Over a plate of the house special at Roscoe’s House of Chicken and Waffles, Sean O’Connell came to the realization that he was in the final of the inaugural PFL heavyweight tournament.

O’Connell had never competed twice in one night, much less put his body on the line for a potential $1 million payoff. But with a pair of wins in one night, including a vicious first-round knockout, reality seeped in with his greasy treat.

A former UFC fighter and radio personality on Sirius XM, O’Connell (20-10) said his phone wasn’t ringing when the PFL called to gauge his interest in its inaugural tournament, which marked the start of the promotion’s rebranding from the defunct WSOF.

Initially hesitant to volunteer, O’Connell was convinced, like many, to give the new venture a try when he heard about the potential reward. A conversation with PFL executive Ray Sefo provided a nudge.

“I was like, I don’t know if I want to throw all my eggs in this basket,” O’Connell said. “But I’m really glad I did. They’ve treated me unbelievably well; they’ve treated all the fighters unbelievably well. We’re one month away from what I think is going to get looked back on, if it’s not appreciated now, with season two and season three, look what these guys pulled off. I’m really excited to be a part of it.”

At the moment, O’Connell isn’t sure he’ll be back for Season 2. As successful as he’s been, fighting remains one of many pursuits in his life, and he’s hesitant to make an early commitment. But seeing how he’s performed thus far, he said it’s hard not to want to return. Depending on how he performs, the promotion’s year-end championship at PFL 11, which takes place Dec. 31 at Hulu Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York, could be his last trip to the cage for a while.

He hopes MMA fans get on board for the conclusion of the promotion’s first tournament, where he meets UFC vet Vinny Magalhaes (18-9).

“It was a lot of fun,” he said. “I don’t think anybody outside of my own gym, myself, and my family had me going to the finals. I don’t care if other people believe in me or not. We’re going to get this done.

“Please, people, start paying attention to what the PFL is doing. The opportunities they’re giving fighters like myself, like Ray Cooper, like everyone else who made it to the finals. We’re going to walk away with $1 million – life changing money. That doesn’t happen in MMA very often. Even when you make it to the UFC, or other big shows, you’ve got to grind your ass off and you’ve got to be a champion to make life-changing money.

“I don’t think anyone’s ever going to take over the UFC’s market share, necessarily, but I’m glad to be a part of someone that’s competing and treating fighters really well.”

For more on PFL 11, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.