PFL 4 2021 Play-by-Play, Results & Round Scoring

Round 1

Kicking off tonight’s card, we have nearly even odds for American
Chris Wade (18-6) taking on Kazakhstan’s Arman Ospanov (11-3) at
featherweight. Calling the action will be referee Gary Copeland.
Ospanov starts out circling, occasionally throwing power punches
with bad intentions. Wade soon closes the distance and goes for a
headlock takedown, but Ospanov scrambles out and gets a wrestling
ride against his foe. Wade works for a kimura from the bottom and
eventually gets a sweep. However, he goes for an armbar, which
allows Ospanov to disengage. Both men stand up and Ospanov lands
several solid punches. Wade soon clinches, wanting nothing of the
stand-up. He grinds Ospanov against the cage as the pace slows,
with Wade throwing the occasional knee. Ospanov manages to spin
away though and he gets back on his bike. He tries several fancy
kicks, including a spinning back kick, but they are easily avoided.
Ospanov lands a check right hook as Wade comes forward. Wade is
having a little success with kicks to the body, but his fists are
largely ineffective. Ospanov counters a Wade leg kick with a punch,
but doesn’t put enough force into it to seriously hurt the
American. Wade keeps coming forward and Ospanov circles away, but
Ospanov keeps getting the best of these exchanges. Wade lands a few
leg kicks as the round ends. An entertaining, high-paced stanza.
10-9 Ospanov.

Round 2

The pace is a little slower to begin the round, as both men attempt
fancy kicks that do little damage. Out of nowhere, Ospanov lands a
hard right hand behind the ear of Wade, knocking down and hurting
his opponent. He charges forward with a barrage of punches, some
missing, but a few landing flush. Nevertheless, Wade manages to
survive the barrage and starts throwing back strikes of his own,
showing a tough chin. Then, even more shockingly, Wade lands a head kick when Ospanov awkwardly
leaned forward! Ospanov is badly hurt and Wade lands several clean
punches that finish the fight! What a comeback and shocking
result!

The Official Result

Chris Wade def. Arman Ospanov via KO (Head Kick and Punches) at
2:18 of Round 2

Round 1

In another featherweight clash, UFC veteran Sheymon Moraes (11-5),
who was knocked out inside of 3 minutes by Brendan Loughnane less
than 2 months ago, returns against Jesse Stirn (11-4), who missed
weight. Keeping them honest will be referee Keith Peterson. Stirn
starts out pawing and measuring the distance, while Moraes calmly
waits. Moraes jabs, but it’s blocked. Stirn keeps circling, and a
minute in, neither man has engaged yet. Finally, Moraes lands the
first real strike of the fight, with a solid leg kick. Not long
after that, Stirn lands a beautiful judo trip that puts the
Brazilian on his back. He is already in side-control, and throws
the occasional knee to the body, while Moraes’ hips are largely
square. Eventually, he tries to hip-escape, but is only able to
retain half-guard. However, Moraes works a kimura lock, looking to
sweep. Stirn is tough, however, and stays on top. With 3 minutes
having elapsed, Stirn stays on top, although he has done very
little from that position. Eventually, Moraes gets a sweep of sorts
and stands up, although Stirn remains attached to his back. Moraes
manages to turn around and they’re back in a 50/50 position, with
each man having one underhook each, with 30 seconds left. Stirn
goes for another throw, but it’s blocked. Moraes goes for a throw
of his own and this time, lands some punches and a knee to the body
from it. As the round ends, Stirn gets another takedown. Close
round, but Stirn literally landed zero strikes of consequences and
did nothing with top control. Moraes at least landed a few
meaningful blows. 10-9 Moraes.

Round 2

The two men start the second round cautiously. Moraes throws a few
punches, which partially get through. Then, like a thunderbolt,
Moraes lands a hard right cross that lands flush and drops Stirn on
his butt. He attempts to finish him off with ground-and-pound, but
Stirn gets his wits together and ties him up. Moraes decides to
stand back up. Moraes is attacking with punches now, and they’re
getting through, although none hard enough to hurt Stirn again.
Stirn is openly looking to clinch, but he is wading forward with
his hands down, putting himself at risk. Indeed, one such attempt
leads to Stirn eating a powerful hook from the Brazilian. Moraes
then touches Stirn with a left hook halfway through the round.
Stirn clinches for dear life, but Moraes defends it and disengages.
Moraes lands a nice jab and follows it up with a decent leg kick
soon after. Stirn is rarely throwing, and in the rare moments he
does, it’s easily blocked and evaded. Stirn goes for a trip
attempt, but it’s blocked and Moraes gets a headlock, which
eventually forces the American to bail. Moraes continues landing
with jabs and leg kicks against Stirn, who is very outmatched in
the stand-up. As the round ends, Stirn hits a beautiful hip throw.
However, he is a little too complacent, and from the bottom, Moraes cranks a monstrous
kimura. Not only does he reverse Stirn, but Stirn has no choice but
to tap out! Another shocking, sudden finish!

