PFL 2025 World Tournament 5 Play-by-Play, Results & Round Scoring

Sherdog’s live
2025 PFL World Tournament 5: Semifinals coverage will begin
Thursday at 8:30 p.m. ET.

Fighters
only get one shot! Watch the Semifinals of the PFL World Tournament
LIVE Thursday, June 12 at 11 p.m. ET on ESPN and
ESPN+

Round 1

It may be a school night, so put the kids to bed and flip on some
PFL action. The welterweights and featherweights will provide most
of the entertainment this evening, with a rare Thursday offering
and an even rarer start time of 11 PM on the East Coast for the
main card. A whole ten fights will go through the gate at the
Nashville Municipal Auditorium, and they begin with a showcase
match at 135 pounds. With two first-round knockouts in the last two
years, local combatant Danner (2-0, 0-0 PFL) gains a slot on the
prelims. He takes on Gilmore (4-5, 0-0 PFL), an Arkansan with a
deceptive record as he appears to have turned things around since
losing five of his first six pro outings. Referee Eric McMahon is
on the particulars for the curtain jerker, who kicks things off as
they rush towards one another, no glove touch in sight. The
fighters are jittery and intense, and they clash together throwing
bombs. They back off to resettle, and Gilmore drills his opponent
with a huge right hook. Danner falls forward, leaning against his
man and already leaning on his grappling, as he looks to initiate a
takedown. Gilmore knees him several times in the gut to practically
lift him off the ground, and he uses Danner’s momentum against him
and leverages him to the ground with a body lock. Gilmore passes to
half guard, and when Danner sits up, he wraps up a guillotine
choke. Gilmore grabs the fence to adjust and has his hand swatted
away, but he drops down a few more elbows before Danner backs off
to reset. It takes seconds for Danner to charge forward like a
bull, swinging two punches into a takedown effort. The mat return
from the 2-0 fighter is more successful at grounding Gilmore, but
not for long. A third effort allows Danner to wrench his man down
towards the middle of the cage, where he quickly finds himself in
north-south position. As Gilmore tries to turn over, Danner rushes
over to assert dominant position but ends up in the closed guard of
his foe. Things slow down one Danner initiates his ground offense,
as Gilmore holds on tight to his foe’s limbs to prevent much from
getting to him. Gilmore squirms and scrambles, but Danner takes
advantage of the situation by stepping into full mount. After a few
reckless strikes, Danner falls off the side, and Gilmore climbs
into top position. Gilmore sits up and wall-walks to get upright,
and he grabs the fence two more times to prevent a takedown. Danner
is irritated by the fouls and lifts Gilmore in the air to slam him
down. The round ends.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Danner
J.L. Kirven scores the round: 10-9 Danner
Scottie Smith scores the round: 10-9 Danner

Round 2

The fighters again hurry towards one another, and Gilmore fires off
a pair of body kicks. McMahon tells Danner that he is the captain
now and will be in charge of time-outs, and gives Danner a few
seconds to recover from the second that is to his groin. Danner
excitedly wants to get going again, and he does. Gilmore steps in
with a right hand, and Danner responds in kind. Danner chew up his
foe’s lead leg with a couple kicks, and Gilmore’s more out of
range. Gilmore punches his way into a single-leg takedown
opportunity, clasping his hands around the limb but not able to
elevate his foe. Danner, meanwhile, slams his knee into Gilmore’s
chest that are legal and super effective, forcing Gilmore to
abandon his effort. When Gilmore changes levels again, jamming
Danner up against the fencing, Danner immediately replies with more
short knees. Gilmore takes note and drives a few into his foe’s
midsection, as McMahon asks fore more activity. McMahon has to ask
for them to stop the grabbing the fence, and Gilmore lifts his man
up and slams him to the floor. Danner slides out the back door and
drills him with a knee to the body, holding Gilmore’s arm down so
he can beat on him with his free hand. Gilmore turns to put his
back on the cage, and Danner thanks him for this by elbowing him in
the forehead. Gilmore explodes back to his feet and rifles off a
right hand and leaps in the air with a flying knee. His back
against the cage prohibits him from putting his full oomph behind
it, but it still gets Danner’s attention and makes him bleed a
little more. Some crimson fluid trickles out of a few places on
Danner’s face, but nothing appears overly concerning. Just then,
Gilmore leaps with a knee that crashes square into Danner’s chin,
setting him down on his knees desperate for a takedown. Gilmore
stops it with an anaconda choke, even rolling to his back to lock
it down. No tap comes from it, as Danner issues a thumbs-up, and
the horn sounds.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Gilmore
J.L. Kirven scores the round: 10-9 Gilmore
Scottie Smith scores the round: 10-9 Gilmore

