THE SCOTTISH TWISTER RETURNS! 🏴
Stevie Ray stops Lewis Long via submission in front of his family
and his home crowd!
#PFLGlasgow | LIVE NOW ON DAZN pic.twitter.com/J5oxpXNQIq— PFL Europe (@PFLEurope)
September 28, 2024
PFL Europe 3 determined the 2024 playoff finals and saw several
Scottish fighters compete in Glasgow. Headlining the 14-fight
Professional Fighters League event was a welterweight fight
between hometown favorite Steven Ray
and Lewis
Long. There was immediate drama as Long (19-8) went for a
takedown and got stuck in a tight guillotine choke attempt by the
Scottish fighter. Ray (26-13) would later get an extended armbar
put on Long, who showed incredible heart by battling out of it. The
third time was the charm, though, as Ray would counter a takedown
attempt by securing up
a twister submission.
The tap officially came at 4:24 of Round 1.
Whiteford Outstrikes Huerta
The co-main event saw Roger
Huerta return to mixed martial arts after three years away.
Looking to spoil the night for the „El Matador“ was Scotland’s
Robert
Whiteford, who is also 41 years old. The American came out
swinging, and Whiteford (17-5) wasn’t afraid to swing back. Huerta
(24-14-1) found success with a stiff jab throughout the fight,
although „The Hammer“ lived up to his nickname and generally was
able to land the harder strikes. The Scottish fighter would end the
fight by getting a takedown before spending the final 10 seconds
trading punches.
After three contested rounds, the judges gave a unanimous decision
win to Whiteford with one 30-27 scorecard and two 29-28
verdicts.
PFL Europe Bantamweight Final Determined
Alexander
Luster and Lewis
McGrillen-Evans will meet in December to determine the best
bantamweight in PFL Europe.
Luster (9-1) survived an early scare to submit Julien
Lopez in the first bantamweight semifinal. After being knocked
down early on, Luster showed resolve as he stayed composed. Shortly
afterward, Luster would stun Lopez (7-4-1) with a right hand and
then
sink in a rear-naked choke. The tap came at 1:15 of the first
round.
Meanwhile, Dean
Garnett vs. McGrillen-Evans (10-1) lived up to the hype after
both men weren’t shy with words prior to the fight. Garnett
(12-3-1) would come close to submitting McGrillen-Evans with a
guillotine choke near the end of a wild first round that saw
Garnett nearly finished several times. The second frame would see
McGrillen-Evans land an illegal knee to a grounded Garnett and get
a point deducted as a result. Leaving nothing to the judges,
McGrillen-Evans would sleep Grillens with a brutal left hook at
1:45 of the final round.
Miceli vs. Zendeli Welterweight Final Set
The welterweight semifinals began with Ibrahima
Mane taking on Daniele
Miceli. It didn’t last long as Miceli (13-5) shocked Mane
(14-5) with a series of uppercuts that floored him. Taking
advantage of the situation, Miceli kept
throwing punches to secure a TKO victory. The stoppage came at
1:26 of Round 1.
Jack
Grant vs. Florim
Zendeli was the other welterweight semifinal. The first frame
saw Grant (20-9) get a near knockout as he clocked Zendeli (9-1-1)
with a right hook. Grant was unable to finish, though, and spent a
lot of energy while trying to do so. This allowed Zendeli to be the
fresher fighter in the second and third rounds. In a close fight,
Zendeli would advance via split decision as two of the three 29-28
scorecards were for him.
The Macedonian fighter will now meet Miceli in the PFL Europe
welterweight final in what should be an intriguing striking
matchup.
Kaszuba Looks to Repeat at Lightweight
The first lightweight semifinal was a striking showcase for
Connor
Hughes. Using sharp jabs and thudding low kicks, Hughes (10-1)
was able to safely outstrike his opponent. Ignacio
Capella, who was never able to find his rhythm on the feet,
secured a takedown in the final frame. After three straightforward
rounds, Hughes took a unanimous decision win over Capella (8-2)
with a trio of 29-28 scorecards for the Englishman.
The second semifinal saw 2023 PFL Europe lightweight champion
Jakub
Kaszuba attempt to stay undefeated against Daniele
Scatizzi. On the inside, Kaszuba was able to land some sneaky
power shots that kept Scatizzi (13-8) from being able to fully
unleash. The Italian fighter had his moments, including a
guillotine choke attempt in Round 2, but it wound up being too
little in the grand scheme of things. Ultimately, Kaszuba took home
a unanimous decision win with scores of 30-27, 29-28 and 29-28.
Now 13-0, Kaszuba will face Hughes in the PFL Europe lightweight
final in his attempt to win back-to-back years.
Wisniewska, Dyer Advance to Flyweight Final
Paulina
Wisniewska and Shanelle
Dyer will meet in the PFL Europe 2024 women’s flyweight
final.
The first playoff semifinal of the night was an all-Poland battle
as Wisniewska (4-0) took on Karolina
Wojcik. However, it was Wisniewska’s night, as she was better
than Wojcik (12-6) both on the feet and on the ground. After 15
minutes of action, the three judges awarded 30-27 scorecards in
favor of the 25-year-old.
The other flyweight semifinal was much closer. Dyer (6-0) and
Valentina
Scatizzi went back and forth over 15 minutes of action. Largely
contested on the feet, it was some well-timed knees from Dyer that
made the difference as she was able to repeatedly hurt Scatizzi
(3-3). After three rounds, Dyer took two of the three judges‘ 29-28
scorecards.
More PFL Europe 3 Results:
In other action, Mark Ewen
(6-1) was able to submit Yassin
Chtatou (12-3-1) with
a brabo choke at just 2:30 of the first round; Lorenzo
Parente (4-0) used
an armbar to submit Stefano
Catacoli (8-3) just a minute and 45 seconds into the fight;
Matiss
Zaharovs (7-3) managed to submit Brian
Hyslop (6-4) with
a rear-naked choke at 4:18 of Round 2; and Gemma Auld
(1-0) pounded out Weronika
Pietruszka (0-1) with
an onslaught of punches en route to a TKO win at 4:50 of the
first round.