Playoffs: 2023 PFL 9 Play-by-Play, Results & Round Scoring

Round 1

Featherweight Grimard and featherweight-plus Caldone, who came in
heavy for the bout, open up the card under the watchful eye of
Keith Peterson. Caldone is southpaw, Grimard orthodox. Grimard goes
for a single-leg off a kick immediately, but can’t complete the
takedown. Caldone stings Grimard with a jab. Grimard ducks under
and shoots a double-leg, running Caldone to the fence. Caldone
grabs a front headlock to defend and after a few moments of
jockeying, manages to stand Grimard up. They return to the center
of the cage. Caldone lands a push kick up the middle. Grimard drops
for another takedown and pushes Caldone to the fence once again.

Caldone reverses him, shoves him off and throws a flurry of
punches. A big right hand gets through, dropping Grimard. Caldone
pounces with more punches and Peterson is there seconds later to
rescue him. Impressive first-round knockout for John
Caldone, marred only by his two-pound weight miss.

The Result

John Caldone def. Nathaniel Grimard R1 2:32 via TKO (Punches)

Round 1

Featherweights are up once again, as Saudi prospect Al-Qahtani
welcomes the debuting Zelner to the PFL cage. Mike Walter draws the
refereeing assignment. Both men are in orthodox stance, and Zelner
is the first to score, with a sharp low kick. Al-Qahtani comes back
with a kick of his own, then a three-punch combo that lands cleanly
and hurts Zelner. Al-Qahtani is stalking, throwing punches that
land more often than now. Zelner shoots a single-leg and Al-Qahtani
punishes him with a sprawl and crossface that would do a folkstyle
wrestler proud. Zelner’s face is already bleeding and busted up, 90
seconds into the fight. Al-Qahtani is piecing his man up and Zelner
is unable to land in return. Zelner clinches and runs his opponent
into the cage, but Al-Qahtani shoves him off and lands a knee
inside. Half the round down, and Al-Qahtani catches Zelner with a
cross that stumbles him badly. He gives chase and tags him with
another punch that stumbles him again. Al-Qahtani throws a spinning
back kick to the body. Zelner retreats and recovers, but still
can’t seem to find Al-Qahtani on the feet. Zelner shoots a takedown
with just under a minute left. He can’t get it, but the round ends
with him pushing Al-Qahtani into the fence.

Sherdog Scores

Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9
Lev Pisarsky scores the round: 10-9

Round 2

Al-Qahtani lands a crisp jab, then another. Zelner comes back with
an outside leg kick. Al-Qahtani lands another jab, then catches the
incoming Zelner with a right hook. Al-Qahtani is leaning heavily on
his jab so far in Round 2, but it’s been enough to keep Zelner
outside and hesitant. Zelner lands another kick to the lead leg.
Al-Qahtani lands a one-two, then a moment later, a four-punch
combination. Zelner shoots for a takedown, but Al-Qahtani sprawls,
tips him over and takes top position in the closed guard of Zelner.
He lands a couple of punches from the top before Zelner inserts a
knee shield and kicks him off. Back on the feet, Al-Qahtani’s jab
is immediately in the American’s face once again. 90 seconds left
in the round and Al-Qahtani has begun pairing the right cross with
the jab, and it feels like he can’t miss with either. Zelner
charges forward, but Al-Qahtani gives ground and lands a combo.
Al-Qahtani throws a leg kick of his own, then another one that
takes Zelner off his feet. The bell rings on another dominant frame
for Al-Qahtani.

