Kayla
Harrison’s second Professional Fighters League run for gold went
even smoother than her first.
Taking on Taylor
Guardado (3-2, 3-1 PFL) for the women’s lightweight throne in
PFL, Harrison’s victory was never in much doubt. A massive -4000
favorite coming into the
PFL Championship main event, Harrison (12-0, 11-0 PFL) still
managed to impress by handling Guardado on the ground en route to a
textbook armbar. The second attempt proved to be the one to elicit
the tap, with Guardado surrendering at 4:00 of the second round to
crown the 2021 PFL season queen.
Guardado started aggressively, hoping to throw Harrison off-balance
by striking first. A few quick punches forced Harrison to
reconsider her approach and clinch up in the center of the cage,
and the clinch turned into a trip takedown in rapid succession.
Guardado held on and defended herself from damage and submission
attempts, which came early and often from the unbeaten judoka.
Guardado made it out of the first round, including suffering an
emphatic throw that put her on her back with seconds left.
The second round began similarly to the first, with the two
hesitantly testing out their striking before the grappling
inevitably ensued. A blocked head kick from Harrison allowed her to
close the distance, so that she could trip Guardado to her back.
From there, Guardado was never able to get back on her feet until
the fight ended. Harrison swiftly chained from submission to
striking to open the other up, all while methodically advancing her
position. When Harrison took mount, it was all over, as she
smoothly transitioned to an armbar to end the night. Guardado
had no choice but to tap out at the four-minute mark.
Harrison is now one of a small number of repeat PFL champions, and
she earned her 12th win as a pro having finished each of her four
foes in 2021 within two rounds.
Cooper Obliterates Magomedkerimov in Huge Comeback
Signs did not look great in the rematch between Ray Cooper
III (24-7-1, 11-2-1 PFL) and Magomed
Magomedkerimov (28-6, 11-1 PFL) for the Hawaiian, who found
himself in trouble in the third round. Hurt with his back against
the cage, Cooper shocked the world with a devasting combination
that knocked Magomedkerimov out cold. A few follow-up punches were
merely academic when Magomedkerimov’s head hit the canvas, and Gary
Copeland waved off the welterweight championship affair at 3:02 of
Round 3.
The first round did not go to Cooper’s liking, eating heavy shots
and succumbing to a takedown midway through the period. Cooper
protected himself from harm by latching on to Magomedkerimov to
force a standup, and he turned the tables in Round 2 by taking
Magomedkerimov down. Getting off some solid ground-and-pound,
Cooper showed he had learned much since their first meeting. As the
third round began, Cooper walked face-first into a big right hand,
and he turned the disadvantageous situation into a successful
takedown. As the Dagestani fighter returned to his feet, his hands
looked sharp, marking Cooper’s face up with blow after powerful
blow. Cooper’s mouth hung open as it might have suffered
some damage, but he gritted his teeth and swung back with an
enormous right hand that sent Magomedkerimov reeling. A few more
blistering strikes sent Magomedkerimov crashing to the canvas, who
ultimately suffered the first knockout loss in his career.
Successfully exacting revenge, Cooper became a two-time PFL
Championship titleholder, having won the previous season in the
tournament-based league.
Montes Upsets Ex-Boxing Champ Shields
The vaunted boxing of Claressa
Shields (1-1, 1-1 PFL) was barely on display thanks to gritty
grappling from PFL newcomer Abigail
Montes (3-0, 1-0 PFL). The red-haired fighter from Mexico
constantly pressed Shields into the fence, and eventually scored
takedowns to plant Shields firmly on her back. The action proved to
be close for all three rounds, and although Shields earned a 29-28
score, Montes’ two 29-28 counts in her favor awarded “Brave” the
split decision win.
Any signs of success on the feet for Shields were quickly thwarted
as Montes pinned her opponent to the cage wall again and again. The
first round saw one brief surge of offense from the boxer until
Montes tied her up for the remainder of it. In the second frame,
Montes was able to hit a takedown towards the midpoint of the
round, and her ground control served effective enough to halt any
meaningful attacks from her foe. The final five-minute stretch
played out largely like the second stanza, until Montes claimed
mount and rained down blows right to the final bell.
“Brave” stayed perfect as a professional, earning her third win in
as many tries, while handing Shields her first defeat in her own
young MMA career.
Striker Cappelozza Outlasts Grappler Delija
Incredible back-and-forth action for the first two-plus rounds
treated fans watching in the building and on television as Bruno
Henrique Cappelozza (14-5, 4-0 PFL) went all-out against
Ante
Delija (19-5, 3-2 PFL) in their rematch. The action slowed as
both heavyweights fatigued, but when the dust settled, Cappelozza
earned a unanimous nod from the judges courtesy of 49-45, 49-45 and
48-46 tallies.
Delija was never out of the fight, even after taking major damage
in the opening frame from a barrage of punishment from the
Brazilian. A giant hematoma and other wounds on his face did not
deter him from coming back in the second frame, where he rocked his
opponent and they went to battle for that five-round stretch. As
they slowed, grappling reigned supreme as Delija attempted
takedowns for the remainder of the rounds. Both men had the other
on their back for a time, but neither found themselves able to
mount fight-ending offense. Fighting to pure exhaustion, the two
heavyweights competed right to the final bell.
Cappelozza earned the first decision win of his 19-fight career,
with all of his previous victories coming by knockout. Following
his million-dollar triumph, the Brazilian was informed of
heartbreaking news, as his father passed away over the weekend
before his championship bout.
Khaybulaev Stifles, Outgrapples Wade for Featherweight
Gold
Movlid
Khaybulaev (19-0-1, 1 NC; 5-0-1, 1 NC PFL) will leave Florida a
million dollars richer after suffocating top control and clean
counterstriking led him to a clean-cut unanimous decision over
Chris
Wade (20-7, 8-5 PFL). At the end of their grueling 25-minute
affair, the judges handed in matching three scorecards of 50-45 in
favor of Khaybulaev.
Wade showed toughness and resilience, but unrelenting takedowns and
mat returns grounded him for much of the fight. Control time swung
massively in the Dagestani grappler’s favor, wrestling Wade down
and wrenching him back down to the canvas as Wade continued to try
to explode out of bad situations. After slipping Wade’s best
strikes and countering with crisp right hands early, the fight
found itself on the mat more often than not as the bout progressed.
More often than not, Khaybulaev led the dance, reversing Wade any
time he temporarily gained an advantageous position. The unbeaten
fighter proved to be a puzzle officially yet to be solved.
Khaybulaev makes good on a successful PFL campaign that began in
2019, when a defeat in the playoffs later overturned to a no
contest ended his run two years ago.
Opportunistic Carlos Jr. Throttles Hamlet
American Top Team mainstay Antonio
Carlos Jr. submitted Marthin
Hamlet with a first-round rear-naked choke, as he walked away
with the 2021 light heavyweight championship and the accompanying
$1 million prize. Hamlett (8-3, 2-2 PFL) conceded defeat 3:49 into
Round 1.
Carlos Jr. (13-5, 3-0 PFL) pecked away with jabs, withstood a
counter left hook from the Norwegian wrestler that sent him
somersaulting backward and waited for an opening to present itself.
He followed a right hand into a clever takedown and immediately
climbed to the back, securing his position with a standing body
triangle. Hamlet tried to spin free but only wandered deeper
into danger, leaving his neck exposed in his haste to eject the
Brazilian. Carlos Jr. calmly ensnared the Frontline Academy rep in
the choke and left him no choice but to tap.
The 31-year-old Carlos Jr. has now delivered 10 of his 13 career
victories by submission, six via rear-naked choke.
Manfio Outduels Radzhabov for Lightweight Crown
Stinging kicks to the lower leg, sublime takedown defense and a
devastating clinch game spurred American Top Team’s Raush
Manfio to a five-round unanimous decision over Loik
Radzhabov, as he laid claim to the 2021 PFL lightweight
championship and the life-altering $1 million prize attached to it.
All three cageside judges scored it for Manfio (15-3, 4-0 PFL):
48-46, 48-46 and 49-46.
Radzhabov (15-4-1, 4-4-1 PFL) fought valiantly in defeat, but his
inability to put the Brazilian on the mat left him in a
less-than-desirable situation. Manfio chipped away at his base with
kicks, cut loose with body-head combinations and kept pace with the
Tajikistani’s notoriously high output. He turned a corner in Round
4, where he ripped punches to the body in open space and excelled
at close range, where he unleashed with dirty boxing, mixed in
sneaky foot sweeps and drove knees into the head, chest, solar
plexus and liver. Radzhabov appeared to be a spent force at the
start of the fifth period but nevertheless pressed forward with
punches in a bid to shift momentum in his favor. Those efforts
ultimately failed.
Manfio will ride a four-fight winning streak into his 2022
campaign.
Young Rallies, Vanquishes Akhmedov
Jordan
Young staged a remarkable comeback and put away American Top
Team stablemate Omari
Akhmedov with punches in the third round of their light
heavyweight confrontation. Young (12-2, 1-1 PFL) brought it to a
dramatic and emphatic close 92 seconds into Round 3.
Akhmedov (21-7-1, 0-1 PFL) largely controlled the first 10 minutes
with two- and three-punch combinations, leg kicks, clinches and
takedowns. However, he appeared to run out of steam after the
middle stanza, where he floored Young with a leg kick, advanced to
the back and threatened with a rear-naked choke. Akhmedov’s
inability to shut the door proved costly. Young looked like a new
man in Round 3, where he picked apart the Dagestani sambo practitioner
with right hands, felled him with a slashing uppercut and prompted
the stoppage with follow-up blows.
The victory was Young’s first since July 12, 2019 and halted a
two-fight losing streak.
Budd Takedowns Sink Young
Well-timed takedowns, positional control and intermittent
ground-and-pound carried former Bellator MMA champion Julia Budd to
a unanimous decision over Kaitlin
Young in a three-round women’s lightweight tilt. All three
cageside judges scored it 30-27 for Budd (16-3, 1-0 PFL), who could
conceivably serve as an interesting foil for Harrison in 2022.
Young (12-12-1, 1-2 PFL) was surprisingly effective in the early
standup exchanges and even mixed in a takedown of her own in Round
1, but she could not stay upright long enough to make meaningful
headway. Budd secured takedowns in the second and third rounds,
drowned her American counterpart with stifling top control and
piled up points with short punches and shoulder strikes.
The 38-year-old Budd has won 14 of her past 15 bouts.
Madge Choke Submits Williams
Ultimate Fighting Championship veteran Don Madge
breezed through his promotional debut after a two-year absence, as
he submitted Nathan
Williams with a rear-naked choke in the second round of their
lightweight pairing. Madge (10-3-1, 1-0 PFL) drew the curtain 2:15
into Round 2.
Williams (12-8, 0-1 PFL) executed takedowns in both rounds but
failed to bottle up the Fight Fit Militia export on the ground.
Madge rolled into an omoplata reversal in the second period,
advanced to his counterpart’s back and secured his position with a
body triangle. From there, he turned his attention to the choke, tightened his
Brazilian jiu-jitsu brown belt-level squeeze and forced the
tapout.
Madge, 30, has rattled off seven consecutive victories, six of them
finishes.