UFC veterans Basharat and Marcos headline PFL's 18-fighter roster expansion

The Professional Fighters League has added 18 fighters to its roster in a single announcement, with UFC veterans Javid Basharat and Daniel Marcos headlining a group drawn from nine weight classes and 14 countries.

Basharat, a bantamweight known as “The Snow Leopard”, joins the PFL after going 4-2 with one no contest across seven Octagon appearances. He earned his UFC contract through Dana White’s Contender Series and most recently competed at UFC Fight Night 266 on February 7, where he defeated Gianni Vazquez by unanimous decision.

Marcos, also a bantamweight, had his signing previously reported before Wednesday’s wider announcement confirmed the full scope of the roster overhaul.

“At PFL, we are constantly growing and evolving our roster to ensure it remains one of the best and most competitive in the world,” PFL CEO John Martin said. “With 18 new fighters announced today with some really hot prospects, we know the MMA industry will recognize our intent of continuing to scout, build, and match elite fighters in the cage and see who is the best in the world.”

The full list of new signings spans the weight classes from strawweight to heavyweight. Welterweights Leon Hill, Trukon Carson, and Jonathan Piersma are joined by lightweights Cassio Junior, Avery Guidebeck, Brandon Brachet, and Max Metzgar. Light heavyweights Moustapha Diakhate and Roland Dunlap, heavyweights Hasan Mezhiev and Zach Nishimwe, middleweight Ilian Bouafia, and featherweight Felipe Oliveira round out the men’s additions. On the women’s side, flyweight Lucero Acosta, strawweights Valeria Ramirez and Marina Merchuk also feature among the new arrivals.