Sherdog Scores

Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9
Lev Pisarsky scores the round: 10-9

Round 3

Zelner’s face is a mess to start Round 3, but he is still game,
coming right forward behind his jab and low kick. Al-Qahtani
returns fire with a jab. Zelner charges forward and clinches, and
Al-Qahtani throws a knee up the middle. They disengage and resume
kickboxing in the center of the cage. Zelner is still throwing, but
Al-Qahtani is busier, faster and much more accurate. He lands what
feels like his 100th jab of the fight. Both men land low kicks:
Zelner to the thigh, Al-Qahtani to the calf. Al-Qahtani lands a
hard left hook to the body. Under half the round left and Zelner
has no quit in him, still coming forward but unable to avoid
Al-Qahtani’s jab. Al-Qahtani spins and lands a glancing hook kick
to the midsection. Zelner whiffs on an overhand right and
Al-Qahtani lands a right hand. Al-Qahtani throws a low kick that
has Zelner limping visibly. Zelner essays a takedown but there’s
nothing there. With under 30 seconds left, Zelner lands a nice
clean right hand, but Al-Qahtani shrugs it off. The final bell
sounds. Fantastic outing by Abdullah Al-Qahtani, who should be
officially 2-0 in PFL in a few minutes.

Sherdog Scores

Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Al-Qahtani (30-27 Al-Qahtani)
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Al-Qahtani (30-27
Al-Qahtani)
Lev Pisarsky scores the round: 10-9 Al-Qahtani (30-27
Al-Qahtani)

The Result

Abdullah Al-Qahtani def. David Zelner via Unanimous Decision
(30-26, 30-26, 30-25)

Round 1

Same weight class, opposite locker room as PFL 9 turns to Montes
and Montague, both hopefuls for the 2024 women’s featherweight
season. Dan Miragliotta makes his first appearance of the evening
as your referee. The women collide headlong and start swinging.
Montague lands the first clean, hard shot of the fight, then
another, but Montes comes back with a short right hook that stops
her in her tracks. Montague clinches and runs Montes to the fence.
They exchange some short punches and knees before disengaging.
Moments later Montague initiates another clinch, pushing her foe to
the fence again, where Montes reverses her. They break again, and
Montes begins walking Montague down. Both women are landing
multiple clean punches to the head. Montague times a takedown and
spins Montes down to her knees, but they pop back up before she can
complete it. Montes is still the aggressor, coming forward behind
her one-two and low kick. Montague is game, landing counters on the
advancing Mexican. With under a minute left, Montes stings Montague
with a big right hand and like clockwork, is caught clean by the
return fire. The bell sounds on a very busy, very even round.

Sherdog Scores

Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Montes
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Montes
Lev Pisarsky scores the round: 10-9 Montes

Round 2

Montague throws a left jab, then another, dropping levels for a
sneaky takedown attempt as she does so, but Montes catches her with
a check right hook that stands her back up. Montague comes forward
with a right cross and jab, and Montes returns fire with a kick to
the body. Montague marches forward behind a series of punches,
backing Montes up to the fence and dropping for a takedown. She
pulls Montes away from the fence and they briefly end up holding
dueling front headlocks. Neither woman can threaten, and they break
up the stalemate by mutual assent. Montague shoots another
single-leg takedown and can’t finish it, but moves around to take
Montes’ back standing near the fence. Montague jumps on Montes’
back, sinks the far hook, then the near one and flattens her
opponent’s hips to the canvas as they go down.
Montague wraps up a rear-naked choke and Montes struggles, grimaces
and finally taps, prompting the intervention by
Miragliotta. Persistence pays off, as Michelle
Montague’s first successful takedown attempt ends up being the only
one she needed.

The Result

Michelle Montague def. Abigail Montes R2 3:38 via Submission
(Rear-Naked Choke)

Round 1

Middleweights Nada and Kuppe square off as referee Mike Walter
looks on. Kuppe is southpaw, Nada orthodox to start things off.
Kuppe immediately fires off a high kick, then another, both of
which glance off the forearms. Nada stalks forward methodically,
refusing to be baited into a wild brawl. Nada comes forward with a
trio of punches, one of which, a big right hook lands cleanly.
Another sweeping hook staggers Kuppe, and a flurry of follow-up
punches send him tumbling to the canvas at the base of the cage.