Round 3

The action hardly slows down as the two bantamweights reach the
third round, with Gilmore taking advantage of the high pace by
pressing Danner to the wall and then zapping him with a spinning
back elbow. They break apart, and take a breath before re-engaging.
Gilmore shoots in on the hips for a takedown, transitioning
something that only falls apart because McMahon is only saying “no
fence grabs” while not enforcing the rule that has been violated at
least five times thus far. Danner successfully drags Gilmore to the
floor, where he quickly relocates to half guard and starts jamming
down elbows. Danner postures up and drives down a trio of
standing-to-ground punches before squashing himself back down in
top position. Danner steps into full mount, and Gilmore brilliantly
times the guard pass by flipping him all the way over. Gilmore on
top claims half guard, with Danner pushing off the fence with his
foot until taking a flush elbow. Danner explodes back to his feet,
and Gilmore does as well. Gilmore comes up short with a spinning
wheel kick, and this only allows Danner to tackle him back down to
the floor. Danner starts opening up with right hands, and he looks
to hang on with a kimura grip in order to ride out the fight—one
that has been permeated by barking in the building. They go the
distance.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Danner (29-28 Danner)
J.L. Kirven scores the round: 10-9 Danner (29-28 Danner)
Scottie Smith scores the round: 10-9 Danner (29-28 Danner)

The Official Result

Jason Danner def. Nathan Gilmore via Unanimous Decision (30-27,
30-27, 29-28)

Round 1

Keeping things pushing with another non-tourney matchup on the
slate, the PFL trots out a homegrown Nashville native by way of
Florida in Pergande (5-0, 5-0 PFL) that may become one to watch. He
meets a fellow Southerner, the once-beaten Bardsley (5-1, 0-1 PFL).
Both men prefer the submission, so referee Eric McMahon is prepared
in the event this one hits the mat sooner than later. Before they
get down to business, the featherweights tap gloves together.
Pergande is a sniper as soon as he gets to striking, using his
superior range to potshot and mark up Bardsley’s face in a hurry.
Bardsley bounces back and forth, but it is Pergande who fires and
scores. When Bardsley commits to a strike, he is met with a
one-two. He tries a few more kicks before eating a right hand and a
four-punch salvo that bounces off of him. A body kick bangs into
Pergande’s cup, and he takes a few seconds to get his wind back
before resuming. Bardsley chases his man around, walking into or
through punch combos to get there. Bardsley goes to the body and
head a few times when finding his range, but Pergande is ever
present tagging him from a distance. Pergande clips his man with a
one-two, and gets blasted in the groin with a kick that saves
Bardsley. McMahon calls time for a second, but Bardsley is not
pleased about committing a foul that pauses the action while
Pergande wants to shake it off and do further damage as Bardsley’s
legs are not totally back beneath him. Despite this, he marches
down Pergande and connects with a punch, blocking a head kick at
the bell.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Pergande
J.L. Kirven scores the round: 10-9 Pergande
Scottie Smith scores the round: 10-9 Pergande

Round 2

The featherweights get back to where they left off, with Bardsley
chasing after Pergande directly and not cutting angles. Pergande
times a perfect flying knee that jacks Bardsley’s jaw, and he fails
to finish the job with a wheel kick that goes wide. Pergande calms
himself down, attacking the ribcage of the Georgia native.
Bardsley, swollen with battle damage beneath both eyes, continues
to plod forward, even to his detriment. Pergande tees off on him
rom afar, not allowing Bardsley to trap him or get hands on him for
long. Pergande launches a head kick, and Bardsley catches it and
tosses him to the floor. As soon as the unbeaten fighter hits the
mat, he throws up a triangle choke, transitioning to an armbar and
then an omoplata shoulder lock. Bardsley rolls through them all to
fight back to his feet, and he marches down the longer man with
impunity. Pergande measures him up with a one-two, and he lets fly
an elbow that slashes open the top of Bardsley’s head above his
left ear. Pergande slips to the side, dodges a left hook and
releases a huge right hand that staggers his opponent again.
Bardsley is bloodied and bruised but still walking forward.
Bardsley chops down the long legs of his foe every so often, but
his head kicks cannot get high enough. Pergande’s, however, smack
the short man in the head right before the horn sounds.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Pergande
J.L. Kirven scores the round: 10-9 Pergande
Scottie Smith scores the round: 10-9 Pergande

Round 3

Having fun with one another, the featherweights high-five before
getting to business. Bardsley powers forward looking for power
strikes. Pergande marks him with a one-two but does not slow him
for long, as he has to continue moving so that he does not stay
still in one place for long. Pergande unloads with two three-hook
salvos to bang Bardsley’s head around, and he is knocking around a
bloody mess at this point. Pergande peppers him with jabs and kicks
from both sides, not allowing Bardsley to set up in his big right
hand. Pergande’s head movement allows him to hang out in the pocket
and pop his foe. Bardsley walks him down, hands down, chin up, and
Pergande obliges him with that approach by nailing him with a
flying knee. At this point, it would take a steel chair to put
Bardsley down, who is doggedly pursuing his target no matter how
much plasma he donates tonight. Bardsley sits down on hooks he only
occasionally lands, and his rear leg is not long enough to smack
Pergande in the face. Bardsley swings mightily, following “Russian
DNA” around the cage while eating peppering strikes, and one of his
best is a high body kick that makes Pergande adjust his guard.
Pergande fades back with a right hand, and he lets Bardsley swing
past him. They both go for high kicks, and hug it out when time
expires.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Pergande (30-27 Pergande)
J.L. Kirven scores the round: 10-9 Pergande (30-27 Pergande)
Scottie Smith scores the round: 10-9 Pergande (30-27 Pergande)

The Official Result

Alexei Pergande def. Mike Bardsley via Unanimous Decision (30-27,
30-27, 30-27)

Round 1

After a stunning knockout loss, Berkhamov (16-2, 1 NC; 1-1 PFL)
finds himself on the outside of the welterweight bracket looking
in. As a result, “Cherkes” is not even in an alternate spot, as he
faces “The Highlander” St. Louis (10-4, 2-0 PFL) in a battle of
Kill Cliff FC vs. Deerfield Beach, a copy of the main event. The
storied rivalry will add one more notch as referee Blake Grice
takes care of the action, keeping things on the up-and-up. Ever the
sportsmen, the fighters touch gloves first, and then commence
punching and kicking at one another. St. Louis probes and pokes
with jabs and low kicks, and he ducks a looping right hook to chip
at the lead leg. Berkhamov connects with a heavy head kick to knock
St. Louis back, and he pursues a takedown that does not come
together. St. Louis bounces off and returns to striking range, but
he does not commit to much so he does not expose himself to getting
grounded. Berkhamov drives a knee into his chin when St. Louis
ducks, and both men try and fail to reach one another with short
combos. St. Louis narrowly evades a ground-to-ceiling uppercut, and
he lets Berkhamov fall over when an unsuccessful knee whizzes past
him. St. Louis jumps guard to lock down a guillotine choke, and
Berkhamov calmly works his way through it and threatens briefly
with a Von Preux. Berkhamov strikes with an elbow, residing in half
guard to further nullify “The Highlander.” St. Louis bucks, and
Berkhamov times this and mounts him. As soon as Berkhamov postures
up, St. Louis explodes, getting Berkhamov off of him momentarily
but not getting to his feet. Berkhamov is able to hold him down,
smacking him with hammerfists until the bell sounds.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Berkhamov
J.L. Kirven scores the round: 10-9 Berkhamov
Scottie Smith scores the round: 10-9 Berkhamov

Round 2

St. Louis sticks out both arms trying to reestablish his range, and
he finds it by countering an inside leg kick and snapping the
Russian’s head back. St. Louis probes with his hands, putting fire
behind a few when he feels he has the target. Berkhamov spins with
a clean back elbow that bangs into the Florida native’s face, and
he allows St. Louis to charge at him so he can land one of the
easiest doubles he has ever tried. Lifting St. Louis up like a
small nephew and depositing him the floor, he begins to big brother
“The Highlander.” While Berkhamov looks for control, St. Louis
escapes and spins around to bully Berkhamov against the fencing.
St. Louis takes his time in the clinch, with feeble knees and short
punches satisfying Grice’s interest in activity. Berkhamov sells
out for a takedown, and St. Louis jumps away from the trip effort
and winds up with a right hand that skims his foe’s temple. St.
Louis shoots for a double, and when it fails, he jabs the Russian
in the gut with the fall of his foot. St. Louis tries for another
takedown, this time a single, and the balance of “Cherkes” keeps
him afloat. Grice asks for more action as St. Louis stays composed
in his takedown effort, and the horn sounds.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 St. Louis
J.L. Kirven scores the round: 10-9 St. Louis
Scottie Smith scores the round: 10-9 St. Louis

Round 3

When St. Louis tries to come out firing, Berkhamov meets him with a
lead hook that gives him pause. St. Louis takes a few seconds
before lashing out again, and again Berkhamov is able to turn him
away with a thumping low kick. Berkhamov watches St. Louis’ punches
fly past him, and he catches him with a few short barrages before
getting warned for outstretched fingers. The Russian drills his man
in the head with a knee, and he allows St. Louis to soar past him
so he can pop St. Louis in the side of the head with his right
hand. St. Louis goes for an unorthodox takedown, and Berkhamov
pulls off a partial handstand to flip over and escape the sub.
“Cherkes” recovers and goes for a takedown, and it lands fairly
easily because St. Louis jump guard with a guillotine. When there
is no choke, St. Louis wills himself to action by just standing up
and grabbing Berkhamov’s legs to hurl him to the floor. St. Louis
scrambles, taking his foe’s back and setting up a body triangle,
softening him up all the while with right hands. St. Louis pauses
on strikes so he can wrap up a rear-naked choke, and he abandons it
a second to land a few more punches.
This time, St. Louis sees the opening and attacks, fastening the
rear-naked choke beneath the chin and completing it. Berkhamov
knows that he does not have enough to fight off the submission this
time and is forced to tap out for the first time in his
career. The victorious St. Louis lifts Berkhamov off
the ground and celebrates their hard-fought battle, but Berkhamov
wants to lean against the cage thinking about what happened.

The Official Result

Kendly St. Louis def. Mukhamed Berkhamov R3 3:21 via Submission
(Rear-Naked Choke)

Round 1

A pair of welterweights that would like consideration into next
year’s tournament will try to impress the brass as the prelims roll
on. Luciano (9-3, 0-1 PFL) ran into the freight train that was
Logan Storley a few months ago, shutting down his hopes of moving
to the semis. Now, he welcomes newcomer Shields (6-2, 0-0 PFL) to
the organization, who has some history with headliner Thad Jean.
The showcase contest will be officiated by referee Eric McMahon,
who stands back as the fighters touch ‘em up. Shields introduces
himself with a front kick and a double-leg entry, succeeding in
pushing the Aussie against the wall but no further. Luciano throws
Shields to his back and assumes top control, and Shields pulls on
the wall a few times to adjust his position—illegally, of course.
Luciano thwarts the first escape attempt from Shields, who pursues
a standing guillotine choke and leans back against the wall.
Luciano is unconcerned about the submission, so Shields cranks his
hips and back into it to improve his leverage and torque. McMahon
asks for more as the two are in a stalemate, and although Luciano
slings Shields to the mat, it is Luciano who hits the deck while
Shields rebounds well. Shields lifts his foe up in the air and
slams him down, smacking him with punches to the back and side of
the head. Luciano stands up and quickly lowers himself to a knee to
take knees to the dome out of the equation for now. Shields imposes
his body weight while not sure what else to strike with, as a few
short knees to the thigh are not cutting it. Luciano scrambles, and
Shields takes his back and gets both hooks in. Shields fastens the
body triangle around the waist, and he quickly asserts the
rear-naked choke under the chin. Luciano hand-fights to defend the
first try, but he is still in a precarious position with about 20
seconds to go. Luciano rides it out, and the horn sounds.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Shields
J.L. Kirven scores the round: 10-9 Shields
Scottie Smith scores the round: 10-9 Shields

Round 2

A high-five is shared, and Shields instantly crashes through with a
double to put Luciano down. Not wanting to settle in that position,
Shields lifts Luciano up in the air and carries him like a sack of
potatoes to his corner while channeling his inner Matt Hughes.
Shields puts his foe down, and Luciano is quick to power back to
his feet leaning against the fence. Just when Luciano thinks he is
able to get free, Shields grabs him and chucks him to the mat.
Luciano climbs back up, and Shields jumps on his back and starts
fishing for a rear-naked choke. Luciano hand-fights to defend the
sub, leaning Shields against the wall to take some of the weight
off his hips. Luciano walks Shields over to his own corner, with
Shields still wrapped around him. Luciano outlasts Shields in the
standing-and-leaning category, and Shields elects to put his feet
back on the mat. “Berserker” knees Luciano in the face and is
looking for a high-amplitude attack, but it is a short trip that
puts Luciano on the floor. Luciano stands and keeps shields from
backpacking him again, and he finds himself in a fortuitous
position when Shields pursues a single. Luciano twists his man
around for a potential crucifix, and he bails on it to go after a
double. Shields rolls through it, with Luciano assuming top control
with seconds to go. The round ends.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Shields
J.L. Kirven scores the round: 10-9 Shields
Scottie Smith scores the round: 10-9 Shields

Round 3

They share a final fist bump, and Shields does not go after a
takedown immediately. Instead, he lets fly two head kick, and then
shoots for the double that puts Luciano on the canvas. Shields gets
control from behind, climbing on Luciano’s back as Luciano stands
up and leans against the fencing. Shields slithers his arm around
the chest in hopes of finding a choke, but Luciano is wise to it
this time and pulls on Shields’ leg to disrupt the body lock around
his waist. Shields keeps the body triangle tight, squeezing Luciano
for all he has. The fans grow restless at this malicious backpack
approach, as the stalemate between them results in very little
action. Shields lets go of the lock and wrenches Luciano to the
floor, face-first. Luciano springs up and attacks a single on the
other side. Shields defends it with several cracking elbows to the
side of the melon, and he wraps up a guillotine he uses to pull
guard when getting taken down. Luciano no-sells the choke, and
Shields does not have the grip and quickly abandons it. Luciano
twists and turns out of a lock that Shields was setting up, and he
starts delivering punches to the side of the head until Shields
explodes to somehow not only get out but take Luciano’s back.
Luciano escapes the back take, and Shields is on his hips
immediately like a dog with a bone. Luciano works his way to his
feet, and Shields drags him to his knees and then climbs on the
back. Shields slips one arm under the chin, but the other is not
able to lock it down, saving the Aussie. Both men hit the ground
with seconds to spare, and the match concludes with Luciano letting
out a loud profanity.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Shields (30-27 Shields)
J.L. Kirven scores the round: 10-9 Shields (30-27 Shields)
Scottie Smith scores the round: 10-9 Shields (30-27 Shields)

The Official Result

Sarek Shields def. Joseph Luciano via Unanimous Decision (30-27,
30-27, 30-27)

Round 1

A catchweight affair will serve as the first alternate bout,
although perhaps just for one fighter. Umalatov (17-1, 8-1 PFL),
whose lunch was eaten by Shamil Musaev in the finals of the 2024
tournament, wants to make waves and raise his hand as a possible
replacement if need be. While Texas native Ivy (15-7, 2-0 PFL)
would like to do the same, he clocked in 4.4 pounds heavy, likely
eliminating him from consideration if he gets his hand raised.
Whether Ivy moves on or not, referee Jason Herzog will be ready
from start to finish. Glad to still be competing, Ivy offers an
apologetic glove touch that is received. Ivy leads the dance with a
kick low and then one high, the latter blocked in time. Ivy springs
to the side, searching for his oblique kick to the knee, but does
not put much on any of his strikes. Umalatov responds with a light
tripping kick as well, and he comes up short on a one-two. Another
high kick from Ivy is stopped, and he shoots for a takedown that
run into a Russian wall. Umalatov drives a knee to the chest of his
foe, knocking the wind out of him, and Ivy remains on his knees
trying to some desperate takedown. Umalatov elbows his foe on the
sides of the head, and Ivy rolls over in an attempt to ground his
opponent. Umalatov stops this a second time and elbows “Aquaman” in
the side of the dome. Ivy stays attached to a single, but Umalatov
stands him up when putting his back to the cage. Umalatov goes to
the body, and he gets countered up top.
Ivy steps in with a knee, and Umalatov counters him perfectly with
a short but deadly left hand. Spinning around like a character from
“Punch-Out!” video game series, Ivy is stunned but still upright.
That is, he is upright until Umalatov puts him down for the count,
unleashing another left hook on the temple that sends Ivy crashing
to the mat for good this time. Ivy is out when he falls on his
face, and the impact of the collision shakes him back
to his senses. This is a crucial win for Umalatov, who remains the
top welterweight alternate if need be.

