PFL midseason report -- Can Ditcheva keep the No. 1 seed? - ESPN

The most exciting stretch of the PFL season starts Thursday in Uncasville, Connecticut, as the promotion returns for the second half of the season.

In most other sports, the majority of the drama is reserved for the playoffs. And to be sure, the intrigue of the PFL playoffs and finals is self-explanatory. Single elimination format with $1 million on the line. The PFL's «postseason» provides fantastic memories every year.

But if you're looking for drama and storylines, the second round of the regular season is for you. It's the most unique aspect of the PFL format. Due to the point system, fighters often know when they need a finish literally to the second. This is also where PFL's matchmaking ends and pure competition begins. Once the standings are set, PFL has no control over who fights who in the playoffs.

Here is one burning question for each division going into the second round, starting with the two divisions that will be in action at Mohegan Sun Arena:

June 13, Uncasville, Connecticut

The PFL-Bellator MMA merger worked out well for some fighters and poorly for others. That was always going to be the case. If you take two different entities with two different models, they won't blend perfectly together. One fighter who has suffered a bit in the transition is Vassell.

Vassell was one of the better stories in Bellator. He'd worked his way back into heavyweight title contention at age 40 with five consecutive wins, three of which he won as an underdog. He was supposed to fight Ryan Bader for the heavyweight title last October but was forced to withdraw due to illness, and then the merger re-shuffled everything.

He headlines the next PFL fight card opposite Valentin Moldavsky. Moldavsky holds the No. 1 spot in the