Sarah Kaufman will not get to compete this year, but has no hard feelings toward the PFL.
The PFL made the decision to suspend the entire 2020 season due to growing concerns over the coronavirus outbreak, but Kaufman (21-5 MMA, 1-1 PFL) understands what prompted the promotion’s decision.
“It does make sense,” Kaufman told MMA Junkie. “The biggest, the most unique and the most exciting part of the PFL is their format, and it could not have been an easy decision. Going from what was a great PFL 1, into a build for PFL 2, I think that we now have a lot of buzz around the PFL. It’s very exciting. There are a lot of big names that are now part of the PFL that were signed on for Season 3, and so to have the postponement is hard – but it’s very understandable.
“Given just the fact that we have 25, I think, countries represented within the PFL – so to have that many different people flying in from different places, the logistics of all that travel and the safety and the precautions that would need to be taken if it was even possible, I understand.”
Kaufman, who joined the PFL roster in 2019, was eliminated in the lightweight semifinals with a decision loss to Larissa Pacheco.
Though she admitted not getting to compete this year is a tough pill to swallow, Kaufman holds no ill will toward the PFL’s decision to cancel the season.
“It’s hard as a fighter to know that you’re not fighting potentially for a full year, and that you’re prepared for something that is now being moved,” she said. “But I definitely understand where the PFL is coming from, and I respect the hard decision that they had to make.”
Sarah Kaufman thinks PFL's decision to cancel season 'makes sense'