The Official Result

Sheymon Moraes def. Jesse Stirn via Submission (Kimura) at 4:59 of
Round 2

Round 1

Next up, we have Marcin Held (27-7), coming off a huge upset of
former PFL champion Natan Schulte, facing UFC veteran Olivier
Aubin-Mercier (11-5) competing for the first time in almost 2
years. Watching them closely will be referee Gasper Oliver. Both
fighters immediately start sensing the distance, throwing their
lead hands out. Aubin-Mercier comes forward with a couple of
punches and Held barely manages to dodge it. They then clinch and
Held tries hard to take Aubin-Mercier down, locking on to a
single-leg. However, the Canadian shows excellent balance, staying
upright. Held is unwilling to let it go, however, continuing to
grind him into the fence. Aubin-Mercier finally manages to escape
and they are back at range. Aubin-Mercier lands an overhand left.
Aubin-Mercier continues throwing kicks, but they’re either blocked
or dodged. Nevertheless, Held isn’t landing much offense of his
own. In response to a head kick from the Canadian, he again rushes
forward to clinch, but Aubin-Mercier is wise to it and pushes him
off. Aubin-Mercier comes forward with a sloppy 1-2 with the left
cross coming out as almost an overhanded slap. Some time later,
Aubin-Mercier lands a decent body kick. This time, it’s
Aubin-Mercier pressing Held against the cage, working for a
takedown. Held reverses with a whizzer and they are back to a
neutral position. They finally disengage with 30 seconds left.
After a brief respite to put Held’s mouthpiece back in, they
continue exchanging blows, and out of the blow, Aubin-Mercier lands
a cracking overhand right that floors Held and has him badly hurt.
He begins pounding away, with Held’s head bouncing off the cage
floor. Yet, he finally manages to tie up the Canadian, just barely
surviving the round! Great opening stanza for the Canadian fighter.
10-8 Aubin-Mercier.

Round 2

Aubin-Mercier begins the round aggressively, but Held is evasive.
However, 20 seconds in, Aubin-Mercier lands a nice two-punch
combination and a short while later, a head kick that partially
lands. Held still looks wobbly. Seeking to change his fortunes, he
desperately clinches. For the next 2 minutes, the action stalls, as
Held is unwilling to let Aubin-Mercier go. Finally, the referee
lets go and seperates him. Not long after, Aubin-Mercier lands a
series of straight punches that land solidly and hurt Held, but
they are yet again in a clinch. Aubin-Mercier is now the one in a
better position, though, and with a little more than a minute
remaining, he successfully takes the Polish fighter down. Held
might not mind, as he manages to stall any ground-and-pound from
the top, and starts throwing little annoying strikes of his own
from the bottom. Aubin-Mercier throws a few small punches of his
own, but nothing significant. Aubin-Mercier stands up as the round
ends. 10-9 Aubin-Mercier.

Round 3

Held comes out a little aggressively to start the round, tripling
up on his jab. However, Aubin-Mercier catches him with a nice
counter for his efforts. Held throws a kick, but it seems tired and
weak. Aubin-Mercier then easily evades his follow-up punches. The
Canadian lands a hard jab of his own. Aubin-Mercier then comes
forward and lands another solid overhand right followed by a nifty
left uppercut. Held clinches, and then takes a chance to go for a
heel hook against Aubin-Mercier. It looks tight, but the Canadian
doesn’t panic, spinning with the attempts and eventually getting
his foot out of harm’s way. Aubin-Mercier stands up while Held
remains on his back, scooting forward. Eventually, they restart on
the feet, with half a round remaining. Held is game though, trying
spinning backfists and leg kicks, even if they lack power. He goes
for a desperation single-leg, but he barely even touches
Aubin-Mercier’s body. Aubin-Mercier then lands another solid
uppercut and they are again clinching. Held again spins for a heel
hook, and Aubin-Mercier again spins out, this time grabing the cage
to help himself. They once again disengage and Aubin-Mercier
continues his success coming forward with arced punches. Of course,
the downside is that they soon clinch again. Gasper Oliver breaks
them up with 40 seconds left. Held is game, but eats several
punches coming forward, and then, a head kick that stuns him. The
entertaining scrap ends with Held continuing to come forward. 10-9
Aubin-Mercier (30-26 Aubin-Mercier)

