The 2021 PFL champ resents fight fixing accusations in an uneventful match against his friend Natan Schulte. Find out why fans’ angry feedback was unnecessary and the consequences of the match. Read more on Bloody Elbow.
| Point | Description |
|---|---|
| 1 | 2021 PFL champ Raush Manfio faced his friend Natan Schulte in an uneventful match in the 2023 tournament. |
| 2 | Manfio denies fight fixing accusations and explains the lack of excitement in the match. |
| 3 | Both fighters received a suspension from the promotion due to their performances. |
| 4 | Brazilian MMA referee Guilherme Bravo suggests a more stern referee could have avoided the situation. |
| 5 | Patricio Freire campaigns for the vacant Rizin featherweight belt. |
| 6 | UFC prospect Tabatha Ricci predicts Amanda Lemos has a good chance against Zhang Weili. |
| 7 | Chute Boxe Contender Series prospect Marco Tulio Costa aims to impress and pursue a UFC career. |
| 8 | Jungle Fight 117 crowned two new champions with several impressive finishes. |
| 9 | Trivia: Rod Stewart’s hit ‘Do Ya Think I’m Sexy?’ is a case of plagiarism from a Brazilian artist. |
PFL champ resents fight fixing accusations. Shouldn’t we know that booking friends to face each may not be a great idea by now? The 2021 Professional Fighters League lightweight champion resents what some fans have been saying about his latest outing. Although Raush Manfio acknowledges that his match against two-time PFL champ and dear friend Natan Schulte was an uneventful affair last week’s PFL 6, the Brazilian thinks the angry feedback from some fans was rather unnecessary. In an interview with Combate (translated by Bloody Elbow), Manfio took the opportunity to shut down any claims of fight fixing that emerged after the match he ultimately lost via unanimous decision. The 2021 PFL champ makes it quite clear why the fight was not too exciting, it was a match between two friends who had a hard time trying to hurt each other. Although Manfio and Schulte are in fact friends, the striker would also like to guarantee that that were no arrangements to make the match uneventful. The way the Brazilian puts it, it was simply an emotional matter that got in the way of a good performance. The loss for Manfio was not even the only consequence of the match. Even though Schulte was the winner and had enough points to advance to the 2023 playoffs, the promotion decided to remove their former champ to set an example. For the company, monotonous performances cannot be rewarded. Furthermore, both ex-PFL champs also received a suspension from the promotion due to their performances. Could a more stern referee have avoid the situation? In the opinion of Brazilian MMA referee Guilherme Bravo, the whole situation between Manfio and Schulte could have been avoided if ref Gary Copeland had been more strict with his warning while overseeing the action. In an interview with Combate (translated by Bloody Elbow), Bravo explained how Copeland could have threatened to take points or even disqualify the former PFL champs in order to make them be more active. Once the fight was finished and a winner was announced, Bravo believes there is little either man can do to contest the promotion’s decision to remove Schulte from the playoffs.