Nada swarms with punches as Kuppe tries to recover. Kuppe briefly
looks to be trying to mount some submission offense or at least get
to a guard position, but Nada keeps nailing him with unblocked
right hands and quickly puts him back in survival
mode. That doesn’t last long either, though, as Walter
implores Kuppe to work, but when he fails to do much more than
cover up, stops the fight a few seconds later. Quick work for the
Saudi puncher.

The Result

Mostafa Rashed Nada def. Korey Kuppe R1 1:55 via TKO
(Punches)

Round 1

Stefanelli squares off with 22-year-old Pergande, perhaps PFL’s
first and truest home-grown prospect, in this featherweight clash.
Keith Peterson will oversee the proceedings. Stefanelli is in
southpaw, mirroring the orthodox youngster. Pergande throws a long
push kick to the midsection. Stefanelli bounces forward and lands
one of his own. Stefanelli changes levels for a fast double-leg. He
gets Pergande down, but Pergande stays moving and after a wild set
of granby rolls, escapes to his feet. They collide again and this
time Pergande lands on top, looking for a topside choke. Stefanelli
breaks the hold and scrambles, but Pergande keeps his hips moving
and stays on top in half guard. Stefanelli kicks him off and
they’re back on their feet with two minutes left. Pergande stalks,
throwing long kicks and jabs as Stefanelli circles out and looks to
counter. Pergande steps in and hauls Stefanelli down with a body
lock. He throws some hard ground-and-pound, and when Stefanelli
bucks and tries to escape, he moves to mount. Pergande works again
for the arm-triangle choke. Stefanelli fights it off, but Pergande
moves to side control, where he remains until the bell.

Sherdog Scores

Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Pergande
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Pergande
Lev Pisarsky scores the round: 10-9 Pergande

Round 2

Stefanelli’s face is a little worse for wear to start Round 2, but
he is the one coming forward. Pergande lands a jab, followed by a
hard cross, but Stefanelli is unfazed. Stefanelli comes forward
with a one-two, and Pergande is starting to find him with the jab,
cross and body kick. Pergande nails Stefanelli with a check hook,
then hits an easy takedown near the center of the cage. Pergande is
working from full guard as the midpoint of the round passes. He
postures up for a couple of hard punches. Stefanelli’s guard is
closed, and he throws an elbow from the bottom. Pergande tries to
stack and pass, but Stefanelli keeps full guard. Pergande stands up
out of Stefanelli’s guard and stands over him. They exchange a few
kicks before Stefanelli stands. 45 seconds left and both men land
in a flurry. Pergande lands a high kick seconds before the
bell.

Sherdog Scores

Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Pergande
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Pergande
Lev Pisarsky scores the round: 10-9 Pergande

Round 3

Stefanelli lands a body kick at the same time Pergande connects
with a punch over the top. Pergande grounds Stefanelli with a
double-leg takedown. He looks to be setting up a shoulder choke.
Stefanelli bursts out from under Pergande, but Pergande follows,
and the choke changes to something between a bulldog and an
anaconda choke. There’s no way to finish from the odd position,
however, and Pergande ends up back on top in half guard. Stefanelli
stuffs him to full guard, then uses butterfly hooks to try and make
some room. Pergande is active on top, looking to pass the guard,
but Stefanelli is right there with him, and the best Pergande can
do is to end up back in half guard. Stefanelli pops up to his knees
and Pergande is once again out to the side of him with a leg ride.
Pergande moves to the back and gets both hooks in. Full back mount
for Pergande with a minute left. Pergande has one arm under
Stefanelli’s chin, but Stefanelli is preventing him from using the
other arm to finish the choke. Stefanelli bursts out again and this
time he sweeps to top position. Stefanelli is looking for a choke
now, but there’s less than 30 seconds left. Pergande reverses him a
few seconds before the final bell.

