2023 PFL 2 Predictions: Fight Card, Vegas Odds, and Picks (Apr 7)
- Larissa Pacheco vs. Julia Budd headlines the 2023 PFL Week 2.
- Bruno Cappelozza expected to get his revenge over Matheus Scheffel.
- Can Renan Ferreira (+170) stage an upset in the first fight of the main card?
Last weekend, we went 4/5 with our PFL picks, and we think we might do even better this time. The next event in the 2023 Professional Fighters League (PFL) is on the program on Friday, April 7, at The Theater at Virgin Hotels in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The 2023 PFL Week 2 will feature fights from the Women’s Featherweight and Men’s Heavyweight divisions. The event is headlined by Larissa Pacheco vs. Julia Budd, while there are another three fights on the main card. We’re now going to analyze all four of those, sharing our top PFL Week 2 predictions along the way.
Schedule and How to Watch
- Where: The Theater at Virgin Hotels, Las Vegas, Nevada
- When: Friday, April 7, 2023, at 10 p.m ET
- How to Watch: ESPN/ESPN+
2023 PFL 2 Predictions
Larissa Pacheco vs. Julia Budd
| Fighter | Odds |
|---|---|
| Larissa Pacheco | |
| Julia Budd |
Larissa Pacheco is the fighter who won the 2022 PFL Women’s Lightweight Tournament after beating favored Kayla Harrison in the final. In 2023, she’s competing in the Women’s Featherweight tournament, in which she’s one of the top favorites.
Pacheco might be the most well-rounded fighter in this division, with her strongest weapon being striking. The fact that her most recent win happened against judo world champ Kayla Harrison is proof that she’s a great wrestler/grappler.
Knowing all this, it’s no surprise that she’s thought of as the favorite in the PFL 2 headliner. What is kind of surprising is that Julia Budd is a +550 underdog. She’s far from being a bad fighter as evident from the fact that she reached the final of the 2022 Women’s Featherweight tournament where she lost to Aspen Ladd by a split decision.
She’s a great striker with a background in Muay Thai. She’s not great on the floor and her fitness might not be on the same level as Pacheco’s, given the fact that she’s turning 40 this summer.
Prediction:
Bruno Cappelozza vs. Matheus Scheffel
| Fighter | Odds |
|---|---|
| Bruno Cappelozza | |
| Matheus Scheffel |
Bruno Cappelozza is one of the best heavyweights in the PFL, the man who won the 2021 tournament. On his road to winning the $1 million prize, he defeated Ante Delija twice, the fighter who won the 2022 tournament by beating Matheus Scheffel by TKO in the final.
Sheffel was the one who defeated Cappelozza in 2022, which is the last fight the Brazilian fought. Cappelozza lost that fight by decision, but he’s determined to get his revenge this Friday. We think he’s going to get his satisfaction.
Prediction:
Denis Goltsov vs. Yorgan De Castro
| Fighter | Odds |
|---|---|
| Denis Goltsov | |
| Yorgan De Castro |
The former UFC star Yorgan De Castro was supposed to fight Ante Delija, but the reigning PFL Heavyweight champ got injured. He was replaced by Denis Goltsov who seems like the sort of fighter De Castro hates.
The Cape Verdean fighter is a one-punch guy who likes finishing his fights early. He just doesn’t have the stamina to fight for a long time. Goltsov, on the other hand, has a real engine in him. Plus, he’s got a strong chin, as well as incredible wrestling skills.
Our prediction for this fight is that the Russian fighter will take De Castro down and keep him pinned to the floor for a long time. He might not submit him, but he should win the fight, even if it happens by a decision.
Prediction:
Renan Ferreira vs. Rizvan Kuniev
| Fighter | Odds |
|---|---|
| Renan Ferreira | |
| Rizvan Kuniev |
Rizvan Kuniev is 11-2-1 and is without a single loss since 2015. He’s on a 9-win streak, winning fights in several big events, including one Dana White Contender Series event and a few events organized by Khabib Nurmagomedov’s Eagle FC promotion.
Still, we think his winning run might come to an end this Friday. Kiniev is taking on Renan Ferreira who’s 9-3-2 with some wins against really good fighters. For instance, he defeated Jamelle Jones by KO/TKO in the last PFL season. In 2019, he beat Jared Vandeera by submission.
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Further, in 2021, we saw him beat ex-UFC star Fabricio Werdum by TKO, but it was later overturned due to an illegal move by Ferreira.
Now that you know all this, you understand that Ferreira is a force to be reckoned with. He’s got what it takes to cause an upset on Friday.
Prediction:
