The PFL begins its 2021 season on Friday night time in Atlantic Metropolis, New Jersey, closing the present with “Showtime.”
Former UFC light-weight champion Anthony Pettis makes his PFL debut in the principle occasion at Ocean On line casino Resort, taking up a fighter who constructed his personal identify in two sports activities, Clay Collard, a former UFC fighter who took up professional boxing and went on a five-fight win streak within the boxing ring in 2020.
Their assembly headlines a 10-fight card that includes lightweights and featherweights, with every division represented by a two-time defending season champion. Light-weight Natan Schulte takes on PFL newcomer Marcin Held, a veteran of the UFC and Bellator, and Lance Palmer begins his featherweight season in opposition to former collegiate wrestling rival Bubba Jenkins.
The final 4 fights on the cardboard air on ESPN2, beginning at 9 p.m. ET.
The PFL, which runs its seasons more like traditional sports than other MMA organizations (together with standings and playoffs), is returning after a one-year hiatus. The 2021 season is the group’s third, following 2018 and 2019, because the 2020 season was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Pettis, who’s 34 years previous and fights out of his hometown of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, received the UFC title in 2013 and reigned till 2015. He owns two victories apiece over light-weight stalwart Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone and former UFC champ Benson Henderson, and in addition defeated Charles Oliveira, who subsequent month will go for the UFC belt.
Pettis and Collard are amongst 14 fighters making their PFL debuts on Friday.
Featherweight: Movlid Khaybulaev (15-Zero-1, 1-1 PFL) def. Lazar Stojadinovic (14-7, Zero-Zero PFL) by unanimous determination
Khaybulaev is from Dagestan, and also you did not want to take a look at the 30-year-old’s bio to know that. Simply watch his dominant wrestling, which utilized a ferocious mixture of positional management and regular injury.
In the course of the 2019 PFL season, Khaybulaev scored the quickest knockout in PFL historical past, utilizing a flying knee to complete Damon Jackson in 10 seconds. However on this night time he threw nothing flashy, as an alternative going to his wrestling repeatedly to dominate Stojadinovic from begin to end and run his document to 16-Zero-1 (2-Zero-1, 1 NC within the PFL).
Khaybulaev obtained takedowns in all three rounds and proceeded to drop ground-and-pound the entire strategy to earn 30-27 scorecards from all three judges. Khaybulaev landed 137 strikes to Stojadinovic’s 23.
Stojadinovic, a 32-year-old born within the Bronx, New York, who represents Serbia and fights out of Las Vegas, noticed a two-fight successful streak finish in his PFL debut, a battle he took on brief discover. He’s 14-Eight.
Featherweight: Bubba Jenkins (Three factors) def. Lance Palmer (Zero factors) by unanimous determination
Palmer is a two-time defending PFL featherweight champion. Jenkins is new to the PFL. However these two had been accustomed to one another heading into their matchup at PFL 1, having been rivals in Massive Ten collegiate wrestling a decade in the past, Palmer at Ohio State and Jenkins at Penn State.
Jenkins, who was a 2011 NCAA Division 1 nationwide champion after transferring to Arizona State, obtained the higher of Palmer a number of instances again then. And he did it once more on Friday, utilizing superior wrestling in all three rounds at hand Palmer his first PFL defeat and his first total loss since 2017, ending an 11-fight successful streak.
Jenkins (15-Four), a 33-year-old former Bellator competitor who fights out of Las Vegas, has received 4 in a row. All three judges scored the battle 30-27 in his favor.
After the 2 stalked one another for the opening couple of minutes, exchanging the occasional punch and kick, Jenkins seized the wrestling edge, trapping Palmer in opposition to the cage and touchdown knees to the leg earlier than taking dominant again place. Palmer had problem escaping, each then and in Spherical 2, when Jenkins gained an identical place. In Spherical Three, once they once more clinched, Palmer grabbed a entrance choke however Jenkins used hand combating to remain out of peril of a submission.
Palmer (22-Four, 10-1 PFL), who’s 33 and from Ohio, however trains in Toms River, New Jersey, was by no means in a position to get his offense on observe and couldn’t fend off Jenkins’ wrestling.
Featherweight: Brendan Loughnane (6 factors) def. Sheymon Moraes (Zero factors) by first-round KO
Loughnane began quick, remained poised and by no means let up. He staggered Moraes with an overhand proper hand out of a clinch in the midst of the cage, then ending him with one other proper that dropped the Brazilian in opposition to the fence.
Loughnane, a 31-year-old Englishman who signed with the PFL after the UFC declined to signal him regardless of a robust efficiency on Dana White’s Contender Sequence, was making his debut in PFL season competitors after taking two showcase fights with the promotion in 2019.
He got here out flashing a crisp jab and landed it on the face of Moraes repeatedly within the opening minutes, then linked with a straight proper hand, after which Moraes clinched with him. Loughnane (20-Three) broke out of the clinch with the damaging proper hand, and he pounced for the end at 2:55 of the spherical. It was his sixth win in a row.
Moraes, 30, has misplaced his final three fights, dropping his document to 11-5. He was making his PFL debut, though he beforehand competed within the World Sequence of Combating — which later can be rebranded because the PFL — and in 2015 made an unsuccessful problem of then-champion Marlon Moraes.
Light-weight: Raush Manfio (Three factors) def. Joilton Lutterbach (Zero factors) by cut up determination
It got here right down to Spherical Three. Truly, it got here down to 1 second halfway by means of that last spherical, when Manfio, taken to the canvas and seeing the battle slip away, used his legs to push Lutterbach off of him so he may climb again to his toes. That allowed Manfio to return to work within the standup, the place he was most snug. And that allowed Manfio to eke out the choice.