Sherdog Scores

Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Pergande (30-27 Pergande)
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Pergande (30-27
Pergande)
Lev Pisarsky scores the round: 10-9 Pergande (30-27 Pergande)

The Result

Alexei Pergande def. Shawn Stefanelli via Unanimous Decision
(30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Round 1

Walsh, who stated this week that he plans to turn professional in
2024, will look to get in a few more ammy reps against Davis. Mike
Walter is the referee. Walsh is orthodox, Davis southpaw. Walsh
comes out firing, but lands a kick to the cup within the first few
seconds. After a brief time-out and a caution from Walter, they
restart. Walsh comes forward immediately with fast one-twos
punctuated by kicks to the lead thigh of Davis. Davis stands in the
pocket and throws back, but can’t seem to find the mark with any
consistency. Walsh flicks out a fast head kick that glances off the
dreadlocked dome of Davis. Walsh throws a front kick to the
midsection, and Davis fires back with one of his own. Walsh
blisters Davis with an eight or nine-piece combo that sends him
staggering. Davis recovers and they are throwing at close range
right up to the bell, which comes awfully quick in an amateur fight
with three-minute rounds.

Sherdog Scores

Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Ali Walsh
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Ali Walsh
Lev Pisarsky scores the round: 10-9 Ali Walsh

Round 2

Walsh lands first with a sharp right hand. Davis catches Walsh with
a right hook, then another, his two best punches of the fight so
far. Walsh is not fazed at all, and comes forward with punches and
a head kick. Davis catches Walsh with another right, this one to
the chest, and it sits Walsh down, off-balance more than hurt.
Walsh springs back up and resumes walking his foe down. Walsh
briefly channels his boxing heritage, slipping a three-piece combo
from Davis in a way that would make Pernell Whittaker proud.

Seconds later, he crushes Davis with an overhand right, followed by
two more right hands that drop him in a heap. Walsh dives in with
punches, but Walter is there in an instant, pulling
him off. Davis protests the stoppage, and he may have a point, but
that shouldn’t detract too much from a largely dominant performance
by Walsh.

The Result

Biaggio Ali Walsh def. Ed Davis R2 2:23 via TKO (Punches)

Round 1

The first of tonight’s four semifinals features 2018 welterweight
champ Magomedkerimov looking to get back to the pinnacle, against
upstart Renfro, who steps in for Gasan Umalatov. Dan Miragliotta is
the referee. Both men are in orthodox stance, and Magomedkerimov is
bouncing on the outside, throwing his jab and front kick. Renfro is
pawing and feinting, looking to bounce into range on the taller
man. A minute in, neither man has landed much other than glancing
blows. Magomedkerimov connects with a hard outside leg kick, and
Renfro counters with a right hand. Magomedkerimov changes levels
for a quick takedown, and sets up in Renfro’s half guard. He is
heavy on top, chest to chest, possibly framing an arm-triangle
while punching the head with the other hand. Renfro has a lockdown
guard on Magomedkerimov’s right leg and is throwing short strikes
from the bottom. With a minute left, Magomedkerimov is still on top
in half guard, but has given up the choke setup in favor of
throwing leather with both hands. Renfro is preventing him from
passing guard, and is avoiding the worst of the damage, but makes
no real effort to get back up. He finally does, sitting up and
pushing the Dagestani off, but there are just seconds left in the
round.

Sherdog Scores

Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Magomedkerimov
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Magomedkerimov
Lev Pisarsky scores the round: 10-9 Magomedkerimov

Round 2

Magomedkerimov gives ground as Renfro comes forward. He reaches out
with an inside low kick. Renfro sticks a hard jab in
Magomedkerimov’s face, backing him up further. Magomedkerimov takes
the offensive, stepping forward and landing a jab. He sticks out
another jab and goes for a takedown, dragging Renfro down with
apparent ease—that is, until Renfro posts an arm and denies him.
They pop back up and resume exchanging. Both men’s volume has
dropped off a bit. Renfro throws a double jab and catches
Magomedkerimov with a right hook behind it. Magomedkerimov throws a
huge overhand right that just grazes the head of Renfro. They snap
one another’s head back with simultaneous jabs. A minute to go in
the round and Magomedkerimov changes levels again, this time
completing the takedown. Renfro explodes back up and is snared in a
guillotine, but pops his head out easily. The bell sounds seconds
later.

