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- What: PFL Playoffs
- Who: Impa Kasanganay vs. Josh Silveira 2
- Date: Friday, August 16, 2024
- Location: Hard Rock Live in Hollywood, Florida
- Time: Prelims (6:00 p.m. ET), Main Card (10:00 p.m. ET)
- How to Watch: Prelims (ESPN+), Main Card (ESPN)
The 2024 PFL playoffs continue this Friday at Hard Rock Live in Hollywood, Florida. The main card, which airs on ESPN, features the lightweight and light heavyweight matchups. In the main event, the two fighters who competed for the $1 million light heavyweight prize in 2023, Impa Kasanganay and Josh Silveira, meet in a rematch. Kasanganay won that bout by unanimous decision. Below is some background information on Kasanganay and Silveira before we look at the betting breakdown of the PFL playoffs.
Impa Kasanganay (17-4) has been with the PFL since 2023. His record with the promotion is 7-1. After his win over Silveira in November 2023, he lost a split decision to Bellator middleweight champion Johnny Eblen in February at 185 pounds. His record in the 2024 PFL regular season is 2-0 with two knockouts.
Josh Silveira (13-3) joined the PFL roster in February 2022. His promotional record is 6-3. He is 1-1 in the 2024 PFL regular season with a TKO win and a split decision loss.
Before we look at the best bets for the Impa Kasanganay vs. Josh Silveira rematch on the PFL playoffs card, check out the best UFC betting sites and where you can find our betting pick for the upcoming UFC 305 main event: Dricus du Plessis vs. Israel Adesanya.
PFL playoffs: Impa Kasanganay vs. Josh Silveira 2 betting picks
| Fighters |  |  |  |
| Josh Silveira | +300 | +300 | +300 |
| Impa Kasanganay | -400 | -400 | -400 |
Impa Kasanganay betting breakdown
Former UFC fighter Impa Kasanganay was best known for a viral knockout loss before he signed with the PFL and went on to win the 2023 PFL light heavyweight tournament. To his credit, Kasanganay took that spinning back kick loss to Joaquin Buckley in stride, rebuilding himself into a better fighter, and man. Since he signed with the PFL he has five stoppage wins and two decision victories. His only PFL loss came in a “Super Belt” fight with Bellator champ Johnny Eblen.
Kasanganay was mostly a grappler earlier in his career. Before 2022, he had zero knockout wins when he fought at middleweight and welterweight. A move to middleweight and then light heavyweight after leaving the UFC in 2021 found him packing on muscle and finding he had power in his strikes. He pushes forward and forces his opponent to fight off his back foot. Kasanganay is a very relaxed and confident fighter with a fair amount of speed in his strikes. He also puts out a decent amount of volume. Kasanganay also has excellent cardio, allowing him to set and sustain a fast pace.
What Kasanganay needs to worry about heading into this rematch is overconfidence and overaggression. He needs to fight in a style similar to his first win over Silveira, which he won 5-45 x 3.
Josh Silveira
A former LFA light heavyweight and middleweight champion, Josh Silveira has a strong wrestling base. His approach for the first fight against Kasanganay was to deal with his `opponent’s forward pressure by using kicks and then closing distance to get takedowns and work on the mat. That plan did not work, as Kasanganay was ready for Silveira’s wrestling, and he more or less ignored the kicks and kept moving forward. Making matters worse for Silveira, he became frustrated when he could not implement his game plan, and his cardio failed him.
Silveira and his team, American Top Team, where his father, Marcus ‘Conan’ Silveira, is a coach, need to devise a different plan of attack heading into this rematch. With how Kasanganay ran through the tournament last year, Silveira’s team had to think the 2023 tournament winner would be a fighter they would have to face again in 2024. With that, the team has had a long while to strategize. They’ll need it because Kasanganay was ready for everything Silveira offered in their first meeting.
Some changes to expect from Silveira are a mixed attack, more aggression, and disguising his takedown attempts.
Best Bets: PFL playoffs – Impa Kasanganay vs. Josh Silveira 2
With the way their first fight played out. It’s hard to see a way for Josh Silveira to win outside of an enormous mistake from Kasanganay. The betting pick is for Impa Kasanganay to move on to the PFL light heavyweight finals with a decision win over Josh Silveira.
See below the top offshore sportsbooks where you can wager online and choose the best one for you:
