- Black Belt Magazine
- 4 minutes ago
- 2 min read
Women’s Flyweight Action Sees Ariane Lipski da Silva Make Her PFL Debut Against Sumiko Inaba, While at Featherweight, Unbeaten Alexei Pergande Faces Julio Arce
PFL Makes Its First Stop in the U.S. in 2026 at the UPMC Events Center for PFL Pittsburgh on March 28
Tickets On Sale Now on Ticketmaster
Two main card bouts have been added to the Professional Fighters League’s (PFL) debut at the UPMC Events Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on Saturday, March 28.
In Women’s Flyweight action, No. 8 ranked Ariane Lipski da Silva (17-11) makes her PFL debut against No. 4 ranked Sumiko Inaba (8-2) of Hawaii. Additionally, at Featherweight, No. 8 ranked Alexei Pergande (7-0) takes on No. 9 ranked Julio Arce (21-6). With these additions, the main card now features four bouts.
General sale tickets are available now via Ticketmaster. For more information, visit http://pfl.info/pittsburgh. Additional bouts will be announced shortly.
The Main Card will be available in the U.S. on ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes at 10:00 pm ET/7:00 pm PT. The early card will begin at 7:00 pm ET/4:00 pm PT on the ESPN App for fans with access to the ESPN Unlimited plan.
In the PFL Pittsburgh main event, former Bellator Champion Johnny “Pressure” Eblen (16-1) will face Bryan “The Butcher” Battle (12-2-1 NC) in his PFL debut. The co-main event will see Pittsburgh’s own Dalton “Hercules” Rosta (11-2) return to action in a tough test against former PFL Champion Impa Kasanganay (19-6).
A 14-fight veteran of the UFC, Ariane Lipski da Silva has competed professionally since 2013. Aptly nicknamed “Queen of Violence,” the Brazilian standout has secured finishes in 10 of her 17 professional victories. She faces Maui’s Sumiko Inaba, a dangerous striker coming off a five-round battle with undefeated Dakota Ditcheva. A former Bellator MMA mainstay, Inaba has a strong finishing instinct and has never been stopped in her two career losses.
Undefeated to start his professional career, Nashville’s Alexei Pergande looks to keep his momentum rolling against Julio Arce, a 10-fight veteran of the UFC making his PFL debut on March 28. A top prospect at Kill Cliff FC, Pergande is coming off a first-round submission win in August, while Arce enters the PFL cage riding a three-fight winning streak.
Updated PFL Pittsburgh Main Card:
UPMC Events Center, Pittsburgh, PA
March 28 | 10 pm ET
ESPN2 & ESPN Deportes (US)
