PFL Heavyweight Championship
🇺🇸Professional Fighters League. The old World Series of Fighting, rebuilt in 2017 as a league with seasons, playoffs and $1 million prizes. It bought Bellator in 2023 and crowns one world champion per division. In July 2026 it merged with Jake Paul's MVP and is becoming MVP MMA.
From 2018 to 2024 PFL ran seasons: regular season points, playoffs, and a final, with the title and $1 million to the winner. There was no 2020 season.
Season champions did not defend. The next season crowned a new champion, so every reign before 2025 ends when the next final was fought.
In 2025 PFL ran a single elimination World Tournament. On September 24, 2025 new CEO John Martin announced one champion per division, and Vadim Nemkov won the first single heavyweight title in December 2025.
Separate belt: PFL made Francis Ngannou its Super Fights heavyweight champion on October 19, 2024. He never defended it and PFL released him on March 6, 2026.
ROLL OF CHAMPIONS
8 REIGNS · 8 TITLE FIGHTS · SINCE DEC 31, 2018
Newest first. Nobody has defended this belt. Open a reign for how it was won and lost.
NO.NO. 8CHAMPION🇷🇺Vadim NemkovWONDEC 13, 2025TOOK IT FROMRenan Ferreira (VACANT BELT)HOWSUB R1 4:00DEFENSES0HELD9 MOSENDEDREIGNING
HOW IT STARTED · DEC 13, 2025
WON THE VACANT BELT OVER Renan FerreiraPFL Lyon: Nemkov vs. FerreiraDEC 13, 2025SUB (arm-triangle choke) · R1 4:00
Décines-Charpieu, France
For the first single PFL heavyweight world title.
REIGNING
Still the champion. The reign goes on.
- Former Bellator light heavyweight champion.
- Booked to defend against Sergei Bilostenniy at PFL Dubai on November 14, 2026.
NO.NO. 7CHAMPION🇷🇺Oleg PopovWONAUG 21, 2025TOOK IT FROMAlexander Romanov (VACANT BELT)HOWDEC (split)DEFENSES0HELD3 MOSENDEDVACATED
HOW IT STARTED · AUG 21, 2025
WON THE VACANT BELT OVER Alexander RomanovPFL 10: 2025 PFL World Tournament FinalsAUG 21, 2025DEC (split)
Hollywood, Florida, USA
Final of the 2025 single elimination World Tournament.
HOW IT ENDED · DEC 13, 2025
VACATED.
- Lost the 2024 final to Goltsov, then won the 2025 tournament.
NO.NO. 6CHAMPION🇷🇺Denis GoltsovWONNOV 29, 2024TOOK IT FROMOleg Popov (VACANT BELT)HOWSUB R1 2:55DEFENSES0HELD8 MOSENDEDVACATED
NO.NO. 5CHAMPION🇧🇷Renan Ferreira"Problema"WONNOV 24, 2023TOOK IT FROMDenis Goltsov (VACANT BELT)HOWTKO R2 0:26DEFENSES0HELD1 YRENDEDVACATED
HOW IT STARTED · NOV 24, 2023
WON THE VACANT BELT OVER Denis GoltsovPFL 10: 2023 PFL World ChampionshipNOV 24, 2023TKO (punches) · R2 0:26
Washington, D.C., USA
2023 season final.
HOW IT ENDED · NOV 29, 2024
VACATED.
- Knocked out Bellator champion Ryan Bader in 21 seconds in a non-title champion versus champion bout in February 2024.
- Lost to Francis Ngannou for the PFL Super Fights heavyweight belt in October 2024.
NO.NO. 4CHAMPION🇭🇷Ante DelijaWONNOV 25, 2022TOOK IT FROMMatheus Scheffel (VACANT BELT)HOWTKO R1 2:50DEFENSES0HELD11 MOSENDEDVACATED
NO.NO. 3CHAMPION🇧🇷Bruno CappelozzaWONOCT 27, 2021TOOK IT FROMAnte Delija (VACANT BELT)HOWDEC (unanimous)DEFENSES0HELD1 YRENDEDVACATED
NO.NO. 2CHAMPION🇷🇺Ali IsaevWONDEC 31, 2019TOOK IT FROMJared Rosholt (VACANT BELT)HOWTKO R4 4:09DEFENSES0HELD1 YR 9 MOSENDEDVACATED
NO.NO. 1CHAMPION🇧🇷Philipe LinsWONDEC 31, 2018TOOK IT FROMJosh Copeland (NEW BELT)HOWTKO R4 0:30DEFENSES0HELD1 YRENDEDVACATED
WHERE THE BELT WENT
The belt is still in play. The PFL is becoming MVP MMA.
On July 30, 2026 the PFL and Jake Paul's Most Valuable Promotions announced a merger under the MVP name. PFL CEO John Martin was named to run the combined company, then stepped down on September 22, 2026 and handed it to MVP co-founder Nakisa Bidarian. The PFL brand is becoming MVP MMA over the months that follow.
Follow the belt through the line ▶SOURCES
SHOW ALL 26 SOURCES
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Professional_Fighters_League_champions
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Professional_Fighters_League
- https://www.mmamania.com/professional-fighters-league-pfl/391409/pfl-cleans-up-confounding-championship-system-one-champion-one-division
- https://pflmma.com/news/heavyweight-gold-on-the-line-as-vadim-nemkov-defends-his-pfl-world-title-against-sergei-bilostenniy-at-pfl-dubai
- https://www.sherdog.com/news/news/PFL-announces-release-of-former-heavyweight-king-Francis-Ngannou-200351
- https://www.espn.com/mma/story/_/id/49488415/jake-paul-mvp-pfl-team-landmark-combat-sports-merger
- https://www.postwrestling.com/2026/07/30/jake-pauls-most-valuable-promotions-and-pfl-announce-merger/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PFL_Daytona
- https://www.sherdog.com/news/news/WSOF-to-Become-Professional-Fighters-League-in-2018-Under-New-Ownership-Group-120269
- https://pflmma.com/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PFL_11_(2018)
- https://www.sherdog.com/events/Professional-Fighters-League-2018-Season-PFL-Championships-67151
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PFL_10_(2019)
- https://www.sherdog.com/events/Professional-Fighters-League-2019-Season-PFL-Championships-81859
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PFL_10_(2021)
- https://www.sherdog.com/events/Professional-Fighters-League-2021-Season-PFL-Championships-90187
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PFL_10_(2022)
- https://www.sherdog.com/events/Professional-Fighters-League-2022-Season-PFL-Championships-94333
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PFL_10_(2023)
- https://www.sherdog.com/events/Professional-Fighters-League-2023-Season-PFL-Championships-98844
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PFL_10_(2024)
- https://www.sherdog.com/events/Professional-Fighters-League-2024-Season-PFL-Championships-PFL-MENA-2024-Finals-105106
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PFL_10_(2025)
- https://www.sherdog.com/events/Professional-Fighters-League-2025-PFL-World-Tournament-10-Finals-106675
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PFL_Lyon:_Nemkov_vs._Ferreira
- https://www.sherdog.com/events/Professional-Fighters-League-PFL-Lyon-Europe-2025-Finals-108115