Clay
Collard came into the
2024 PFL 5 main event having already clinched a spot in the
Professional Fighters League‘s lightweight playoffs but that
didn’t stop Mads
Burnell from crashing the party.
Ever the composed striker, Collard (25-12, 1 NC) came out working
his jab and landing body punches to establish his attack against
Burnell (18-6), who would look to grapple later in the round. This
late success gave Burnell a game plan to follow, as the Danish
fighter would take the back of “Cassius” in Round 2. Likely even
going into the third, Collard would use his volume punching to land
more strikes than his opponent before being taken down and
controlled for the final moments, with Burnell taking the back of
the fan-favorite lightweight.
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After 15 minutes of action, Burnell took a unanimous decision win
with a trio of 29-28 scorecards but won’t make the playoffs.
Instead, Collard will face top seed Brent Primus in the lightweight
semifinals.
Your
#PFLPlayoffs Lightweight Match ups are official! pic.twitter.com/l9zXNexV3O— PFL (@PFLMMA)
June 22, 2024
Kasanganay KOs Nedoh
The final light heavyweight fight of the night was important as
both Impa
Kasanganay and Jakob Nedoh
had paths to the playoffs. Kasanganay (17-4) only needed to survive the first round to secure
a playoff spot, and he survived a brief scare from “Tshilobo” in
the first round to do so. Nedoh (8-3) hurt his opponent several
times with hard-hitting right hands, but “The Gorilla” would
counter with well-timed left hooks and uppercuts of his own.
Kasanganay would badly hurt Nedoh with a right hand late in the
second round and didn’t let up,
landing a series of punches that forced a doctor’s stoppage in
between rounds.
With the victory, Kasanganay is now 7-1 inside the PFL and is the
top seed in the light heavyweight playoffs.
The Light Heavyweight bouts are set for the
#PFLPlayoffs! pic.twitter.com/AMvKmC58GE— PFL (@PFLMMA)
June 22, 2024
Miranda Outstrikes Freire
Former Bellator MMA lightweight champion Patricky
Freire stayed winless inside the PFL.
Opponent Bruno
Miranda came out swinging wildly, allowing “Pitbull” to clip
his fellow Brazilian with an overhand right that rocked him. Both
men settled into the fight as Freire (25-13) wound up getting a
takedown and securing back control. Miranda (16-5) would start
finding more success in the second round as his heavy punching
combinations stunned Freire. The older “Pitbull” brother would
fight more intelligently in the final five minutes, getting a
takedown, but Miranda was able to get back to his feet and do
damage in the closing minute.
Judges awarded Miranda a split decision win with scores of 29-28,
28-29 and 29-28 in his favor.
Wilkinson Edges Out Silveira
One of the card’s most anticipated fights saw 2022 light
heavyweight champion Rob
Wilkinson go up against the dangerous Joshua
Silveira.
“Razor” found success early in the clinch, using his muscular build
to control Silveira (13-3) and eventually get a takedown. Wilkinson
(19-2, 1 NC) would continue his dominance in the second frame as
well, dragging his foe to the floor several times. The Australian
stayed out of damage in the final round, although Silveira would
provide two scares with a guillotine choke and a back take.
Ultimately, the judges preferred the work of Wilkinson, who took a
split decision with scores of 29-28, 28-29 and 29-28. With the
victory, the former champ advanced to the playoffs with 9 points.
However, don’t feel bad for Silveira, as the 31-year-old will go up
against Kasanganay in the playoffs.
Yagshimuradov Cruises Past Biyong
Dovletdzhan
Yagshimuradov clinched a light heavyweight playoff spot by
winning a clear decision over Simon
Biyong.
Both men came out looking tentative, which was an issue for Biyong
(9-5) as he needed a first-round finish for any chance at a playoff
spot. In clear control, Yagshimuradov (23-7-1) easily kept his
opponent at bay, using kicks and a superior jab to keep his
distance. The Italian fighter would give up several takedowns in
the final round, allowing “Wolfhound” to take a one-sided unanimous
decision with 30-27 scorecards across the board.
With three extra points for the win, Yagshimuradov moved on to the
playoffs with 9 points overall this season and will face off
against Wilkinson.
Polizzi Upsets Carlos Jr.
The opening main card fight saw Antonio
Carlos Jr. take on Alex
Polizzi at light heavyweight in a back-and-forth affair.
The Brazilian wasted little time showing off his impressive
grappling as he took the back of Polizzi (11-4). However, Carlos
Jr. (16-5, 2 NC) wasn’t able to secure a submission, and “Eazy”
started to find more success in the second round as he was able to
stuff takedowns and do some damage in the process. It all came down
to the final round, which saw “Shoeface” wind up on the bottom and
take plenty of punches from the American.
Polizzi received a unanimous decision victory with three scorecards
of 29-28 in his favor but didn’t make the playoffs as he had racked
up just three points this season.
2024 PFL 5 Prelim Results:
In preliminary action, Brent
Primus put away Solomon
Renfro
with a rear-naked choke, securing the tap at 3:21 of Round 3
and earning a lightweight playoff spot; Sadibou Sy
finished off an exhausted Andrew
Sanchez late in Round 3,
picking up a TKO win via punches at the 4:02 mark; Gadzhi
Rabadanov used takedowns to control Elvin
Espinoza, secure a spot in the playoffs and earn a unanimous
decision win with a trio of 30-27 scorecards; In a back-and-forth
contest, Adam
Piccolotti eked out a split decision win over Michael
Dufort (29-28, 28-29, 29-28), who still made it into the
playoffs and will face off against Rabadanov; Sergio
Cossio picked up a unanimous decision win over Anthony
Romero with three 29-28 scorecards in his favor; and Brahyan
Zurcher knocked out Julian Ruiz