The Official Result

Magomed Umalatov def. Anthony Ivy R1 2:28 via KO (Punches)

2025 PFL Featherweight Alternate Bout:
Jeremy
Kennedy (146) vs. Adam Borics
(145.8)

Round 1

The prelims conclude with another alternate bout, this one at 145
pounds. On a three-fight skid, the Canadian known as “Junior Bacon
Cheeseburger,” Kennedy (19-6, 1 NC; 2-3, 1 NC PFL), needs to pick
up the win to even his record to .500 with the promotion. Given
past successes including his last outing where many believed he
won, he will have to contend with Borics (19-3, 1-1 PFL), a
high-flying Hungarian with a penchant for knee strikes. The third
man in the cage will be referee Eric McMahon, who serves in his
final assignment of the evening unless something goes awry. Fists
are bumped before they are traded, and Borics is quick to fight
behind his jab. Kennedy comes out swinging heavier, but Borics
keeps him at bay with his jab. Borics drives a one-two down the
pipe and sends the Canadian flying with a subsequent combination,
leaping on top to try to finish the job. Kennedy quickly recovers
from the knockdown, and he sways and moves on the mat so as to not
get tagged with more concussive blows. Kennedy wraps his legs
around Borics’ knee, keeping him from getting up but also
preventing Borics from advancing. Borics stays in this position and
elbows Kennedy repeatedly with his free arm. The elbows from Borics
continue to find their home as he stays comfortable in half guard,
using the crown of his head to further grind. Borics flattens
Kennedy out and threatens with an arm-triangle choke, and Kennedy
flips him over while still in submission territory. Borics has the
arm-triangle secure off his back, and he locks his legs up to
further complete it. Kennedy stacks him up to break it up and
starts hacking down with elbows to win back some points. Kennedy’s
blows soften up his target but are not full-blast, with Borics able
to remain active enough on his back to irritate “JBC.” The horn
sounds with Kennedy landing strikes on top.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Borics
J.L. Kirven scores the round: 10-9 Borics
Scottie Smith scores the round: 10-9 Borics

Round 2

The fighters touch gloves to get going, and Kennedy starts off with
a takedown attempt in five seconds. Borics puts his back to the
wall to defend it, and Kennedy laces his leg around Borics’ to drag
it out and ground him. Borics scrambles, and Kennedy welcomes this
by trapping the Hungarian’s left hand. Kennedy rolls Borics over
and asserts back control, locking down the body triangle with over
three minutes to work in this dominant position. Kennedy is warned
for grabbing inside of Borics’ glove, and he bops Borics on the
side of the noggin several times to soften him up. Kennedy is also
warned for elbowing the back of the head, with rules in MMA more
like guidelines. Kennedy clings to the back take while punching
from any side he can attack from, but it results in lulls and boos
from those in the crowd. Borics is even throwing no-look punches
when Kennedy is not striking him, signaling that he is not very
concerned about where he is. Kennedy sells out for a choke with
seconds to spare, and Borics hand-fights to stop it but eats a few
solid elbows before the horn blares.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Kennedy
J.L. Kirven scores the round: 10-9 Kennedy
Scottie Smith scores the round: 10-9 Kennedy

Round 3

Borics surges out of his corner loaded for bear, lashing out with
big hooks almost immediately. Kennedy stands him up with a step-in
elbow, only to get stunned with a right hand around his guard. The
Canadian has to shake it out, eats a jab and then takes a step back
to shell up from several punches in rapid succession. Borics stuffs
a takedown, and Kennedy thanks him for this with an uppercut. Two
more failed takedowns come from “JBC,” who is trying to shut down
Borics but eating shots. Kennedy clips Borics with an elbow and
shoots low for a double, and Borics elbows him in the back of the
head a few times to stop the first try. Kennedy transitions to a
single, and then back to a double, but the efforts all fail against
the Kill Cliff FC fighter. Kennedy goes as low as he can to trip
Borics up, using all of his energy to take the fight down. Borics
can do little but defend, keeping his balance and the cage at his
back at all costs. McMahon asks for the fighters to do something,
as they are stuck, practically attached at the hip, as Kennedy
tries but cannot take the fight down. Kennedy gives Borics no room
to breathe, and Borics stands him up, turns him around in the
clinch and breaks free with 35 seconds to go. Surging forward,
Borics wants to send a message with several one-twos and a body
kick. Kennedy misses in his counters, and Borics zings him with a
right and a left. One final two-punch salvo connects for the
Hungarian right before time is up.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Borics (29-28 Borics)
J.L. Kirven scores the round: 10-9 Borics (29-28 Borics)
Scottie Smith scores the round: 10-9 Borics (29-28 Borics)

The Official Result

Adam Borics def. Jeremy Kennedy via Majority Decision (29-28,
28-28, 29-28)

