2023 PFL 1 Play-by-Play, Results & Round Scoring

The 2023
Professional Fighters League Regular Season kicks off Saturday
at 6 p.m. ET on ESPN + and the main card continues on ESPN.

Round 1

The PFL is back in full swing this year, kicking off its 2023
Regular Season on the day of pranks and practical jokes. This event
is not for the laughs, however, as tournament stakes for the
featherweight and light heavyweight divisions are up for grabs for
10 of the 11 matches this evening. The lone bout without points on
the line is this one, as 2021 and 2022 season vet Hendricks (9-5,
3-2 PFL) tries to do more than watch from the sidelines. He takes
on recent Challenger Series pickup and former welterweight
Kasanganay (11-3, 1-0 PFL) at 205 pounds, in hopes that an
impressive performance could merit involvement later on down the
line this year. Referee Mark Smith draws the charge for the first
bout of the night, and with a touch of gloves, we are underway.
Hendricks sticks out a jab, and Kasanganay counters a subsequent
low kick by charging with several swinging hooks. Hendricks circles
away, but Kasanganay is right on top of him throwing bombs.
Hendricks reaches out to clinch up, as Kasanganay crashes towards
him, and he delivers one knee to the sternum while “Tshilobo”
engages with him. Hendricks attempts to throw his opponent to the
mat, and when that fails, he turns his foe around momentarily as
they jockey for position against the fencing. Kasanganay pushes off
thanks to several right hands over the top, and he ignores a knee
to the body to thump a solid right on the temple. Hendricks dives
forward in pursuit of a single-leg takedown, and Kasanganay hops
away and resets. When Kasanganay moves back forward to strike,
Hendricks changes levels and secures a takedown to plant “Tshilobo”
on his back. In an instant, Hendricks circles around to take his
adversary’s back, but before he can secure the hooks or hunt for a
rear-naked choke, Kasanganay reverses him. Kasanganay sits up in
the half guard to slug Hendricks in the face repeatedly as
Hendricks shells up, and he settles down to use heavy chest
pressure and slow things down. Hendricks turns to his knees as he
attempts to escape, and he is able to work his way up despite
Kasanganay’s best efforts. Kasanganay keeps his hands clasped
around his opponent’s waist, and Hendricks defends with a standing
kimura and uses it to drag Kasanganay down to the mat. Hendricks
does not release the grip until Kasanganay powers back upright, and
the two split up as Kasanganay cracks his man with a solid right
hand. Hendricks wobbles back, and Kasanganay gives chase and throws
a head kick that makes him topple over. Hendricks runs at him,
swinging his fists right to the bell.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Kasanganay
Edwin Ayala scores the round: 10-9 Kasanganay
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Kasanganay

Round 2

The light heavyweights resume the second frame as Kasanganay walks
forward and rips the body with a right hand. Hendricks tries to
keep his range with a front kick, and a left hook catches
Kasanganay but does not budge him. Kasanganay works his fists
around the guard, and Hendricks’ face is showing some damage from
the short salvos. Hendricks rebounds off the fence as Kasanganay
drives him back, and he throws up a high kick that gets blocked
with ease. Kasanganay leaps forward with a left hook, and Hendricks
shakes it off and hand-fights with his right hand to find his own
range. Kasanganay goes to the body and head as he walks down
Hendricks without fear, and he clubs his man with a left.
Kasanganay drills Hendricks with a right to the body and left to
the head, and Hendricks drops down in levels after getting stung to
go after a takedown. Kasanganay stuffs it and nearly slips on the
mat, but he gathers his balance and pushes forward to keep throwing
hands. Hendricks ties Kasanganay up and spams a few knees to the
body, and he breaks off with a left. Kasanganay no-sells the solid
blow and fires off a front kick that misses the mark by a matter of
inches. Kasanganay telegraphs a booming right hand, but the one
that follows lands clean. Hendricks stays composed and sticks his
foe with a few short strikes, but Kasanganay stands right in front
of him and swings hammers. The sheer momentum of Kasanganay allows
him to tackle Hendricks to the mat, and he shifts straight into
half guard. Smith is quick to tell Kasanganay to work while
Kasanganay holds on from above, and he answers this with a couple
short body shots with little effect. Hendricks throws his legs up
and looks to sit up, but the smothering Kasanganay pushes him back
down and presses his shoulder on Hendricks’ face. Hendricks kicks
off with a moment of success, but Kasanganay is right there to leap
back down on top of him. Kasanganay flusters the Syndicate MMA
product with a series of right hands around the block, and these
force Hendricks to turn over to his knees and possibly give his
back up. Kasanganay follows him but cannot keep him grounded, and
he looks for a high kick on the left side that is guarded. The
round ends with the two clinched.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Kasanganay
Edwin Ayala scores the round: 10-9 Kasanganay
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Kasanganay

Round 3

The round opens up with Kasanganay swinging a spinning kick, and he
backs Hendricks up and pressures him into the cage. The two stay
pressed tightly against one another as time rips off the clock
without much in the way of action. Hendricks looks to turn things
around and take a dominant position against the wall, but
Kasanganay is able to turn his man around into the fence. They
separate and Kasanganay tees off with heavy hooks. Hendricks
assumes top position during a wild sequence and looks to take his
foe’s back. Hendricks rides on top while Kasanganay is on his
knees, as Kasanganay appears fatigued from the labored effort thus
far. Kasanganay attempts to roll out while Hendricks has him from
behind, and he manages to turn the tables and flip Hendricks over.
Hendricks is quick to get to his knees, and he explodes back
upright with 30 seconds left in the fight. Hendricks attempts to
roll, and Kasanganay follows him every step of the way and keeps
him stuck, unable to offer offense. Kasanganay is pushed away from
the clinch with seconds to spare, and they swing it out right until
the final bell.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Kasanganay (30-27 Kasanganay)
Edwin Ayala scores the round: 10-9 Hendricks (29-28 Kasanganay)
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Kasanganay (30-27
Kasanganay)

The Official Result

Impa Kasanganay def. Cory Hendricks via Unanimous Decision (29-28,
29-28, 30-27)

Round 1

This year’s PFL tournament officially begins with this light
heavyweight clash, when 2022 playoff participant Monte (9-3, 1-2
PFL) welcomes “Big Medicine” Flores (11-4, 0-0 PFL) to the
organization. Brazilian Monte has never before heard the final bell
in 12 pro outings, with just two appearance beyond the first round,
so Flores needs to be ready to kill or be killed, figuratively
speaking. Referee Chris Tognoni is prepared to jump in at a
moment’s notice, and a glove touch precedes the action. Monte
scores first with a jab, and Flores answers with a kick to the
calf. This inspires Monte to charge like a bull and swing with
everything he has, and he gets off several uppercuts on the inside
before Flores backs him away with a solid right. They reset, and
Flores pushes out a front kick and closes in. Monte grabs hold of
him and blasts him with several more uppercuts, and Flores’ nose
busts open as his knees buckle. Flores retreats to get off the
gunnery range, and Monte walks him down and slings a right hand
that hurts him. When Flores leans down, having taken damage, Monte
welcomes this with a plethora of uppercuts. Flores takes them all
flush and breaks off, and he tosses out a few low kicks to
hopefully slow the forward momentum of the Brazilian. Flores fires
off a head kick that bounces off the guard, and Monte meets him
with an overhand right. They both get off short uppercuts, and
Flores ends a combination with a thudding calf kick. Flores sticks
and looks for a high kick on the other side, and Monte sees it
coming a mile away and is ready to counter. Flores digs a left to
the body and right to the head, and Monte hops back to shake it out
as he absorbs a subsequent kick to the ribs. Flores steps in with a
straight right hand, and Monte shakes his head and allows a leg
kick to find its home. Flores delivers a kick to the raised guard
and then one beneath it to the liver, and they greet one another
with wide, swinging hooks. Flores gets off a small calf kick as
Monte bears down on him, and he attempts a level change that the
stocky Brazilian shoves aside. Monte catches Flores during an
exchange, but Flores appears no worse for wear as Monte is striking
with more labored blows. Monte turns up the pace, sensing that
Flores is equally fading, and he unloads with a long series of
punches and drills Flores with a knee. Flores shakes his head, and
they swing it out right to the bell.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Monte
Edwin Ayala scores the round: 10-9 Monte
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Monte

Round 2

Round 2 opens as Monte claims the center of the cage, and he keeps
his guard up as Flores throws hands at him to start. Flores walks
face-first into an uppercut, but he maintains a stiff upper lip and
targets the body with several strikes. Monte gets stuck with
several jabs, and Flores leads one into a step-in knee to the gut.
Monte looks for a jab-hook combination, and Flores blinks it out
and fires off a knee when he senses Monte bearing down on him.
Flores strings together a combination of punches that shakes the
Brazilian up, and Monte shoots in for a double-leg takedown and
forces Flores to the mat. Flores turns to his knees and gives up
his back, and Monte is quick to take it. Flores keeps moving,
rolling Monte over, but he gets caught in an armbar setup. The
American stays calm and composed from the trap, and he slithers it
out of danger and steps into half guard. Flores belts Monte with
hammerfists and stays heavy on top, covering Monte’s mouth with his
hand or otherwise making life miserable for him. Monte turns to his
side in an attempt to escape, but Flores flattens him back out and
slugs away with right hands. Despite the strikes landing from
Flores, it is he is who is bleeding heavily, covering Monte’s chest
and face with his own plasma. Flores works the body with several
solid shots, and he postures up with a solid hammerfist. Monte
rolls to his side again, and Flores pins him again and threatens
with a potential head-and-arm choke. Monte shakes it out as he
continues taking strikes, and Flores lowers his head down and
appears to clash heads with the Brazilian. “Bad Medicine” sits up
and delivers some medicine in the form of his fists to Monte’s
face, and even drops down double hammerfists in true Kazushi
Sakuraba fashion. The pounding ends when the bell rings.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Flores
Edwin Ayala scores the round: 10-9 Flores
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Flores

Round 3

Flores immediately starts off the round in pursuit of a single-leg
takedown, in hopes of putting Monte back where they left off. The
Brazilian staves it off and gets back to striking range, where he
throws hammers to keep Flores honest. Flores lumbers forward to
scoop up a double, and Monte defends with a guillotine choke
instead of a sprawl and is lifted off the ground. “Bad Medicine”
dumps his man to the mat, and he starts beating on Monte until an
arm-triangle choke opens itself up. Instead of going after the
submission, Flores moves into full mount, but this is short-lived
when Monte recovers to half guard. Monte attempts to escape by
pulling on the inside of his opponent’s glove, and he is warned for
this and still explodes to his feet. Flores remains tightly pressed
on him, with a knee and a takedown effort in the clinch. Monte
fights it off and breaks away, and he proceeds to swing for the
fences until Flores grabs hold of him and hits another double.
Monte jumps guard for a guillotine choke, but with little energy
left in the tank, he is nowhere close before his back hits the mat.
Flores climbs back into the half guard, and Monte looks to grab his
gloves again to stop the oncoming ground-and-pound. Flores
transitions to three-quarter mount as he lets his hands go, but
Monte is active enough to turn to his side, sit up and prevent any
possible referee intervention. Monte turns to his knees and climbs
up the wall, but Flores is a wet blanket and drags him down again.
Monte turns towards his opponent, uses the fence at his back to
walk upright, and settles for a clinch position in hopes of going
after uppercuts. Flores answers this with a number of knees on the
jaw, and he hunts for another double and lifts the Brazilian off
the ground. Flores slams him down to the canvas with style points,
and he gets off a few more punches until the final bell stops the
fight. Barring something odd, Flores should be the first fighter of
the 2023 season to get on the board, with three points for his
decision win.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Flores (29-28 Flores)
Edwin Ayala scores the round: 10-9 Flores (29-28 Flores)
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Flores (29-28
Flores)

The Official Result

Ty Flores def. Delan Monte via Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28,
29-27)

Round 1

On just 24-hours’ notice, tourney alternate Braga (9-0, 1-0 PFL)
has been tapped to join the featherweight bracket. He jumps in
against former two-time UFC competitor Pinedo (20-5-1, 0-0 PFL),
who has performed four straight knockouts since leaving the UFC in
2019. Whether Braga loses his shiny 0 or Pinedo breaks his own win
streak, the two have upwards of 15 minutes under the nonsense-free
eye of referee Keith Peterson to figure it out. Happy to still be
on the card, Pinedo offers a fist bump that is accepted. Pinedo
immediately backs off to circle around the cage and find his
rhythm, while the unbeaten fighter walks him down. Braga flicks out
a front kick and one to the calf in an effort to determine his
distance, and he slings a calf kick on the inside for good measure.
Braga walks into a one-two, and he is driven back from the strike
and forced to keep his hands high from a high kick. Braga lashes
out with a head kick of his own, and Pinedo guards against it and
absorbs two leg kicks. Pinedo slips a right hand around the guard
as he uses awkward, herky-jerky movement, but the calf kicks from
Braga continue to find their home. Braga trips up his opponent with
an inside low kick, and Pinedo starts and stops a punch combination
because of it. Braga continues to cautiously approach his opponent,
blocking a chain of punches and throwing back a single right hand.
Braga’s leg kick chips away actively, and his raised guard defends
his mug from anything Pinedo throws at him high up. Pinedo sees
this and targets the body with his shin, and Braga responds in
kind. Braga swings and misses with hooks, and his calf kicks are
ever-active and frustrating. One such sweeping kick makes Pinedo
raise it up to lift it away from the blow, and he trips Pinedo out
with another. Pinedo hops back up and absorbs one, and he starts
throwing hammers. Braga takes them on the chin and fires back,
welcoming the brawl, as he swings with power. Pinedo is the one who
backpedals after taking the strikes, and his head kicks all are
guarded until the bell sounds.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Braga
Edwin Ayala scores the round: 10-9 Braga
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Braga

Round 2

The featherweights bump fists to start up again, and Braga
immediately leads off with a nasty calf kick. Pinedo backs off and
gathers his thoughts, and he suddenly blitzes with a number of
punches. Braga shells up and blocks the majority of them, but
Pinedo splits the guard occasionally as he empties his gas tank.
Braga takes a few flush and gets his face busted up as a result,
but he lets Pinedo continue to unload so he can chew up the lead
wheel. Pinedo’s ankle rolls as he absorbs a few more, and he takes
one more before shooting in for a double. Braga hits his seat for
about a second before bouncing back up, and he slams his shin into
Pinedo’s calf and deadens the nerves. Pinedo lumbers forward,
practically dragging his foot so he does not have to lift it, and
he throws hands. Braga clobbers the right leg of his opponent until
Pinedo decides to switch stances, and this opens him up to an
overhand right that soars at his dome. Braga does not mind this
change of position, as he connects with a few more low kicks and a
solid right hook. Pinedo’s responsive strikes have little mustard
on them while Braga fearlessly walks through them, and he is backed
up against the fence and eats a stiff combination. Pinedo looks to
counter with a right hand as Braga plods forward, and he swats away
a front kick but cannot stop the Brazilian from thrashing his newly
front leg. They clash together with big hooks, and Braga gets the
better of the exchange and continues marching forward. Pinedo
blocks the second of two body kicks and smiles, lining up a right
hand over the top to catch the advancing Braga. Right hooks from
both men land flush right at the horn.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Braga
Edwin Ayala scores the round: 10-9 Pinedo
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Pinedo

Round 3

One final glove touch checks in the last round, and Braga picks up
his bullying approach from before and marches Pinedo down like a
Terminator. Braga swings his fists while aiming low kicks, and
Pinedo sits down on counters. Other than the kicks down low for
Braga, neither man appears to have the power to hurt the other.
They trade punches, and Braga counters a body kick with an overhand
right. Pinedo digs a few body shots in as Braga stings him with a
right hand. They stand in front of one another trading recklessly,
and they back off to start taking turns striking one another.
Pinedo pops Braga coming in, but Braga meets him with an overhand
right that bloodies his nose. Pinedo, limping around, still manages
to keep enough movement to maintain his range and land strikes. “El
Mudo” cannot plant off either leg from the damage, but he still
gets Braga’s respect with a punch combination that backs Braga up
to the wall. Braga responds with a thudding overhand right, and
Pinedo nods at him and tries to initiate a brawl. As Braga opens up
with strikes to answer this, Pinedo shoots in for a double and
dumps Braga to the mat. The unbeaten fighter powers back up with
the fence behind him, and he throws everything he has into a few
more punches before the final bell rings. This will be a close one,
and the victor will take home three points towards their playoff
standings.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Pinedo (29-28 Braga)
Edwin Ayala scores the round: 10-9 Pinedo (29-28 Pinedo)
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Braga (29-28 Braga)

The Official Result

Gabriel Braga def. Jesus Pinedo via Split Decision (28-29, 29-28,
29-28)

Round 1

Sticking to the 145-pound category, 2022 season member Flores
(21-4, 2-1 PFL) tries to go for the gold again. He will do so
potentially at the expense of ex-KSW champ Torres (14-5, 1 NC; 0-0
PFL), who is competing in the U.S. for the first time as a pro.
This classic matchup of Mexico vs. Austria will be overseen by
referee Chris Tognoni, and it starts even though the two do not
touch ‘em up. The fighters are tentative to engage early, missing
with inaccurate strikes that maybe more for range-finding purposes.
Torres rushes forward momentarily to throw two punches, and he dips
back and whips a low kick. Flores crowds him and throws a low kick,
and the kick slides up and bounces off his cup. Torres is stunned,
lowering his hands and staring at Flores quizzically. Tognoni
pauses the action, and allows the stoic yet quietly enraged Torres
to walk to his corner to recover. The camera then cuts to an
awkward shot of Bubba Jenkins sleeping in the locker room, and he
opens his eyes and smiles as the crowd whistles. The action resumes
after nearly two minutes of a break, and a low kick from Flores
nearly hits the cup again. The two clinch up, as Flores bullies his
foe to the wall and proceeds to stomp on his toes mercilessly.
Commentator Randy Couture thinks back to the old days when seeing
these strikes land, and the two jockey for position when tied up. A
failed takedown attempt from Flores allows Torres to fall on top of
him, and he maintains top position momentarily before the two
return to their feet. They clinch up after a few strikes, and
Flores slaps Torres in the back of the head and is warned for it.
Flores turns Torres around and squeezes him against the fencing,
and Torres moves him out to the center of the cage and manages to
land a takedown. Torres ends the tepid round on top.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Flores
Edwin Ayala scores the round: 10-9 Flores
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Flores

Round 2

The second round kicks off with a front kick from Flores, and he
swings his leg low to follow as Torres comes at him with an
overhand right. Torres walks forward with a punch to the body and
one to the head, and he flails with subsequent, inaccurate strikes.
Torres times a ducking Flores with an uppercut, but it is
one-and-done and no more blows come from it. Torres presses forward
into the clinch, and he thwarts a takedown effort and knees Flores
in the face. Torres knees his man once more, and Flores turns him
around against the wire. The fighters remain clinched up in the
center of the cage until Torres spins out of it, and Flores looks
for an overhand right but comes up short. Torres unleashes a
ferocious right hand that rocks Flores, and he is forced to
immediately shut down a takedown effort. When Flores stands back
up, he is on baby deer legs, clearly still compromised from the
blow, but Torres lets him off the hook and does not follow up
whatsoever. Flores gathers his thoughts and eventually strikes with
a head kick, but it glances off the guard to no effect. Flores
pushes off an attempted clinch and tries to catch his man with a
right hand, but the former KSW champ is out of the way. Torres
loads up on another power right hand, and Flores ducks this one and
settles to get tied up. Flores spins him around and knees him in
the midsection, and Torres wrenches him to the mat. In Flores’
closed guard, Torres lands a few punches, but elects to stand back
up rather than getting anything going. Flores swats at him with
feeble upkicks, and one slams into Torres’ cup. Torres turns
around, angry from the foul, and Tognoni calls time with seconds
left in Round 2. The PFL cuts to commercial, despite that the round
did not end, and Torres is still taking time to recover. Flores is
issued a hard warning for his second strike to the groin, and he is
advised that any further fouls will result in a point deduction.
When they resume, Flores lashes out with a jumping front kick, and
then the unfortunate round ends.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Torres
Edwin Ayala scores the round: 10-9 Torres
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Torres

Round 3

The featherweights meet in the middle of the cage and appear like
they are finally ready to start fighting after 10 minutes of
passivity. Flores pushes out with a front kick, and throws a couple
more that Torres ignores. Torres paws out with an overhand right,
and Flores responds with a few body shots. The action quickly slows
down to a crawl again, and Torres measures a single right hand that
is well off the mark. When Torres chambers another, Flores grabs
hold of him to tie him up. Torres pushes the Mexican fighter up
against the wall, and Flores turns him around and hooks his fingers
in the chain links to trap him there. Torres explodes out, and
Flores sits down on a body kick as Torres looks to throw haymakers.
Torres jumps forward with a front kick to the chest, and Flores
responds with a few heavy strikes. Torres connects with a low kick,
and Flores backs him off with a combination. Flores catches Torres
with a solid right on the way in, and he hunts for a double but
only manages to shove the Austrian fighter against the wire. Torres
breaks out and dodges a heavy right hand, and they trade in
alternating combinations. Flores throws a hammerfist at his foe’s
lead thigh, and he kicks the same spot before pursuing a double.
When he changes it to a single, Torres threatens with a standing
guillotine choke. Flores easily escapes it and turns Torres to the
wall, and he holds the fencing to get warned again. Torres looks
for a low trip, and Flores pushes him away. They land left hands at
the same time, and Flores charges with all his might to tackle
Torres to the ground right before the final bell sounds. This
miserable slog of a fight comes to a merciful conclusion, and the
judges once again have their hands full.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Torres (29-28 Torres)
Edwin Ayala scores the round: 10-9 Torres (29-28 Torres)
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Torres (29-28
Torres)

The Official Result

Alejandro Flores Garcia def. Daniel Torres via Unanimous Decision
(29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Round 1

This pattern of two fights in one weight class and then two in the
other will continue for the remainder of the night, as light
heavyweights now take center stage. Fresh off his first career
setback – a 2022 playoff loss to eventual finalist Omari Akhmedov –
Silveira (9-1, 2-1 PFL) will look to bounce back against former
heavyweight Kei (8-6, 0-1 PFL). The latter initially tipped the
scales slightly above the 206-pound mark on Friday, only to come
back and hit 206 pounds with extra time. The two bump fists as
referee Kerry Hatley stands by, and Silveira’s braided mullet
dangles behind him as he advances. Kei paws out a few jabs, and he
ducks into a head kick but has his arms up to block it. Silveira
strikes out with another high kick, which is once more guarded. The
American goes low with a sweeping calf kick, and he backs Kei up
but is more intent on faking and feinting than committing to
anything besides a telegraphed head kick. The third attempt from
Silveira to kick the dome fails, and they tie up as a result.
Silveira pushes off and clubs the former heavyweight on the side of
the head, and he splits the guard with a subsequent jab. Silveira
kicks the body once with his shin and then stabs the chest with his
toes, and he goes after the thigh as he keeps Kei guessing. The
pressuring Silveira is spun around when they enter the clinch, and
he manages to trip Kei out and put him on the ground. Kei explodes
up to his knees, but he gives up his back in the process, and this
is the worst possible thing he can do.
Silveira leaps on the back and gets his hooks in, and in a moment’s
notice, he hunts for a rear-naked choke. It does not take more than
a few seconds for Silveira to secure the tapout, and we have our
first finish of the night. Silveira earns six easy
points for the first-round finish, and he bounces back from his
first career defeat impressively.

The Official Result

Joshua Silveira def. Sam Kei R1 2:46 via Submission (Rear-Naked
Choke)

Round 1

The prelims conclude with this 205-pound tilt pitting 2021 and 2022
playoff entrant Hamlet (10-4, 4-3 PFL) against Brave CF vet and
league newcomer Fakhreddine (15-4, 2 NC; 0-0 PFL). The former has
alternated wins and losses throughout his entire PFL tenure, while
the man known as “The Latest” has gone unbeaten in his last three
outings dating back to 2020. With an open division ahead of them
the two fighters bump fists, and referee Mark Smith is ready for
whatever happens next. Hamlet shoots in for a double within the
first second of the fight, and he plants Fakhreddine on his
backside early. Fakhreddine fights back upright, and Hamlet has him
from behind and drags him back down. Hamlet throws his arms up for
a front choke, and before anything comes together, he pushes off
and starts throwing haymakers at his opponent. A charging Hamlet
takes Fakhreddine off his feet again, and Fakhreddine counters with
a guillotine choke that traps Hamlet’s head. Fakhreddine decides
instead to release his hands and try to stand back up, allowing
Hamlet swirls around to take the back.
The Norwegian fighter grabs hold of a rear-naked choke type of
grip, but he keeps it over Fakhreddine’s face instead of sliding it
under the chin. With full power, Hamlet squeezes with a jawbreaking
palm-to-palm grip, and Fakhreddine punches from behind his own head
until his eyes go wide and he frantically taps out.
Hamlet releases his man as soon as Smith intervenes, and as he
walks away, Fakhreddine writhes on the ground in pain from the
move. That is one way to announce yourself to the division, by
positively running through a newcomer that had only been submitted
once before in his career. Hamlet takes control over the
leaderboard with a sub much faster than Silveira’s, as he claims
six points in the light heavyweight division.

The Official Result

Marthin Hamlet def. Mohammad Fakhreddine R1 1:05 via Submission
(Face Crank)

Round 1

A rematch nearly two years in the making kicks off the main card of
PFL’s 2023 season opener, as past finalists Wade (22-8, 10-6 PFL)
and Jenkins (19-6, 5-2 PFL) lock horns again to start their year
off strong. Wade outworked his opponent at the 2021 playoffs for a
spot in the finals, and neither man has claimed gold yet despite
multiple efforts – the Long Island, New York, fighter has competed
in all four past seasons, a feat very few others can claim.
Bragging rights and upwards of six playoff points are on the line
here, and referee Chris Tognoni will receive the honor of
officiating this featherweight rematch. There is no love lost
between these two, and they decline to touch gloves. Jenkins leads
off with a head kick, and he sticks out a jab and chases an early
takedown. “The Long Island Killer” fights off the first attempt,
but Jenkins – who just said on the lead-up promo package that he
was not interested in any wrestling – secures the attempt on the
second try. Jenkins scoops his left arm under both of Wade’s legs
to keep him seated on the mat, while using his right hand to soften
up the body. Wade sits up against the wall, but Jenkins grips one
arm of his opponent to trap it across his chest. Jenkins nearly
takes the back, and Wade moves to his knees and breaks the grip to
turn Jenkins to his back. Jenkins grabs hold of Wade’s left leg to
lift him up and flip him back over. When Wade sits up on his knees,
Jenkins knees him presumably on the chin illegally, and Tognoni
sees it and halts the action. On replay, the knee actually connects
with the chest and not the head, and Wade is compromised from the
blow and given time to recover. Tognoni calls for a replay of the
strike, and Wade is still seeming hurt. Tognoni determines that it
was a legal blow, and he partially resets the position where the
fighters left off, other than Wade on his seat instead of knees.
Wade does eventually turn back to his knees as they grapple, and
Jenkins drags him down and follows him as Wade keeps spinning.
Jenkins takes the back and gets one hook in, and he keeps his right
arm around Wade’s neck and manages to take Wade’s back when Wade is
trying to escape. Jenkins slugs him on the side of the head
repeatedly, until Wade lays on his back again. Bubba steps over
once more, and he keeps his full body weight pressed on his
opponent until the bell rings.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Jenkins
Edwin Ayala scores the round: 10-9 Jenkins
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Jenkins

