Former UFC fighter Marc Diakiese announced he's signed with the PFL while appearing as a guest on the PFL broadcast. Many had assumed he'd been released from the UFC but in fact, it was the other way around.
“It was just one of these things: I felt like it was coming, and honestly after my last fight – the fight in London (vs Joel Alvarez), that was that last fight on my contract and I got sent to Brazil last-minute (for Fernandes),” Diakiese told MMA Junkie. “I knew I was a free agent, but then the UFC would still give me a contract so I was waiting because I was meant to be on the July card. Then PFL came about with a good offer, and I couldn’t really say no. So I asked (UFC) to let me go and try for something else, and that’s what I did.”
On the broadcast, Diakiese revealed he'd be appearing in the 2025 season, though he will probably debut as a non-tournament bout sometime in 2024.
“It helps a lot knowing you’ve got some money that can change your life at the end of four fights," he said. "You’ve just got to give it your all. And you’ve got to go out there and try to finish the guys, and this is the right format for me knowing that if I finish these guys I’m going to be right at the top and trying to win the $1 million tournament. It’s great for me.”
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