PFL announced on Friday, October 24, that Coby Bradford will face previously unbeaten Frenchman Bafode Gassama at light heavyweight at PFL Lyon on December 19, one of the last events the league runs under its own name before merging into Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions. The booking is one of two new international signings added to the card this fall, alongside a middleweight bout between unbeaten Cameroonian prospect Boris Atangana and former UFC fighter Bryan Battle.
Bradford Returns After a PFL Debut Finish
Coby Bradford carries a 6-4 career record into the bout. He won his PFL debut in July in Washington, D.C., submitting Chad Yard with a rear-naked choke. Bradford stands 6 feet tall (183 cm) with a 75.5-inch reach (192 cm). The bout with Gassama is set for the 205-pound (93 kg) light heavyweight limit.
Gassama Brings a Hexagone MMA Title Into the Cage
Bafode Gassama, 32, enters his promotional debut unbeaten in 4 professional fights, three of them finishes. He won the Hexagone MMA light heavyweight title in April 2026, outpointing Lajos Papp. PFL’s own announcement called him the promotion’s “Former Hexagone Light Heavyweight Champion.” Hexagone MMA, the French organization he is leaving behind, held its 48th numbered event on October 24 in Paris, a show MMA Official covered on site from fight week through the weigh-ins.
Atangana-Battle Adds Another Storyline to the Card
PFL also confirmed a middleweight bout for the Lyon card between unbeaten Cameroonian Boris Atangana and American Bryan Battle. Atangana is 9-0 since turning pro in 2024 and has never been to a judges’ scorecard, with 7 wins by TKO or knockout and 2 by submission, including a 65-second knockout of Jared Gooden at PFL Brussels in May, his fourth appearance for the promotion since signing in 2025. Battle, who won The Ultimate Fighter 29 middleweight tournament in 2021 and went 7-2 in the UFC before his release in 2025, joined PFL this year. He lost his promotional debut by submission to Johnny Eblen, then rebounded with a split-decision win over Dalton Rosta.
Lapilus vs. McKee Headlines for the Inaugural Bantamweight Crown
PFL Lyon is built around a title fight: Frenchman Taylor Lapilus against unbeaten Mitch McKee for the promotion’s first-ever bantamweight championship, one of the main draws for American viewers tuning in on the ESPN app. Lapilus, 25-4, fights on home soil after two UFC stints that went a combined 6-2. He has won six straight, most recently a unanimous decision over fellow UFC veteran Jake Hadley, and sits at No. 3 in the PFL’s 135-pound rankings. McKee, unbeaten in 11 fights, spent most of his career in LFA before a one-off Bellator appearance. Now ranked No. 1 in the PFL’s bantamweight division, he upset Sergio Pettis in his own promotional debut in March.
PFL’s Final Show Before the MVP Era
PFL Lyon takes place Saturday, December 19, at LDLC Arena in Lyon-Decines, France, streaming on the ESPN app in the United States. Lyon already hosted the PFL Europe Championship finale in December 2025, a card built around four title fights headlined by heavyweights Vadim Nemkov and Renan Ferreira. PFL’s European tournaments run on a single-elimination format, with semifinal winners from cities across the continent advancing through the year to meet in the Lyon final.
The card arrives after the July 30, 2026, announcement that PFL is merging with Most Valuable Promotions, the company co-founded by boxer Jake Paul and Nakisa Bidarian. The companies’ joint release frames MVP as the master brand for the combined operation, which claims nearly 400 athletes across boxing and MMA; PFL brings a roster announced at more than 300 fighters from over 40 countries and 34 distribution partners, with 24 events planned for 2026 across 11 countries. PFL CEO John Martin becomes CEO of the merged company. Paul said he started MVP “to disrupt a broken model,” while Martin framed the ambition more plainly: one company, one global stage, millions of fans. The release also says the combined company intends to invest aggressively in both boxing and MMA, a plan that fits a card adding fresh international signings like Gassama and Atangana alongside an established UFC name like Lapilus.
