The Hit List: Can’t Miss Fights of April

Immediate difficulty awaits Jason Jackson in his ongoing transition from Bellator MMA to the Professional Fighters League.

“The Ass-Kicking Machine” will face Andrey Koreshkov when their 2025 PFL World Tournament welterweight quarterfinal draws headlining duty on April 3 at Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida. The winner advances to meet either Thad Jean or Mukhamed Berkhamov. Jackson, 34, has rattled off eight victories across his past nine outings. However, the Kill Cliff Fight Club export finds himself on the rebound following a unanimous decision loss to the unbeaten Ramazan Kuramagomedov that cost him the Bellator welterweight crown in June. It was Jackson’s first defeat in almost five years. Koreshkov, meanwhile, enters the cage with wins in six of his past seven appearances. The 34-year-old longtime Alexander Shlemenko protégé last fought at PFL 6, where he took a three-round unanimous decision from Goiti Yamauchi on June 28. Koreshkov held the Bellator welterweight championship from July 17, 2015 to Nov. 10, 2016.

The Jackson-Koreshkov showdown is but one must-see fight in April. Here are seven more:

Jesus Pinedo vs. Adam Borics
PFL 1
April 3 | Orlando, Florida
Injuries have kept Jesus Pinedo one the sidelines for well over a year. The former Professional Fighters League champion returns to the mixed martial arts scene for the first time in nearly 500 days when he locks horns with Borics in the 2025 PFL World Tournament featherweight quarterfinals at Universal Studios. The victor moves on to challenge either Yves Landu or Gabriel Braga. Pinedo steps back into the spotlight on the strength of a three-fight winning streak. He has not suited up since he wiped out Braga with third-round punches to capture the million-dollar PFL featherweight crown in November 2023. On the other side of the equation, Borics has won five of his past six bouts, a decision loss to Patricio Freire his only misstep. The battle-tested Hungarian last saw action on April 19, when he outpointed “The Ultimate Fighter Latin America” Season 2 winner Enrique Barzola to a unanimous verdict at PFL 3.

Josh Emmett vs. Lerone Murphy
UFC on ESPN 65
April 5 | Las Vegas
Margins have grown undeniably thin for Emmett. The now 40-year-old Team Alpha Male mainstay looks to boost his resume and close in on an elusive title shot when he toes the line against the undefeated Murphy at the UFC Apex. Emmett owns a 10-4 mark in the UFC, having firmly established his reputation as one of the featherweight division’s heaviest hitters. He has not strapped on the gloves since his frightening one-punch knockout of Bryce Mitchell at UFC 296 on Dec. 16, 2023. Murphy, meanwhile, has posted seven consecutive victories, the latest coming via unanimous decision over Dan Ige at UFC 308 a little more than five months ago. A split draw with Zubaira Tukhugov in 2019 remains the only blemish on the Manchester Top Team standout’s otherwise-perfect record.

Leandro Higo vs. Magomed “Tiger” Magomedov
PFL 2
April 11 | Orlando, Florida
Higo wants his pound of Professional Fighters League flesh and then some. The ex-Legacy Fighting Alliance champion makes his promotional debut atop the marquee when he dukes it out with Magomedov in a 2025 PFL World Tournament bantamweight quarterfinal at Universal Studios. The winner advances to tackle either Jake Hadley or Sarvarjon Khamidov. Higo, 36, settles into the 135-pound bracket with some momentum, having bested Nikita Mikhailov and James Gallagher in back-to-back assignments. Operating out of the Pitbull Brothers camp in his native Brazil, he has delivered more than half (13) of his 23 career victories by submission. Magomedov, meanwhile, has suffered only four defeats as a pro. Patrick Mix (twice), Raufeon Stots and Petr Yan—three men with a combined record of 59-8—were the responsible parties.

Alexander Volkanovski vs. Diego Lopes
UFC 314
April 12 | Miami
The fate of the vacant featherweight championship hangs in the balance when Volkanovski puts Lopes to the test in a five-round headliner at the Kaseya Center. Ilia Topuria abdicated the 145-pound throne to move up in weight. Volkanovski, 36, held sway over the division from Dec. 14, 2019 to Feb. 17, 2024, cementing himself as an all-time great with three wins over fellow future hall of famer Max Holloway. The City Kickboxing-trained Aussie still has plenty of questions to answer, as he looks to bounce back from consecutive knockout losses to Islam Makhachev and the aforementioned Topuria. On the other side of the ledger, Lopes’ stock has never been higher. The Lobo Gym rep extended his winning streak to five fights when he laid claim to a unanimous decision over Brian Ortega at UFC 306 in September. Lopes has 14 first-round finishes to his credit.

Fighters only get one shot! Watch the PFL World Tournament LIVE at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN2.

Gadzhi Rabadanov vs. Marc Diakiese
PFL 3
April 18 | Orlando, Florida
Rabadanov has put himself in position to begin building a genuine legacy in the Professional Fighters League. The surging American Kickboxing Academy product sets out in search of his latest treasure when he collides with Diakiese in the 2025 PFL World Tournament at Universal Studios. The victor punches his ticket to the lightweight semifinals, where either Jay-Jay Wilson or Mads Burnell awaits. Rabadanov, 31, has strung together 10 straight wins, none more consequential than a third-round knockout of Brent Primus in November that brought him a million-dollar payday and the 2023 PFL lightweight championship. The Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov disciple has not suffered a setback in more than four years. Diakiese, meanwhile, has enjoyed a successful career, even though he has never truly fulfilled the great expectations that once accompanied him. The onetime British Association of Mixed Martial Arts titleholder last appeared at Bellator Champions Series 5, where he outdueled Tim Wilde to a unanimous decision on Sept. 14.

Igor da Silva vs. Jack Cartwright
Oktagon 70
April 26 | Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic
Da Silva figures to have his hands full for the foreseeable future, as he tries to shed the negative stigma surrounding him. The 21-year-old Brazilian was the talk of the mixed martial arts world for all the wrong reasons in 2024, when he was disqualified for biting Andre Lima on the arm in the second round of their UFC on ESPN 53 pairing and earned his immediate release from the Ultimate Fighting Championship. “The Hannibal” can start to rebuild his reputation when he battles Cartwright for the vacant Oktagon MMA bantamweight championship at KV Arena. Da Silva has secured eight of his nine career victories by knockout, technical knockout or submission, seven of them inside two rounds. In the opposing corner, Cartwright established his regional credentials as a Cage Warriors Fighting Championship titleholder. He has alternated wins and losses in each of his past four outings.

Jamahal Hill vs. Khalil Rountree
UFC on ESPN 66
April 26 | Kansas City, Missouri
Hill has one goal in mind: to reclaim the undisputed UFC light heavyweight championship. “Sweet Dreams” attempts to right the proverbial ship when he squares off with Rountree in what promises to be an explosive main event at the T-Mobile Center. Consecutive losses have forced Hill to take a step back at 205 pounds and led to some doubts about his long-term viability as a contender. The Dana White’s Contender Series graduate last set foot inside the Octagon at UFC 311, where he succumbed to punches from Jiri Prochazka in the third round of their Jan. 18 encounter. Wins over Glover Teixeira, Thiago Santos, Johnny Walker and Jimmy Crute anchor Hill’s resume. Rountree, meanwhile, has not fought since he absorbed 127 significant strikes ahead of a fourth-round technical knockout loss to Alex Pereira in a failed bid to capture the 205-pound title at UFC 307 on Oct. 5. The setback snapped his career-best five-fight winning streak for “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 23 finalist.