2023 PFL 5 Play-by-Play, Results & Round Scoring

The 2023
Professional Fighters League Regular Season marches on with

2023 PFL 5 at 6:30 p.m. ET. The action airs live on ESPN+ and
then continues on ESPN at 10 p.m. ET.

Round 1

The PFL continues its second stage of the regular season in
Atlanta, this week with the heavyweight and women’s featherweight
divisions on full display – plus one amateur fight tossed in. The
action for the day begins in a non-tournament matchup between two
younger heavyweights, relatively speaking. At 28, the South
Carolina native Pinson (2-0, 1-0 PFL) will look to claim his third
pro win, while local Georgia fighter Freeman (4-0, 1-0 PFL) wants
to secure his fourth knockout in what would be his fifth victory.
When the dust settles, one man will lose their shiny 0, and referee
Blake Grice will be among the first to know. The big men, who
combine for a bit over 510 pounds, come together and tap their
fingers to start off the night. Freeman is immediately ready to
begin slugging, and he gets in Pinson’s face and starts throwing
right hands. Pinson backs him off with a combination, and the two
slow things down a bit. Pinson slowly walks Freeman down, aiming
occasional body shots. Freeman counters with a left up high that
whizzes past his opponent, and he aims another as Pinson comes at
him. Pinson sticks his man with a right hand and barely blocks a
head kick in time. Pinson kicks the body, and his balance betrays
him and he somersaults backwards to get back to his feet. Freeman
calmly greets him with a high kick, but it bounces off the guard
without concern. The two chop their legs together at the same time,
and Pinson places a front kick to the chest. Pinson walks forward
with a pair of right hands, and Freeman ducks down and turns the
corner to get his back away from the fencing. Freeman considers a
level change, but Pinson meets him on the way in and the result is
a clash of chests slapping together. They break away without
landing, and Pinson is the aggressor when they back off, landing a
right hand and a big kick to send Freeman reeling. Freeman pursues
a takedown, and Pinson blatantly tugs on the fence to keep himself
upright. Grice shouts at him to release the cage, but the damage is
done and the takedown is thwarted. Pinson then breaks out of the
clinch, and he keeps his forward motion going as he wades forward.
Freeman tries to back him off with a head kick, but Pinson slugs
him in the face several times to put him on ice skates. Freeman
slips – whether from damage or a slippery surface – and gathers
himself as Pinson gives chase to keep hitting him. Pinson lays into
his man, and Freeman backpedals and points at the ground while
closing one eye. Grice does not acknowledge this, so Pinson tries
to seek out the finish and keeps slugging to the bell.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Pinson
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Pinson
Lev Pisarsky scores the round: 10-9 Pinson

Round 2

The heavyweights touch ‘em up to start off the second frame, and it
is once more Pinson who wants to press the action. Pinson nods at
Freeman instead of engaging, and Pinson flicks out a couple jabs to
the swelling eye of his opponent. Freeman wipes at his eye, and
Grice declares it was a punch and not a poke. Freeman lets go with
a head kick, and Pinson shrugs it off and keeps striking. Pinson
dogs a few punches to the body, and Freeman is right there in front
of him to tag him with a short but powerful right hand. Pinson
walks through it as best he can and starts to hand-fight as he
closes in, leading Grice to warn them both about outstretched
fingers pointing towards the eyes. They close their fists for a
moment, and Pinson tosses out a low kick. When he fires off one on
the inside, it slides up and slams into Freeman’s cup. Grice
notices this and pauses the action, and Freeman takes less than 30
seconds before he is good to go again. They resume, and Freeman
starts off with a head kick from the other leg. Pinson chops at it
when Freeman plants that lead leg, and they proceed to get into a
slow but dangerous slugfest. Pinson scores a few punches, and
Freeman slips again as he escapes. Freeman circles away and rips a
kick to the liver, and he chases after it with a perfectly timed
double-leg takedown. Pinson hits his back, and he manages to
quickly turn to his knees and stand. Freeman sits down for a second
or two, and Grice tells him he needs to stand up, and Freeman does
this slowly. Freeman, who is backing off from the advancing Pinson,
whiffs on a pair of punches while his foe bears down on him.
Freeman connects with another body kick into a double, and the trip
he hits on the way through it takes Pinson to the mat. Pinson gets
to one knee and hand-fights to break the grip and look to stand.
Freeman holds on from behind, keeping him down and nearly putting
Pinson on his back one last time before the round ends.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Freeman
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Freeman
Lev Pisarsky scores the round: 10-9 Freeman