Round 2

Wade leads the dance early with a head kick of his own to start off
the second frame, but Jenkins appears the far fresher man and he
comes out swinging. Jenkins backs Wade up against the wall as he
throws haymakers, and he changes levels suddenly and trips Wade
down to his knees. Wade leans back to set up a guillotine choke,
and he keeps his elbow high in an effort to completely lock it
down. ESPN encounters video technical difficulties as Bubba slowly
escapes from the submission, and he threatens with his own
potential submission in the form of a Von Preux shoulder choke
before Wade becomes wise to it and lets go. Jenkins moves to the
side and transitions to north-south position, but this allows Wade
to turn over and get to his knees. Jenkins seems to allow this so
he can slither around to take the back, and he secures one hook and
presses Wade down. Jenkins sits up with three-quarter mount and
drops down a few punches, but he prefers control over submission or
damage and rides. As Wade looks to spin out, Jenkins gets a hook in
again around the back, and he disallows Wade from moving or getting
any offense off of his own. Jenkins fully embraces the grind,
hanging onto Wade without doing anything else, and making certain
Wade is trapped and unable to get up. Wade pulls off the fence with
his toes in a desperate effort to escape with seconds to spare, but
there is nothing to it before round comes to a close.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Jenkins
Edwin Ayala scores the round: 10-9 Jenkins
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Jenkins

Round 3

The 145ers meet in the middle, and when Wade throws hands, Jenkins
punches back and part of his glove jams straight into the Long
Island MMA fighter’s eye socket. Tognoni pauses the round and calls
in the doctor, and replays show it was a knuckle and not a finger –
this is the second time that Wade has gotten away with a legal
strike originally ruled illegal. Wade says he is ready to go, and
on the reset, Jenkins comes out like a house on fire with a jumping
kick. When landing, Jenkins grins and circles around before
shooting in for a single. Wade hits his posterior on the canvas,
and he threatens with a guillotine choke that is not there. Jenkins
drags a bloodied Wade down flat and steps into mount, and he takes
the back quickly when Wade turns over. Jenkins slides a hook in
around the back and keeps himself in dominant position, and Wade
looks to slide out the back door. Jenkins lets Wade try as he might
to reverse position or get out, as precious seconds tick off the
clock, and he maintains full control over his opponent. When Wade
scoots to a knee, Jenkins throws a knee to the backside that is
dangerously close to the spine. Wade turns around to lean his back
on the wall while still seated, and Jenkins has him completely
nullified. Tognoni tells Jenkins he needs to look to improve
position, and Wade pops up in this moment. Jenkins immediately
lands a mat return, and Wade falls down and latches on to an
ill-advised guillotine choke. The grip is secured as Wade has his
hands clasped, but Jenkins does not appear remotely concerned as he
is still on top without being in submission danger. Jenkins
continues his shutdown game as he holds on to Wade’s legs,
elevating them enough to not let Wade stand. Jenkins stands up to
punch Wade a few times to make one final statement, and this grind
of a 15-minute affair finally comes to a close with a ringing
bell.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Jenkins (30-27 Jenkins)
Edwin Ayala scores the round: 10-9 Jenkins (30-27 Jenkins)
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Jenkins (30-27
Jenkins)