If you’ve missed out on the Professional Fighters League’s first three events, PFL President Carlos Silva believes Thursday’s PFL 4 might just be the right time to jump on board.

“The first events were interesting, and I think everybody is really getting into the points system,” Silva told MMAjunkie. “Now, with PFL 4, 5, 6 and 7, everyone’s got a marker. You’ve got six points, five points, four points or three points – or you have zero points. For all of them, there’s no guarantees on getting into the playoffs.

“All these guys want to win a million dollars, and the way you win a million dollars is make the playoffs. It’s like the playoff implications in the NFL, when you get late in the season in games 13, 14, 15 and 16, I think it’s got that same feel.”

PFL 4 takes place Thursday at NYCB LIVE in Uniondale, N.Y. The night’s first six contests stream live on Facebook, while the final five air on NBCSN.

With the inaugural PFL season now in full swing, fighters in both the heavyweight and featherweight divisions will be looking to stamp their ticket to the eight-man playoffs, where the tournament winner in each division will be awarded a $1 million prize.

It’s a unique concept in MMA, and Silva believes fans have quickly embraced the season structure.

“Before PFL 1, I think everybody was just kind of sitting and waiting,” Silva said. “But then they saw it at PFL 1, and all of a sudden they saw it at PFL 2 and PFL 3, and I think everybody absolutely has embraced the points, but more importantly the standings. I see so many posts about how everyone loves the standings. Everyone knows where everyone stands in that cutline.”

There’s a three-way tie at the top of the heavyweight standings, with Kelvin Tiller (9-1), Francimar Barroso (20-7) and Jack May (10-3) all with six points. Meanwhile Alexandre Almeida (19-7) and Steven Siler (30-17) currently sit atop the featherweight standings, each with six points, ahead of their PFL 4 meeting.

After each bout of Thursday’s event, fighters will know exactly where they stand and – more importantly – who stays alive in the chase for $1 million. Silva believes that’s the recipe for a special night of fights – and a recipe that will be repeated for each of PFL’s next four shows.

“If you missed the first round, buckle your seatbelts for the second round because now, it’s win and get into the playoffs,” Silva said. “Put your seatbelt on because there’s going to be some big guys that are going to try and get some finishes so they can get bonus points and make it into the playoffs. Everybody loves that.”

The PFL 4 lineup includes:

MAIN CARD (NBCSN, 9 p.m. ET)

• Lance Palmer vs. Jumabieke Tuerxun
• Andre Harrison vs. Nazareno Malegarie
• Francimar Barroso vs. Jack May
• Alexandre Almeida vs. Steven Siler
• Alex Nicholson vs. Philipe Lins

PRELIMINARY CARD (7 p.m. ET)

• Jared Rosholt vs. Kelvin Tiller
• Carl Deaton vs. Bekbulat Magomedov
• Max Coga vs. Marcos Galvao
• Darrick Minner vs. Timur Valiev
• Josh Copeland vs. Shawn Jordan
• Daniel Gallemore vs. Valdrin Istrefi

For more on PFL 4, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.