Round 3

The last round kicks off as the two touch gloves one more time, and
Pinson walks straight into a head kick. Pinson smiles, spins around
and wobbles for a second, with the kick clearly catching him flush.
Pinson shakes it off quickly enough, and he goes back to pressing
the pace. Freeman pushes off a jab and a shin to the chin, and
Pinson takes it flush and tries to pin Freeman to the wall to beat
on him. Pinson lands a few punches before Freeman moves just enough
to loose another head kick, and Pinson once more absorbs it
cleanly. Freeman stays on his bike, touching Pinson while Pinson is
looking to swing for the fences. Pinson succeeds in backing Freeman
up and cornering him for a moment to blast him in the face with a
straight right hand, but Freeman is able to dodge the subsequent
blows and get away. Freeman keeps working the jab until he opens up
Pinson’s nose, and Pinson does not recognize he is bleeding as he
is intent on stalking and swinging at Freeman. Freeman slips and
ducks into an uppercut among a series of punches, and Pinson stands
in front of his foe and rolls until Freeman times a solid right
hand. Freeman stays busy with a jab, and as Pinson walks after him,
he kicks Pinson in the raised guard. Freeman eats a big left hand
that opens a cut on the corner of his eye, and it helps reduce the
swelling like Rocky saying “cut me, Mick” to bring his mouse down.
Freeman engages with another head kick, and Pinson smiles at him as
he plods forward. Freeman swats at him, and he leans back as Pinson
throws caution to the wind. Freeman loads up on a head kick, and
Pinson blocks it and stuffs the takedown he knows will follow.
Pinson absorbs one more high kick, and he gives chase right to the
final bell. It could be a close one.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Freeman (29-28 Freeman)
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Pinson (29-28 Pinson)
Lev Pisarsky scores the round: 10-9 Pinson (29-28 Pinson)

The Official Result

Isaiah Pinson def. Denzel Freeman via Split Decision (28-29, 29-28,
29-28)

Round 1

Moving right along to the heavyweight fights with playoff
relevance, two newcomers to the league will get one shot at
qualifying should they pull off a big win. The wait will be
agonizing, as the victor here will be watching intently to see if
he ends up in the million-dollar bracket. Neither heavyweight is a
knockout artist here, but the poundage is high so anything can
happen between “The Brick” Brady (5-0, 0-0 PFL) and LFA expat
Heiderman (6-0, 0-0 PFL). The two do not touch gloves in front of
referee Rob Hinds, and instead Brady starts off with a low kick.
Brady swings hard, and Heiderman crashes forward with a takedown
try. Brady wags his finger at Heiderman after shutting it down, and
he goes low with another kick. Heiderman bears down on him and gets
caught with a left hand, and he absorbs a heavy leg kick. Brady
steps in with left hand, driving Heiderman back, and he comes up
short on the second throw. The kicks from Brady continue to find
the calf, and Heiderman is doing little but walking through them.
When Heiderman plants a one-two on the chin, Brady returns fire
with a thudding low kick. They start throwing hands, and Brady
kicks hard enough to draw a funny reaction out of Heiderman.
Heiderman crashes forward, and Brady turns him around quickly and
knees him in the gut before splitting. The two clash their shins
together with simultaneous kicks, and Brady is the one swing after
that exchange with a left hook. Heiderman bites down on his
mouthpiece and charges with a three-punch combo, and Brady escapes
to the side and beats on that calf again.
Heiderman responds with a big leg kick of his own, and Brady hops
back, posts off his other knee, and that rear knee of “The Brick”
blows out. Brady falls with his back to the cage and slumps down,
and he immediately signals his physical surrender to both Hinds and
Heiderman. Heiderman walks him down and is about to
blast him in the face, and Brady yells at him to stop because he is
done. With Brady on his seat, Hinds rushes in to get between them,
and Heiderman does not strike. The ending is an unfortunate injury
to Brady, but it is also fortuitous to Heiderman, who claims six
points and puts himself on the leaderboard in the heavyweight
division.

The Official Result

Jordan Heiderman def. Patrick Brady R1 2:26 via TKO (Knee
Injury)

Round 1

The first of five featherweight bouts among the female competitors
take center stage, and the winner may need to seek a finish in
order to punch her ticket to the next phase of the tourney. After
missing weight in her first time out, Kolesnyk (8-5, 1 NC; 3-3 PFL)
possesses just two points, and is on the outside looking in. The
same could be said for Japan’s Higashi (8-3, 0-1 PFL), who would
like nothing more than to pull off her first win in the PFL while
securing a seeded position. The cage commander for this 145-pound
affair will be referee Gary Copeland, and the match begins with no
plans of a glove touch. Kolesnyk moves right to the center of the
cage, and she holds it firm while Higashi strafes on the outside
pawing with punches that are inches or feet away from where she
aims them. When Higashi advances, Kolesnyk swats her away with a
few punches. Higashi steps in with a right hand, and Kolesnyk
counters with a left. Kolesnyk aims a front kick to the chest, and
Higashi is still on the outside out of range. Higashi crashes the
pocket, and her forehead bounces off Kolesnyk’s shoulder as she
realizes that the blonde Ukrainian woman is not going for a ride.
Higashi breaks free, and resets to step in with a right hand. This
lights a brief fire in Kolesnyk, who swarms her for with a series
of punches and a high kick mixed in for good measure. Higashi wears
it well and steadily moves on the outer edge of the cage. Higashi
meets an oncoming Kolesnyk to clinch her up and get both underhooks
to turn her to the fence. Higashi hangs on from up close, offering
a knee or two on the inside before Kolesnyk explodes out and just
misses with a big knee of her own. Kolesnyk starts to follow
Higashi, and she loads up on punches that Higashi largely ducks
before tying her up again. Kolesnyk lowers herself for a potential
single, but Higashi holds onto her to prevent the woman from
Ukraine from getting any leverage. The two spin around, and
Kolesnyk rips a pair of knees to the body on the way out. Kolesnyk
gives chase, and she throws hands until running into Higashi and
clinching once more. Higashi knees her a few times, and she goes
after a throw that fails. Kolesnyk knees her in the chest on the
way out, and the round ends.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Kolesnyk
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Kolesnyk
Lev Pisarsky scores the round: 10-9 Kolesnyk

Round 2

The two women consider touching gloves, but decide against it to
start off the second round. Kolesnyk walks forward to throw hands,
and Higashi stays in kickboxing range and rifles her shin to the
midsection. Higashi ducks down to throw two punches, and Kolesnyk
is well out of the way and intercepts her with a knee. The Japanese
fighter stays distant and continues moving laterally, but her
offense is fairly inaccurate and mostly out of range. When Higashi
does come in, Kolesnyk belts her with a body kick and an uppercut.
Higashi backpedals, possibly in trouble, and Kolesnyk lays into her
with a long series of knees to the midsection. Higashi escapes from
harm and signals to Copeland her finger came out of the glove, and
she resets it before Kolesnyk re-engages with her. When it is set,
Kolesnyk reaches her target with a push kick that sends Higashi
flying. Higashi ricochets off the cage wall and back to action,
where Kolesnyk meets her with a pair of punches and a front kick.
“Cannon” blasts with another powerful front kick, and she meets a
stunned Higashi with a one-two. Higashi responds with a kick, and
the crowd chants “Yoko” in support of her briefly. When Higashi
does nothing but keep moving, the voices stop calling her name.
Kolesnyk keeps walking her foe down, timing her with a single punch
or kick, but she cannot pin Higashi down for long. Kolesnyk jabs
the body with a pair of kicks, and Higashi responds with two right
back. Kolesnyk just misses with a home run punch, as it blows past
Higashi’s hair and does not knock her block off. Kolesnyk is not
done throwing power punches, as she catches Higashi with a left and
a right. The second draws a takedown out of her opponent, but
Kolesnyk shuts this down and proceeds to bend Higashi over and beam
her with knee after unanswered knee to the face. Copeland watches
on closely, but Higashi survives to the next round.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Kolesnyk
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Kolesnyk
Lev Pisarsky scores the round: 10-9 Kolesnyk

Round 3

The last round begins with an aggressive Kolesnyk, who backs
Higashi off quickly and starts throwing hands. The two tie up after
Kolesnyk swings into close range, and a stalemate ensues. Kolesnyk
controls but does not use much offense in this position, and after
some time, Copeland splits them up. Kolesnyk is quick to re-engage,
throwing hands and battering the Japanese woman. “Cannon” blasts
Higashi in the face with a pair of punches and a high kick, and
Higashi just manages to escape the brunt of the last one to keep on
her feet. Kolesnyk strides forward, confidence at its zenith, and
she drives several knees into Higashi’s torso. The close proximity
results in a brief stall, but Kolesnyk is able to push her back and
offer one more knee. Higashi desperately pursues a double, and
Kolesnyk easily shuts it down and aims a high kick that misses the
mark by centimeters. Higashi is on her bike, backing away and not
engaging, while Kolesnyk follows after her. Higashi dives in for a
single-leg takedown, and she stands Kolesnyk up and pushes her
against the wall. Kolesnyk shuts it down with a knee to the
breadbasket, and they split up. Kolesnyk plods forward, ignores a
body kick, and forces Higashi to spin around with a pair of punches
up top. When Kolesnyk fires off three punches, it is the third, a
right hand, that smacks Higashi in the left eye and makes her
grimace. Kolesnyk presses her against the cage wall, and she times
two knees when Higashi looks to turn out to find another angle.
With a final takedown effort from Higashi, Kolesnyk bowls her over
and slams her fist into the Japanese woman’s face. Kolesnyk keep
slugging away, and Higashi scrambles to stand up, and the one-sided
fight ends. This additional three points for Kolesnyk will put her
in an awkward spot, as she has not clinched a playoff spot but does
sit in the no. 3 spot for the time being.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Kolesnyk (30-27 Kolesnyk)
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Kolesnyk (30-27 Kolesnyk)
Lev Pisarsky scores the round: 10-9 Kolesnyk (30-27 Kolesnyk)