PFL Challenger Series Week 5 Predictions, Vegas Odds, and Picks (Feb 24)
- PFL Challenger Series Week 5 to feature four women’s flyweight fights.
- The event is on the program on Friday, February 24.
- Chelsea Hackett vs Desiree Yanez headlines the event.
It’s time for women’s flyweight fights in the 2023 PFL Challenger Series. Eight fighters take the stage on Friday, February 24, at Universal Studios, Orlando, Florida. In this post, we’re going to preview each of the four matchups of the Week 5 event, sharing our top predictions along the way.
Jump to:
- Chelsea Hackett vs Desiree Yanez
- Kaytlin Neil vs Griet Eeckhout
- Helen Peralta vs Lisa Maudlin
- Shanna Young vs Sandra Lavado
Schedule and How to Watch
- Where: Universal Studios, Orlando, Florida
- When: Friday, February 24, 2023, at 9 p.m ET
- How to Watch: FuboTV
PFL Challenger Series Week 5 Predictions
Chelsea Hackett vs Desiree Yanez
More than two years after suffering the only loss of her career – to Victoria Leonardo in Dana White’s Contender Series – Chelsea Hackett (3-1-1) is fighting again. The Aussie fighter took a break from MMA to focus on other stuff, including taking part in the Australian version of the reality TV show Australian Survivor.
Unfortunately for Hackett, she’s facing a very tough opponent in her comeback fight. Desiree Yanez is 6-4 overall with experience in Bellator and other big promotions. The last time she fought was in October when we saw her beat Natalya Speece by TKO in Round 1. We expect another big performance from her this Friday.
Pick:
Kaytlin Neil vs Griet Eeckhout
Kaytlin Neil is 6-4 with experience in promotions like Invicta, LFA, and Bellator. She also took part in The Ultimate Fighter last year, with her TUF journey finishing in the semifinal. This Friday, she’s taking on Griet Eeckhout, who’s 6-4-1 overall, but her portfolio just isn’t as impressive as Neil’s.
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We think Neil will win this fight, but it’s not going to be easy. Both fighters have great cardio and always fight until the end. Seven of Neil’s 10 professional bouts went the distance, while Eeckhout has six fights that lasted until the final bell.
Pick:
Helen Peralta vs Lisa Maudlin
Both fighters have great stamina and like to fight smart without any risky moves. The evidence of this is that Peralta – who is 6-3 – has five wins by decision. Further, each of her three losses happened by this method.
It’s a similar situation when it comes to Lisa Maudlin (4-3) who has three wins and three losses by decision.
We’re almost 100% certain this fight will go the distance, but who will win the judges’ votes? It’s a coin toss, really, but our prediction is Peralta.
Pick:
Shanna Young vs Sandra Lavado
Shanna Young is a former UFC fighter who’s 8-5 overall. Three of her five losses happened in the UFC, along with one loss in Dana White’s Contender Series. She’s got a fantastic opportunity to improve her record this Friday when she’s locking horns with Sandra Lavado.
Her record is 11-3, which does seem good, but the fact is that she just hasn’t fought as many great fighters as Young. We think Young is just on a different level than her and she’s going to prove it by beating Lavado inside the distance.
Pick:
