BREAKING: @MatheusBuffa
replaces Bruno Cappelozza in the
#PFLPlayoffs! Scheffel faces Denis Goltsov in the Heavyweight
Semifinals on Saturday, August 13th in Cardiff!— PFL (@PFLMMA)
July 28, 2022
The Professional Fighters League’s card in Wales
has just experienced a number of shakeups to its lineup.
The PFL sent out a press release on Thursday announcing or
confirming a slew of changes to the
PFL 8: 2022 Playoffs. The Aug. 13 card that will take place in
the Motorpoint Arena in Cardiff, Wales, has lost one of its
heavyweight semifinalists: 2022 champion Bruno
Cappelozza (15-6). Due to injury, he has been forced out of the
million-dollar playoffs, and in his stead will be the man who beat
him in June in Matheus
Scheffel (16-8). Due to playoff tiebreaker rules, Cappelozza
advanced despite suffering a head-to-head defeat to Scheffel, but
Scheffel will now be the one moving on. “Buffa” will square off
with Denis
Goltsov (29-7) on the main card of this show.
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Brazil’s Scheffel punched his ticket solely thanks to his unanimous
decision victory over Cappelozza in June. In victory, he handed
Cappelozza his first loss since joining the PFL’s ranks in 2021,
spanning five wins and four knockouts. Scheffel has alternated wins
and losses in his last five, including a failed effort on Dana White’s Contender Series where he
succumbed to strikes from Azamat
Murzakanov in 2021. The 29-year-old sports a 69% knockout rate,
and he has never won a fight by submission.
Goltsov remained consistent this season, recording two wins against
largely outmatched opponents as he closed as betting favorites of
-2000 and -650 against Cody
Goodale and Maurice
Greene, respectively. The Russian, listed with an
“international” flag this season, will be attempting to claim the
million-dollar prize for the first time in his third year of
trying. “The Russian Bogatyr” lost to Ali Isaev and
Ante
Delija in the playoffs of his 2019 and 2021 runs, and he
currently sits just two wins away from a million dollars.
Beyond the Cappelozza-Scheffel switch, the Welsh event saw several
other bouts change on the prelims. Will Fleury
will no longer be taking on Kenneth
Bergh, and Fleury (10-3) now draws unbeaten Frenchman Anthony
Salamone (7-0) on the postliminary card at light heavyweight.
Ireland’s Nathan
Kelly (5-2) has his opponent booked, taking on Wales’ own
Ben
Ellis (4-1) in the featherweight division. Likewise, newcomer
Mohammad
Fakhreddine (15-4, 2 NC) has gained his first test in the form
of “The Giant” Marcin
Wojcik (15-8) at 205 pounds. Finally, Chris Mixan
(3-1) will no longer be battling John
Mitchell, and instead finds himself against Christian
Stigenberg (3-1) at welterweight.
PFL 8 2022 Playoffs Lineup:
Rory
MacDonald vs. Magomed
Umalatov – welterweight semifinal
Ante
Delija vs. Renan
Ferreira – heavyweight semifinal
Denis
Goltsov vs. Matheus
Scheffel – heavyweight semifinal
Sadibou
Sy vs. Carlos
Leal Miranda – welterweight semifinal
Will
Fleury vs. Anthony
Salamone – postlim
Nathan
Kelly vs. Ben Ellis –
postlim
Vojto
Barborik vs. Radu Maxim –
postlim
Moktar
Benkaci vs. Francesco
Nuzzi – postlim
Josh
O’Connor vs. Emran
Sakhizada
Mohammad
Fakhreddine vs. Marcin
Wojcik
Chris
Mixan vs. Christian
Stigenberg
Hatef
Moeil vs. Szymon
Bajor