Sherdog Scores

Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Magomedkerimov
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Magomedkerimov
Lev Pisarsky scores the round: 10-9 Magomedkerimov

Round 3

Renfro is the one coming forward as the final round begins.
Magomedkerimov sticks out a jab, then another. Renfro times one and
tries to come in with a hook to the body, but it falls short.
Magomedkerimov tries another punch-into-takedown routine, but
Renfro skips aside and Magomedkerimov is grasping at air. Renfro
marches forward with his hands at his waist as Magomedkerimov gives
ground. He times the advancing Renfro for an easy takedown, and
when Renfro pops up, Magomedkerimov takes his back and grabs a rear
waistlock. Renfro defends well, breaking the grip and spinning
away. Renfro nails Magomedkerimov with a lead right. A few seconds
later he goes low-high with a pair of hooks. Magomedkerimov looks
for another level change but bails instantly when Renfro pushes him
off. Renfro suddenly drops and shoots a fast double-leg, scooping
Magomedkerimov up and slamming him. He goes to work from
Magomedkerimov’s full guard, throwing punches as Magomedkerimov
grabs a loose guillotine. The final bell sounds.

Sherdog Scores

Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Renfro (29-28 Magomedkerimov)
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Renfro (29-28
Magomedkerimov)
Lev Pisarsky scores the round: 10-9 Renfro (29-28
Magomedkerimov)

The Result

Magomed Magomedkerimov def. Solomon Renfro via Unanimous Decision
(30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Round 1

Defending champ Sy and Leal now know exactly what is at stake in
their scrap: a date with Magomed Magomedkerimov at the PFL
Championships in November. Their first meeting a little over a year
ago—also in a playoff semifinal—ended in a decision win for the
Swede. Leal, who missed weight by a pound on Tuesday, begins with
the handicap of a mandatory point deduction. Keith Peterson is
tasked with keeping things nice and clean in this rematch, and he
waves the semifinalists into action. Both fighters are orthodox. Sy
flicks out a long front kick. Leal surges forward, looking to swarm
the taller man with punches, but Sy gives ground and flicks out
another kick, which unfortunately lands on the cup. There is a
brief break in the action, but Leal wants to get back to work
within seconds. He crashes the pocket and they clinch. Sy reverses
him into the cage, at which point Leal spears him right in the
groin with a knee strike. Sy also eschews most of his five-minute
timeout, and they’re right back at it. Just a minute down in the
round. Leal charges in for a takedown attempt, but Sy pulls his leg
out and dances away. The Brazilian tries again and is met by an
uppercut that staggers him badly. Sy considers pouncing, but Leal
recovers quickly. Leal clinches and runs Sy into the fence, but Sy
reverses him again. They break away from the cage and Leal tries a
judo throw, but Sy counters well and lands on top. Before he can do
much, Leal bucks him off and gets back up. He clinches once again
and Sy punishes him with a knee to the midsection. Leal Miranda
answers with one of his own. 90 seconds left and they are still
locked together with an over- and underhook, looking variously for
knee strikes or a takedown. They separate with 30 seconds left and
Leal lunges forward with a left hand that falls just short. Leal
shoves Sy to the fence, where the round ends.

Sherdog Scores

Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Sy
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Sy
Lev Pisarsky scores the round: 10-9 Sy

Round 2

Leal shoots a takedown from well outside. Sy counters, hopping on
one leg and pushing the Brazilian’s head down. He’s doing well to
stay upright, but Leal changes the angle, then hoists the lanky
Swede with ease and dumps him. Leal quickly sets up in side
control, heavy on top, throwing elbows to the head. Sy is flat on
his back, not doing much other than survive. Leal may be looking to
sneak in an arm-triangle choke, but pauses periodically to drop
elbow and forearm strikes. Over half the round has passed and Leal
is in complete control, though he had not inflicted too much
damage. Sy regains half guard, but Leal responds by throwing harder
ground-and-pound. Leal tries to hop over to mount, but Sy takes the
opportunity to get up and away. Leal immediately follows him to the
fence and clinches with him, but Sy uses an overhook and head
position to keep him where he wants him. They separate seconds
before the bell.

