. His 2019 fight against David Michaud on opening night is a textbook example.

This was Sy"s first fight under the PFL banner at welterweight, having competed at middleweight in the PFL"s inaugural season in 2018. It didn"t last long.

During the first round of three, Sy landed a crisp jab, followed by a leg kick, setting up a kick to the liver that sat Michaud down and out. He landed a few ground-and-pound shots to Michaud"s head before the referee waved off the fight after just 17 seconds.

All it will take for Sadibou Sy to be on his way toward a defense of the title is one kick right on-target during the PFL 1 main event. His opponent isn"t too bad in the kicking game, either.

al-Silawi Has Vicious Knees

In the other corner, look for Jarrah Hussein al-Silawi"s knee strikes to possibly tell the story. Michael Lilly knows about those knees firsthand.

At the start of the fight, Lilly scored some low leg kicks and tried to slow the pace of the fight down by stalking al-Silawi as he waited to throw the next shot. al-Silawi returned the favor with a kick of his own.

From there, al-Silawi slowed the fight down and was doing the stalking of Lilly. The latter tried to land a takedown without success. Later on in the round, Lilly managed to dump al-Silawi twice over, but he popped right back up each time.

Jarrah Hussein al-Silawi pieced Michael Lilly up with a two-punch combination, wobbling him before landing the brutal knee shot to close the fight. Look for al-Silawi to wear Sadibou Sy down throughout the PFL 3 main event.

If he does, expect the knee strike at any moment.

Final Thoughts

We"ve got a champion vs. champion confrontation in the offing for the PFL 3 main event on Friday night. Although this is the first fight of the season for both men, expect them to approach it like a championship. This should be entertaining stuff.

Prediction: Sadibou Sy by First-Round Knockout.

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