PFL lightweight champion Natan Schulte plots potential path to 2019 final

PFL’s 2018 lightweight champion and 2019 tournament No. 1 seed,Natan Schulte, is all set for a big night in Las Vegas as he prepares for the lightweight playoffs Thursday at Mandalay Bay Events Center

The Brazilian (17-3-1 MMA, 4-0-1 PFL), who hasn’t lost since the promotion rebranded from World Series of Fighting to the PFL in 2018, is looking to become a two-time lightweight tournament champion starting by negotiating his quarterfinal bout with former UFC fighter Ramsey Nijem on Thursday.

Looking back at his time with the promotion, the 27-year-old from Santa Catarina says he has continued to evolve and head into the knockout portion of the PFL’s 2019 season a better fighter than the man who won the title last year.

“I had been on a very long win streak but lost my WSOF debut to Islam Mamedov. At that time, I had barely moved to the U.S.,” Schulte told MMA Junkie. “I make no excuses for that loss. After that, I evolved significantly as a fighter. I keep adjusting and improving things. After things stabilized, I went on to become the first PFL champion. This year, after surgery, I had two good wins in this season and guaranteed my playoff spot. Now I’m putting in the work to become the champion again this year.”

To achieve that goal, Schulte will have to win twice Thursday night, starting with a quarterfinal win over Nijem (10-7 MMA, 1-1 PFL), who he had already scouted ahead of their scheduled meeting in July, which fell through after Nijem missed weight.

“I was getting ready specifically to fight him, but since he didn’t make weight, I ended up fighting Jesse Ronson,” he said. “It was hard to change everything at the last minute (as) Jesse is a totally different fighter. But since Ramsey had already earned three points from the fact that the Ronys Torres couldn’t fight in May (due to failed medicals), he remained in the tournament. That’s how we ended up getting matched up again. I hope he makes weight this time, since I had already trained for him.”

In a quirk of PFL’s scoring system, Nijem made it to the playoffs despite never actually stepping into the cage during the regular season. Some might view that position as an advantageous one since he arrives fresh at the tournament’s sharp end. But Schulte doesn’t see it that way.

“Although Ramsey didn’t take any damage by not fighting, he’s also out of his fighting rhythm,” he suggested. “Staying active makes the biggest difference. I feel that’s going to help me. I know that he’s a good fighter, a wrestler who trains at altitude. We’re getting ready with that in mind.”

If he gets past Nijem, Schulte will face the winner of the all-Russian quarterfinal clash between Akhmet Aliev and Rashid Magomedov, with the semifinal matchup taking place later that night. Schulte says he’s not concerned about who wins, but hopes the matchup is a long, punishing war for both men to send the winner through to the final four in less than prime condition.

“They’re both very tough and excellent strikers,” he said. “I hope they have a very difficult fight against each other. I feel they have the same style. They’re versatile strikers with heavy hands. I’ll be ready for whoever wins.”