Clay Collard gets a 2nd knockdown!!! Can
Pettis survive the 2nd round?!?!#2021PFL1
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April 24, 2021
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The
Professional Fighters League threw plenty of promotional heft
behind Anthony
Pettis after he signed as a free agent in February. Perhaps
more attention should have been paid to Clay
Collard.
Damaging power punching combinations and merciless forward pressure
spurred Collard to a unanimous decision over the former
Ultimate Fighting Championship and
World Extreme Cagefighting titleholder in the
2021 PFL 1 headliner on Friday at the Ocean Casino Resort in
Atlantic City, New Jersey. Scores were 29-27, 29-27 and 29-28, all
for Collard (19-8, 1-0 PFL).
Pettis (24-11, 0-1 PFL) spent much of the first round striking off
of his back foot, as he attempted to counter his opponent’s
aggression with leg and body kicks. He twice wound up on his back
eating punches and leg kicks from an upright Collard, who refused
invites into his full guard. The middle stanza was decisive.
Collard targeted the Milwaukee native’s body, floored him twice
with punches and seemed to be nearing the finish line. Pettis
survived, drawing upon every ounce of guile he had stored in his
5-foot-10 frame. It nearly paid off. Pettis had “Cassius Clay”
reeling with a head kick and flying knee late in the third round,
but his attempts to close the deal went for naught. Collard managed
to clear the cobwebs and ride out the remaining time.
In the lightweight co-main event, a hyperaggressive Marcin Held
excelled in his promotional debut and laid claim to a unanimous
decision over two-time PFL champion Natan
Schulte. All three cageside judges scored it 29-28 for Held
(27-7, 1-0 PFL), who has rattled off five consecutive
victories.
Held pieced together multi-punch combinations from the start,
choosing to engage the Brazilian judoka in the standup. Schulte
(20-4-1, 9-1-1 PFL) answered with kicks to the Polish submission
specialist’s lower legs, but those efforts provided a minimal
return. Held’s output dwindled somewhat in the second round, though
he did manage to sneak in a takedown to keep his opponent
off-balance. Schulte connected with chopping punches in the third,
appeared to rattle the Pole with a straight right and later backed
him up with a left hook. However, the finish he needed was never
within reach.
The setback was Schulte’s first in more than four years.
Meanwhile, Movlid
Khaybulaev remained undefeated and did so in overwhelming
fashion, as he walked away with a lopsided unanimous decision over
Dana White’s Contender Series alum Lazar
Stojadinovic in a three-round featherweight feature. Khaybulaev
(16-0-1, 2-0-1 PFL) swept the scorecards with 30-27 marks across
the board.
Stojadinovic (14-8, 0-1 PFL) was a non-factor. Khaybulaev secured
takedowns in all three rounds, moved freely from one position to
the next and applied his ground-and-pound with varying degrees of
intensity. The 30-year-old appeared to be close to a stoppage near
the end of Round 1, where he battered Stojadinovic with punches and
framed a kimura in the waning seconds. While the finish failed to
materialize, Khaybulaev handled his business like a pro over the
final 10 minutes and left no doubt regarding who was the superior
fighter.
Finally, Bubba
Jenkins leaned on a suffocating clinch, timely takedowns and
effective ground-and-pound, as he took a unanimous decision from
two-time PFL champion Lance
Palmer in a three-round featherweight showcase. All three
cageside judges scored it the same: 30-27 for Jenkins (15-4, 1-0
PFL).
Palmer (22-4, 11-1 PFL) appeared to get caught off-guard by the
former NCAA wrestling champion’s confidence and persistance. He
spent much of the 15-minute match in a state of retreat. Jenkins
set the tone with a strong first round, where he executed a
takedown and eventually advanced to the Ohio State University
graduate’s back, cementing his position with hooks. Palmer saw his
best chance at victory come and go in Round 3, as he threatened
with a guillotine choke that ultimately went nowhere.
The loss was Palmer’s first since March 18, 2017 and closed the
book on his 11-fight winning streak.
In other action, Brendan
Loughnane (20-3, 3-0 PFL) cut down Sheymon
Moraes (11-5, 0-1 PFL) with punches 2:55 into the first round of their
featured featherweight prelim; Raush
Manfio (12-3, 1-0 PFL) was awarded a split decision—28-29,
29-28, 29-28—over Joilton
Lutterbach (34-9, 0-1 PFL) in a three-round affair at 155
pounds; Akhmed
Aliev (20-6, 3-2 PFL) captured a unanimous verdict against
Mikhail
Odintsov (18-3, 0-1 PFL) in a three-round lightweight tilt,
earning 29-28 scores from all three cageside judges; Chris Wade
(18-6, 6-3 PFL) laid claim to a unanimous decision over Anthony
Dizy (13-4, 0-1 PFL) in a three-round confrontation at 145
pounds, sweeping the scorecards with 29-28 nods across the board;
Tyler
Diamond (12-1, 1-0 PFL) took a unanimous verdict over Sung Bin Jo
(9-2, 0-1 PFL) in a three-round featherweight battle, drawing 30-27
marks from all three judges; and Alex
Martinez (8-0, 1-0 PFL) eked out a split decision—29-28, 28-29,
30-27—over Loik
Radzhabov (13-3-1, 2-3-1 PFL) in a three-round lightweight
clash. 