Round 1

Proud holder of the best undefeated record in the sport, Khaybulaev
(22-0-1, 1 NC; 8-0-1, 1 NC PFL) had that 0 tested against Kennedy
in his last outing. By the skin of his teeth, “Killer” moved on,
and he reaches the semifinals against Kim (11-1, 1-0 PFL). Violence
is almost certain about to ensue, and before it does, referee Blake
Grice starts the clock for the featherweights. The fighters tap
gloves. Kim says hello with a few pecking kicks to the body and
front leg, keeping his range from the Dagestan native. Kim stays on
the outside until Khaybulaev crashes the pocket, elevating the
South Korean and depositing him to the canvas with relative ease.
Khaybulaev drags him to the open cage away from the wall, and he
gets smacked in the face when settling down. Kim flirts with using
his legs to tie Khaybulaev up, and while he does fight back to his
feet, Khaybulaev slams him down with gravitas. Kim wall-walks to
get upright, and Khaybulaev thanks him for doing this by hopping on
his back. Khaybulaev decides against burning his legs out and
slides off the back, ultimately dragging Kim to a knee for a
moment. Mat return after mat return add up for “Killer,” who is not
giving Kim a modicum of space or taking any strike of note. With no
other targets in place, Kim elbows Khaybulaev on the forearm
repeatedly. Khaybulaev slings him to the floor, but Kim is active
and springs up, where he proceeds to hack at the Russian’s left arm
again. Khaybulaev yanks him to a knee, and Kim is up like he has
springs in his shorts. The elbows to the forearm may be having an
effect, but Khaybulaev still has his arms around the South Korean.
Khaybulaev looks to kick out Kim’s foot several times, but Kim does
not go down as the bell sounds.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Khaybulaev
J.L. Kirven scores the round: 10-9 Khaybulaev
Scottie Smith scores the round: 10-9 Khaybulaev

Round 2

Gloves are touched to begin the round, and Khaybulaev wastes little
time to take the fight down. Kim scrambles and even nearly hits a
reversal, but the Dagestan native continues flipping Kim over and
winds up on top. Khaybulaev isolates Kim’s left arm with a kimura
grip, using it to hold Kim down rather than sub him. Kim slides out
the back to suddenly escape, and the two find themselves on their
feet in a hurry. Khaybulaev lands a long right hand, and follows it
with another that bends Kim’s nose. A third overhand right is
chained into a double, where the unbeaten fighter lifts “Ares” up
and deposits him gingerly to the canvas. No matter where Kim goes,
Khaybulaev follows him, with his arms wrapped around the waist
looking to put him back down. Kim rolls through awkwardly to get
out, and he times a spinning back fist when escaping. Kim pitches a
high kick, falling to his knees as Khaybulaev climbs on top of him.
Kim still fights to his feet despite Khaybulaev on his back, and
Khaybulaev chops at the back of his calf with kicks of surprising
amplitude. Kim turns the tables and uses a body lock to put
Khaybulaev on his back, where he lands on top. Khaybulaev kicks Kim
off of him, and they both get back to striking range. Kim surges
forward directly into a right hand, and the round concludes.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Khaybulaev
J.L. Kirven scores the round: 10-9 Khaybulaev
Scottie Smith scores the round: 10-9 Khaybulaev

Round 3

The fighters touch gloves, and Kim starts on the offensive behind
his jab. He flicks a head kick at the Russian, and digs to the body
with a swiping left hand. Kim leaps at his man with a knee, and
Khaybulaev nearly knocks him out of the sky with a looping right.
Khaybulaev steps in with a short left and an elbow, changing levels
to tackle Kim down to the floor. Like many times before, Kim
returns to his feet, but with Khaybulaev holding him in some
fashion. Kim spins around to put the fence behind him, and this
allows Khaybulaev to hit a trip and dump the South Korean flat on
his back. After a longer stretch, Kim is able to get upright, and
Khaybulaev almost immediately throws him back to the floor, this
time in the middle of the cage. Khaybulaev sets up an arm-triangle
choke, but Kim wants nothing to do with it and fights out of it.
The mad scrambles from Kim may allow him to get out of the most
dangerous of situations or occasionally back to his feet,
Khaybulaev is not about to give him anywhere to roam, slinging Kim
on his face. Kim sits up with Khaybulaev’s hands around his waist,
standing and breaking away with 25 seconds to go. Kim goes wild,
spinning with anything he can muster, and he falls over when
tossing a spinning back elbow. Khaybulaev climbs on top of him and
punches him once or twice before the grinder of a match ends, and
one semifinalist is all-but official now.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Khaybulaev (30-27 Khaybulaev)
J.L. Kirven scores the round: 10-9 Khaybulaev (30-27
Khaybulaev)
Scottie Smith scores the round: 10-9 Khaybulaev (30-27
Khaybulaev)