Manfio, who’s 29 and from Brazil, was making his PFL debut and competing for the primary time since February 2018, after having a number of bouts canceled. He didn’t present a lot rust. His hanging output was not spectacular, however when he landed, he made it depend.
All three judges scored the bout 29-28, with two favoring Manfio (12-Three), who was making his PFL debut.
Manfio staggered Lutterbach halfway by means of Spherical 1 with a left hook, however Lutterbach took over in Spherical 2 along with his grappling. He appeared poised to do the identical within the last spherical, till Manfio pushed him away and stayed within the battle.
Lutterbach, a 28-year-old native of Brazil who fights out of Germany, fell to 34-9, 1 NC in what was additionally his PFL debut.
Light-weight: Akhmed Aliev (Three factors) vs. Mikhail Odintsov (-1 level)
Aliev was a winner of three factors earlier than the battle even started, as a result of Odintsov had missed weight. Then Aliev went out and earned a choice — however no extra factors.
Aliev (20-6, Three-2 PFL), who’s 31 and from Russia, was a 2019 season semifinalist. He began strongly, not simply along with his flashy strikes but additionally with an enormous takedown throw halfway by means of Spherical 1 and with robust takedown protection all through. However he didn’t maintain his offense within the different two rounds.
Osintsov, a 29-year-old from Belarus, missed weight by Four/10ths of a pound on Thursday, making him ineligible to earn factors on this battle, his PFL debut. However he fought nicely, particularly in Spherical 2, when he was the aggressor within the standup. However he didn’t land sufficient to eke out a choice and fell to 18-Three.
All three judges scored the bout 29-28 for Aliev.
Featherweight: Chris Wade (Three factors) def. Anthony Dizy (Zero factors) by unanimous determination
Dizy had some flashy moments within the battle’s opening seconds — dropping Wade twice with jabs within the first 20 seconds — however the bulk of his work was gritty and relentless, as he used his Greco-Roman assault to take Wade to the canvas and management him there for the higher a part of two rounds.
However Wade used his personal wrestling to stay out of significant hazard, and in Spherical Three he took over. It began with him nailing the 32-year-old Frenchman with knees to the face twice, a number of seconds aside — the primary of which opened a reduce on the bridge of Dizy’s nostril. By then, Wade additionally was trying just like the brisker fighter, however Dizy’s incessant pursuit of takedowns was the equalizer. By battle’s finish, Dizy’s face was coated in blood.
It appeared that Dizy would escape with a choice win, however all three judges scored the bout for Wade, 29-28.
Wade (18-6, 6-Three PFL), who’s 33 and from Islip, New York, competed at light-weight within the 2019 season. He appeared robust at 145 kilos.
Dizy, new to the PFL, fell to 13-Four.
Featherweight: Tyler Diamond (Three factors) def. Jo Sungbin (Zero factors) by unanimous determination
Diamond had a maintain of a leg, and he was not going to let go, as a result of it was all that was conserving him within the battle. Jo had simply floored him with a proper hand lower than a minute into Spherical Three, and when Diamond staggered to his toes, Jo nailed him once more, with a knee. Then Jo trapped him in opposition to the cage, seeking to end.
However Diamond, utilizing the instincts of a lifelong wrestler, grabbed Jo’s left leg, and Diamond used that grip to take the 28-year-old South Korean to the canvas. Diamond then moved into dominant place and rained down punches for the remainder of the spherical, with the referee hovering close by, imploring Jo to defend himself. Jo did make it to the horn, however by then his destiny was sealed.
Diamond earned 30-27 scorecards from all three judges on this battle of PFL newcomers. He’s 12-1 and a winner of three straight fights.
It was a fiery battle. These two did not waste time earlier than getting after it, every hoping to attain a first-round end and earn the bonus factors that include it. Diamond, who’s 30 years previous and from Sacramento, California, knocked down Jo (9-2, Zero-1 PFL) within the opening seconds with a calf kick. Then Jo obtained up and dropped Diamond with a proper hand. The battle was 10 seconds previous, and it was an indication of what was to come back.
Light-weight: Alexander Martinez (Three factors) def. Loik Radzhabov (Zero factors) by cut up determination
Martinez spent a lot of the battle on his again, taken down seven instances by Radzhabov. However Martinez was the aggressor, touchdown punches and locking in submission makes an attempt, and that was sufficient for him to get the nod from two of the three judges to stay undefeated.
Radzhabov (13-Three-1, 2-Three-1 PFL), a light-weight finalist within the PFL’s 2019 season, had the early grappling benefit, getting two takedowns earlier than the primary spherical was midway by means of. However the 30-year-old from Tajikistan did little with the positional benefit, as Martinez (Eight-Zero, 1-Zero PFL) defended nicely on the bottom. Then Martinez reversed place, obtained on high and superior to full mount.
When the battle was standing and being contested from hanging vary, Martinez had a transparent benefit. However the battle largely passed off in clinches in opposition to the cage and on the canvas, and even there, the 26-year-old, who was born in Paraguay and fights out of Canada, at all times appeared in a position to keep out of bother. He additionally remained brisker to the ultimate horn.
One choose gave Martinez a 30-27 scorecard and the opposite two had been cut up, every scoring the battle 29-28.
The way to watch the fights
Watch the principle card on ESPN2. Haven’t got ESPN? Get instant access.
Additionally: Download the ESPN App | WatchESPN | TV schedule
There’s additionally FightCenter, which presents reside updates for each PFL card.
Nonetheless to come back…
Light-weight: Anthony Pettis (24-10, Zero-Zero PFL) vs. Clay Collard (18-Eight, 1 NC; Zero-Zero PFL)
Light-weight: Natan Schulte (20-Three-1, 9-Zero-1 PFL) vs. Marcin Held (26-7, Zero-Zero PFL)