Sherdog Scores

Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Leal
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Leal
Lev Pisarsky scores the round: 10-9 Leal

Round 3

Leal shoots for a takedown within seconds, driving at Sy’s hips and
backing him to the fence. Once there, Sy stands him up with an
underhook. Leal grinds him into the fence, while Sy switches to an
overhook and wide-legged stance, hoping to deny more takedown
attempts. Two minutes in, Leal breaks the clinch and Sy immediately
hits him with a glancing head kick. As Leal tries to close the
distance, he is met with a knee strike. He finally manages to get
back to the clinch, where the action slows once again. Leal throws
a couple of knees up the middle and Sy responds with his own,
though none of them have much steam behind him. Referee Peterson
breaks them up and they return to the center of the cage, but they
are back in the clinch against the fence within seconds. Leal
breaks the clinch and throws a spinning backfist which misses. Sy
throws a spinning wheel kick that goes over Leal’s head, and Leal
counters with a wide overhand that glances off Sy’s forehead. Leal
goes to the clinch once again, and presses Sy against the fence.
They separate just seconds before the bell.

Sherdog Scores

Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Sy (29-27 Sy)
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Sy (29-27 Sy)
Lev Pisarsky scores the round: 10-9 Sy (29-27 Sy)

The Result

Sadibou Sy def. Carlos Leal Miranda via Split Decision (29-28,
28-29, 29-28)

The scores are announced without taking into account the point
deduction due to Leal missing weight, but in any event Sadibou Sy
will advance to the welterweight final with a chance to repeat as
champ, while Magomed Magomedkerimov will look to win his second PFL
title five full years after his first.

Round 1

Returning lightweight champ Aubin-Mercier enters the 2023
semifinals as the No. 2 seed, opposite third-seeded Miranda, ready
to fight for the privilege of taking on the winner of the
Collard-Burgos headliner. Dan Miragliotta is the third man in the
cage. As has been a theme tonight, the lightweights are in mirrored
stances: Aubin-Mercier southpaw and Miranda orthodox. They exchange
hard low kicks. Miranda continues to throw kicks to Aubin-Mercier’s
lead right leg. A minute and a half is gone and Aubin-Mercier still
has barely thrown a punch. He tags Miranda with a body kick to the
open side, and rolls with the left hand coming back his way.
Aubin-Mercier with a glancing head kick, and he slides out to the
side as the Brazilian tries to counter. Miranda catches a kick and
tries to respond with a punch, but Aubin-Mercier extracts his leg.
Miranda hits Aubin-Mercier with a hard body punch. He follows it up
with a body kick. Aubin-Mercier’s ribs are showing bright red from
the strikes. Aubin-Mercier drops levels for a takedown and runs
Miranda to the fence with 30 seconds left. Miranda defends with
underhooks and they are in a stalemate until the bell.

Sherdog Scores

Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Miranda
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Miranda
Lev Pisarsky scores the round: 10-9 Miranda

Round 2

Aubin-Mercier clocks Miranda with a flush left hand that drops him
to his seat. He pounces on his fallen foe, but Miranda does a good
job of getting him into his guard, surviving as he gathers his
wits. The immediate danger of a knockout seems to have passed, but
Aubin-Mercier goes to work on the ground, instantly passing to half
guard and threatening to take mount. Aubin-Mercier throws punches
upstairs, scooting Miranda to the edge of the cage as he constantly
look to pass guard. Miranda manages to regain full guard, but
Aubin-Mercier drops a couple of heavy punches as he does.
Aubin-Mercier manages to isolate Miranda’s right arm with a
handcuff, then passes to mount. He slides back to a low mount,
sitting on Miranda’s knees as he throws punches, but Miranda
manages to regain guard. Aubin-Mercier immediately passes again to
the Dagestani-style low mount,
then advances to a regular mount and begins unleashing a two-handed
barrage of leather. Everything is landing, Miranda is doing little
but cover his face, and after a pair of quick warnings, Miragliotta
moves in for the TKO stoppage. Methodical,
clinical—and brutal—ground work by the man from Quebec, who is now
one fight away from possibly repeating as PFL lightweight
champion.

