Lackluster fights are not uncommon in mixed martial arts, but it's wildly uncommon for the fighters to be punished for those instances.
That changed on Saturday morning, as ESPN's Brett Okamoto reported that the PFL has suspended former lightweight champions Natan Schulte and Raush Manfio from the 2023 playoffs due to their "substandard" fight at PFL 6 on Friday night in Atlanta.
"Last night, Natan Schule and Raush Manfio did not meet the standards which all PFL fighters agree to uphold in competition," the PFL stated. "All fighters in their PFL fight agreements agree to use their 'best efforts ... skills and ability as a professional athlete to compete ... and defeat any opponent.' It was very clear that Natan and Raush did not meet that contractual standard in yesterday's bout."
Schulte, who won the fight by unanimous decision, was replaced by Shane Burgos in the playoffs. Burgos, who lost his PFL debut in April, defeated Yamato Nishikawa by unanimous decision in Friday's event but was on the outside looking in due to his low slot in the lightweight standings. He reacted to Saturday's news on social media, saying, "Everything happens for a reason."
Marcel Dorff 🇳🇱🇮🇩 @BigMarcel24Shane Burgos' reaction on getting into the <a href="">#PFLPlayoffs</a> after PFL suspends Natan Schulte and Raush Manfio.<br><br>(Burgos IG) <a href="">
Friday's fight between Schulte (25-5-1) and Manfio (17-4) was unique in that it pitted two longtime friends against one another. Okamoto noted that they are training partners at American Top Team in Florida who have lived together in the past and are godfathers to each other's children. They even cut weight together and spent a lot of time with one another during fight week.
The result was a fight that "barely resembled a light sparring match," per Okamoto. It's not the first time a fight has lacked excitement, but penalizing that in this way is rarely seen in the fight game.
Ariel Helwani @arielhelwaniNot sure how to feel about this, tbh.<br><br>Was the fight lackluster? Felt like a glorified sparring session btwn 2 friends who didn't want to hurt each other. But this is a very slippery slope. Where's the line? In other sports, good win or not you survive and advance. This could not… <a href="">
With Burgos now in the PFL playoffs, he will face top-seeded lightweight Clay Collard in the semifinals, while Olivier Aubin-Mercier will go up against Bruno Miranda.
