The 2023
Professional Fighters League playoffs kicked off at the Boeing
Center in San Antonio with semifinals at light heavyweight and
featherweight, with the rest of the card showcasing various
prospects, a few of which were indeed brilliant.
In the
PFL 7: 2023 Playoffs main event, featherweight top seed
Bubba
Jenkins went to war with superb upstart Jesus
Pinedo of Peru. Jenkins is a former NCAA Division 1 wrestling
champion and has had continual success in the PFL since joining
them in 2021, though the $1 million prize has thus far eluded him.
Last year, he finished runner-up to Brendan
Loughnane, who knocked him out in the fourth round. Speaking of
Loughnane, he was the heavy favorite this year, but was knocked out
of the fight and playoffs alike thanks to a 94 second beating by
unheralded Peruvian Jesus
Pinedo two months ago, who recently turned 27 years old. Pinedo
struggled to make weight against Jenkins, weighing 0.4 pounds over
the limit. This also meant he would be penalized a point in the
judging. However, it didn’t remotely matter. Jenkins had trouble
taking Pinedo down, and even when he did, his younger foe quickly
got back to his feet. Meanwhile, Pinedo landed bomb after bomb
against Jenkins, whether in the form of punches or knees. Jenkins
showed great heart, managing to barely survive Round 1 before being
continually hurt throughout the second stanza, reeling across the
cage. Finally, referee Kerry Hatley mercifully waived off the
contest at 4:40 of the second, saving Jenkins from further
punishment.
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In the co-main event,
American Top Team grappling ace Josh Silveira battled the
always tough and game Ty Flores.
Silveira is the son of vale tudo pioneer and ATT head coach
Marcus
Silveira, and had finished all four of his victories in the
PFL, proving himself a deadly grappler. His lone professional
defeat came in the PFL semifinals last year, being outpointed by
former
Ultimate Fighting Championship contender Omari
Akhmedov. Silveira improved upon that mark by blasting Flores
with knees at the end of the first round, one concussive blow after
another, calling to mind Wanderlei
Silva‘s UFC debut against Tony Petarra.
In the post-fight interview, he encouraged the crowd to watch the
hit film “Sound of Freedom.”
Earlier, the other PFL featherweight finalist was determined when
undefeated Brazilian phenom Gabriel
Braga met perennial PFL contender Chris Wade.
Braga is only 25 years old but already came into the contest with a
gaudy record of 11-0, including retiring former UFC title
challenger Marlon
Moraes in his last outing, knocking him out in three minutes.
Wade has seen many PFL postseasons, with excellent wrestling and
solid striking. It was a back-and-forth affair, with Wade attaining
takedowns and attempting submissions, but never able to keep Braga
on the floor for long in the first two rounds. Meanwhile, the
Brazilian punished him with hard kicks to the legs and body and the
occasional sharp punch upstairs. Wade was fresher for the final
stanza, likely winning it with takedowns, but it wasn’t enough.
Despite a bizarre score of 30-27 for Wade, sanity prevailed as
Braga took the split decision, with the other cards reading 30-27
and 29-28 in his favor. Braga and Pinedo have already fought one
another earlier this season, with the Brazilian winning a
razor-thin split decision over the Peruvian. With both young
fighters clearly improving since then, it should be a magnificent
showdown.
In the other PFL light heavyweight semi-final, monster Norwegian
grappler Marthin
Hamlet, who was a finalist in 2021, faced surging Impa
Kasanganay. Kasanganay had some success in the UFC middleweight
division, but was most known for being the victim of one of the
greatest knockouts in the sport’s history against Joaquin
Buckley. However, he has vastly improved since leaving the
promotion, with big leaps in his grappling and striking alike. He
was riding a four-fight winning streak and at 29, is only getting
better. Still, fighting at light heavyweight now, Kasanganay was
much smaller than Hamlet, with fears about whether he could stop
the takedowns. Early on, those fears appeared valid, as Hamlet
continually took him down. However, Kasanganay got up to his feet
and as the Norwegian slowed down a little, “Tshilobo” uncorked a
monstrous right cross followed by a gorgeous left hook, walking off
before Hamlet’s head had even bounced off the canvas, at 2:24 of
the first round.
Kicking off the main card, undefeated Elvin
Espinoza faced skilled veteran Keoni Diggs,
who had fought frequently in Bellator
MMA. Diggs came in slightly heavy to the lightweight affair,
but it didn’t bother Espinoza, who threw him around the cage with
beautiful judo throws, taking all three rounds on the strength of
his terrific grappling.
In the prelims, Thad Jean
looked spectacular against Ali Omar.
Bouncing in and out of range on the feet, the unbeaten 25 year-old
from Haiti shellacked Omar with hard leg kicks and accurate right
hand counters. He soon connected with several devastating rights,
and as Omar shot for a desperation takedown, Jean sprawled and then
flattened him with powerful, precise punches from top position. It
was over in just under 2 minutes.
Earlier, 33 year-old female flyweights collided when Texas local
Desiree
Yanez faced Lisa
Mauldin. Yanez was favored, being the better wrestler, and she
quickly got a takedown. However, Mauldin soon swept and then easily
tapped her with a rear-naked choke, getting the submission at 3:08
of the first frame. Prior to that, UFC veteran Anthony Ivy
showed his grappling has improved since leaving the promotion,
easily taking down Carson
Hardman and locking in a rear-naked choke at 2:34 of the first
round. Chelsea
Hackett made her much-awaited return to MMA in a female
flyweight battle against well-traveled veteran Ky Bennett.
Hackett is a muay thai champion and had come up short in an
appearance on
Dana White’s Contender Series in 2020, being stopped with
ground-and-pound by Victoria
Leonardo. Still only 23 years old, Hackett showed massive
improvements in her grappling and physical strength. After hurting
Bennett with two huge right crosses in the second, Hackett decided
to change levels for a takedown and it paid off, as she advanced to
mount and won by rear-naked choke late in the second stanza. She is
a prospect to watch out for. Lastly, in the opening fight of the
night, light heavyweights Billy
Elekana and Chuck
Campbell squared off in a close, gritty affair that went the
full 15 minutes. It could have been either man’s match, but Elekana
edged out the split decision.