The Official Result

Movlid Khaybulaev def. Tae Kyun Kim via Unanimous Decision (30-27,
30-27, 30-27)

Round 1

Minnesota Golden Gopher wrestling standout Storley (17-3, 2-1 PFL)
is two wins away from a giant check, and to get there, he has to
get past the aggressive Kikuiri (11-2-1, 1-0 PFL). The first
welterweight semifinal will be officiated by Jason Herzog—as will
the second—and it starts respectfully as the fighters bump fists.
Storley claims the center of the cage early, only to bounce away
when Kikuiri measures him with strikes out of range. Kikuiri pokes
out his jab, and Storley shoots low for a takedown that Kikuiri
stifles in part due to an apparent fence grab. Storley backs off,
finds another angle in and lifts the Japanese fighter up to slam
him down. Storley laces his legs around his foe’s, smoothly working
his way to mount and settling down in half guard so he can
jackhammer down elbows. Kikuiri scrambles when the elbows start
finding their home, and Storley keeps after him with a long barrage
of hammerfists. Storley switches to elbows and then punches again,
as Herzog implores him to not strike the back of his foe’s head.
Storley places his knee on top of Kikuiri’s left arm to allow him
to take mount, and this forces Kikuiri to scramble and give up his
back. Storley drives home a bevy of unanswered rights, and Kikuiri
muscles back to his feet. The mat return, a way to deprive someone
of their morale, puts Kikuiri right back down again. Storley uses
half guard to control and disallow Kikuiri’s scrambles, all while
exerting heavy shoulder and elbow pressure. The American fights off
the escape efforts while smothering the underdog, and he postures
up to start jacking Kikuiri up with elbows. The first round ends,
and the only question will be whether judges deem it worthy of a
10-8 score.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Storley
J.L. Kirven scores the round: 10-9 Storley
Scottie Smith scores the round: 10-9 Storley

Round 2

Kikuiri offers a front kick that is out of range to start the
second stanza, and he wings a right hand that similarly zooms past
his target. A leg kick does land from him, and he swirls his hands
around and fires off a second. Storley runs at him to tie him up,
pursuing a single-leg takedown that results in him jamming the
Never Quit prospect against the wall. Kikuiri pushes out courtesy
of a knee, and he times a clean uppercut and a left hand to get a
bit of respect from the wrestler. Kikuiri scores on the front leg
with a kick, but it is not nearly enough to keep “Storm” from
crashing into him. Kikuiri pushes him off and again connects with
an uppercut and a front kick. Storley splits the guard with a jab,
and he suddenly drops down to his feet with a dramatic level change
that looked like he got stung to sweep Kikuiri off his feet.
Kikuiri crawls his way to the fence to work himself upright, and
Storley cannot hold him down. Kikuiri starts walking him down and
landing with ferocity, as Storley’s offense is not nearly as
effective and his takedowns do not put his man down. Kikuiri peels
Storley away and fights to his feet when bounced to a knee, but
Storley still manages to put Kikuiri down and climb onto his back.
Storley keeps the pressure on until the horn sounds.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Storley
J.L. Kirven scores the round: 10-9 Storley
Scottie Smith scores the round: 10-9 Storley

Round 3

The round begins with both welterweights electing to slug it out on
the feet. A bit of swelling has developed under the right eye of
the favorite, who takes a few punches on it before shooting in on
the hips and yanking Kikuiri down to the floor. Storley is quick to
assume half guard, but his offense falls off a cliff and Herzog
asks for more. When Kikuiri leans on his side, Storley starts
pounding him in the face with his right fist. A few of the blows
shredded open a cut on the corner of Kikuiri’s right eyebrow,
leaking blood down his face. Kikuiri tries to get out, but to no
avail, as Storley is firmly in the driver’s seat as precious
seconds tick off the clock. With a minute left, Kikuiri stands, and
Storley dumps him squarely on his dome. Further making Kikuiri’s
life miserable, Storley reassumes half guard and starts smacking
the fighter from Japan with short hammerfists. Kikuiri grabs the
fence to stand with seconds to spare, and he gets free and swings
wildly but inaccurately. Exhausted, he drops his hands, and the
final horn sounds.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Storley (30-27 Storley)
J.L. Kirven scores the round: 10-9 Storley (30-27 Storley)
Scottie Smith scores the round: 10-9 Storley (30-27 Storley)

The Official Result

Logan Storley def. Masayuki Kikuiri via Unanimous Decision (30-27,
29-27, 29-28)