The Result

Olivier Aubin-Mercier def. Bruno Miranda R2 4:41 via TKO
(Punches)

Round 1

Burgos, Collard—and referee Peterson—will close out the evening by
determining who gets the chance to dethrone Aubin-Mercier, who won
his lightweight semifinal minutes ago. They set up in matching
orthodox stances and immediately exchange low kicks. Both men land
with their jab and one-two in the early going. An incidental
collision leads to Burgos briefly taking Collard’s back standing,
but Collard spins toward him and Burgos lets him go rather than
push the issue. Burgos hits Collard with an inside low kick.
Collard tags Burgos with a body punch. He lands another a moment
later, a left hook that Burgos tries to answer with a big swing up
top. Collard lands a two-punch combination followed by an inside
low kick. Burgos answers with a body shot that bowls Collard over,
off balance. He rolls back to his feet and they engage again.
Burgos lands another inside low kick and Collard stumbles. His left
leg is bright red and apparently compromised. Collard lands a right
hand that rocks Burgos badly. Burgos staggers back as Collard
pursues, but “Hurricane Shane” recovers quickly. Collard walks him
toward the fence and they exchange until the bell.

Sherdog Scores

Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Collard
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Collard
Lev Pisarsky scores the round: 10-9 Collard

Round 2

Burgos walks Collard toward the fence and nails him with an inside
low kick. Collard rips a hook to the midsection. They circle away
from the fence and Collard switches stances momentarily, likely to
get his left leg off the artillery range. Collard hits Burgos with
four clean punches to the face. Burgos shakes them off and fires
back. Burgos with another leg kick. Collard unleashes another long
salvo of punches to the head, almost all of which land. Burgos is
bleeding from the face. Burgos hits Collard with a body punch that
clearly hurts him, then punctuates with yet another leg kick.
Burgos switches it up, landing an outside leg kick that takes
Collard’s left leg out from under him. He gets up smiling, but also
limping. Collard smashes Burgos with a right hand that freezes him,
then follows with a flurry that puts him down. Burgos is active,
trying to avoid ground-and-pound, and moments later pops back to
his feet and immediately takes Collard’s back standing against the
fence. Collard tries to scrape him off using the chain-link. He
succeeds, but eats a clean punch on the way out. They return to the
center of the cage, throwing until the bell. Another fantastic
round.

Sherdog Scores

Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Collard
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Collard
Lev Pisarsky scores the round: 10-9 Collard

Round 3

Collard touches the body with a long straight right, then another.
Burgos continues his investment in low kicks, and tags Collard with
a vicious body punch. These two are in near phone-booth range, just
exchanging punch combinations. Unbelievable pace. Collard shoots
for a single-leg from outside. Burgos pulls his leg free and spins
around, only to be met with a well-timed body punch. Burgos catches
Collard with a right hand to the head that snaps his head back. A
moment later, another low kick knocks Collard off his feet. Collard
gets back up and comes forward, and Burgos meets him with a pair of
punches, then grabs the clinch, forcing Collard’s gimpy leg to bear
both men’s weight. They separate and go back to throwing down in
the pocket. Burgos is leaning heavily on the body work, landing a
pair of left hooks and a front kick to the midsection. Burgos tries
going upstairs and Collard slips a three-piece easily. At the
10-second clapper, Burgos clatters a head kick off Collard. They
flurry until the final bell. “Fight of the Year” contender, folks.

Sherdog Scores

Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Burgos (29-28 Collard)
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Burgos (29-28
Collard)
Lev Pisarsky scores the round: 10-9 Burgos (29-28 Collard)

The Result