PFL continues to bolster its roster with ex-UFC talent.
PFL has only staged one event this year, which was a spiritual send-off for Bellator. Bellator and PFL merged in 2023, and while the PFL’s champions have complained about their contracts, this hasn’t stopped the promotion from signing new talent.
This time, they’ve picked up two ex-UFC hopefuls who were unexpectedly released during winning streaks.
PFL signs Jake Hadley and Alexandr Romanov
Per a report from MMA Mania, the PFL has signed ex-UFC competitors Jake Hadley and Alexandr Romanov.
Hadley competed in the UFC’s flyweight division and was 2-3 in his last five fights, dropping his most recent fight against late-notice replacement Cameron Smotherman in October 2024. ‘White Kong’ missed weight twice under the UFC banner and marred his loss to Smotherman by being deducted a point for eye-poking. Hadley was released shortly afterward.
Furthermore, when Hadley was signed to the UFC from Dana White’s Contender Series, UFC CEO White revealed the Englishman “wasn’t very friendly” and wasn’t popular with UFC staff behind the scenes. “My instructions were not to sign this guy,” He said.
As for Romanov, the Moldovan heavyweight won his last fight with the UFC and was ranked 13 at his release. ‘King Kong’ went 8-3 in the promotion, picking up four finishes in his first five fights. He hit a brick wall in the form of Marcin Tybura in August 2022 and was promptly mauled by Alexander Volkov in his next fight.
Romanov’s following three fights were all lackluster. He won by sloppy decision against Blagoy Ivanov and Rodrigo Nascimento and lost by decisive submission to Jailton Almeida. He was cut shortly after defeating Nascimento.
UFC heavyweight roster is in a sorry state
The UFC’s heavyweight division didn’t lose much with Romanov’s removal, but that doesn’t mean it’s in a healthy state. Having top-15 rankings gives the illusion that divisions are deeper than they are, but the UFC’s heavyweight roster has a little over 30 fighters, per a report by John Morgan, meaning half of the heavyweight division is ranked.
This means the heavyweight roster contains the fewest fighters in the promotion. To counteract this, the promotion needs to extend its branch into its funnel promotions and the regional circuit and recruit en masse rather than relying on the DWCS format to generate new talent.