The Official Result

Olivier Aubin-Mercier def. Marcin Held via Unanimous Decision
(30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Round 1

Former PFL champion Natan Schulte (20-4) will look to get back on
track after dropping a decision to Marcin Held when he faces
undefeated Paraguayan Alex Martinez (8-0). Presiding over the
action will be referee Vitor Ribeiro. Martinez starts out boxing
confidently, firing a technical 1-2. Martinez then follows up some
punches with a nice front push-kick that forces Schulte back.
Schulte doesn’t want to strike for long, dropping down in response
to a punch. A wild scramble ensues, and Schulte manages to take
Martinez’s back. Martinez keeps turning, though, but Schulte
responds to his movements as this turns into a pure grappling
contest. Every time that Schulte slows down and looks for a
submission, however, Martinez continues moving. At one point,
Martinez even manages to get a reversal and ends up on top of
Schulte. Schulte immediately stands back up, though, and from the
clinch, gets a beautiful judo throw to drop Martinez on his head.
Schulte has a waistlock that he holds onto, but Martinez is tough
and slippery, and again turns into Schulte. Finally, Martinez
manages to get free and he fires off several leg kicks that land.
The Paraguayan folllows up with several solid jabs as he circles
effectively around the cage. Schulte’s lone strikes are one or two
calf kicks. Eventually, Schulte again clinches and temporarily gets
Martinez down. But not for long, as Martinez gets back up. Out of
nowhere, it’s Martinez who shoots for a double-leg, but Schulte
defends easily. A curious decision! Both fighters are a little
tired from their breakneck pace, but Martinez continues to pepper
Schulte with straight punches and kicks as Schulte lumbers forward.
A tough round to score, with one man scoring with strikes and
another with grappling. 10-9 Martinez.

Round 2

Starting the round, Martinez lands a powerful calf kick that has
Schulte limping badly! Martinez continues to target it, and Schulte
immediately grabs his opponent, taking him down. This time, after a
scramble, Schulte firmly plants Martinez on his back. Martinez is
active from his back, landing many small blows. Schulte postures up
and Martinez takes the opportunity to scramble up. Schulte retains
a waistlock from behind, though, and hits a mat-return. They
continue grappling and Martinez manages to counter and try for his
own takedown. He goes for Schulte’s back but is too high and gets
bucked off. Out of nowhere, they are back in the stand-up. Schulte
continues lumbering forward but Martinez lands a nice punch
combination, albeit not putting a lot of power into any blows.
Schulte continues lumbering forward, looking to grapple. One such
attempt ends with Martinez hitting a nice switch and Schulte is
forced to stand back up. Schulte is coming forward like a
Terminator, and eats some jabs and kicks for his efforts. Schulte
eventually gets another takedown from a waistlock, but Martinez
manages to post up from his knees and get back to a neutral clinch
position. After disengaging, Martinez goes for a risky knee to the
body, but it works. Not long after, Schulte clinches again. These
waistlocks are less successful now, as Martinez is on his feet
instead of his knees. As the round ends, Martinez lands a body kick
and then a 1-2. This is more clearly a round for the undefeated
underdog. 10-9 Martinez.

Round 3

The round begins with Schulte continuing to lumber forward and
being hit with a jab in response. Martinez retreats well and lands
another combination going backward. Martinez then times Schulte
coming forward with a nice knee to the body. Schulte eventually
gets the clinch and throws Martinez down, but he is tired and
doesn’t pursue him, allowing Martinez to immediately get back up.
Martinez continues moving well, peppering Schulte with the
occasional strike. However, he gets a little too confident,
throwing a spinning back kick that partially lands but also allows
Schulte to get a takedown, putting Martinez firmly on his back.
Martinez continues scrambling and finally finds a hip and explodes
back up. Schulte holds on his waist and gets a mat return. Schulte
continues grappling for dear life and keeps re-taking Martinez down
every time the Paraguayan stands up. Schulte hangs on, but isn’t
landing either strikes or threatening with submissions from the
top. Martinez goes for a Granby roll, but Schulte sticks to him
like absolute clue. Eventually, Martinez stands up and makes his
way to the cage. Finally, Schulte scores with a neat inside trip.
Schulte throws a few half-hearted punches, but hasn’t landed
anything significant. They continue grappling, with Schulte simply
refusing to give up the waistlock against Martinez. With the last
few seconds ticking away, Schulte retains control. A very spirited
effort by the Brazilian, but I still have the fight for Martinez.
10-9 Schulte (29-28 Martinez)

The Official Result

Natan Schulte def. Alexander Martinez via Split Decision (28-29,
29-28, 29-28)

Round 1

Ben Duffy takes over the play-by-play for Lev, just in time for a
high-stakes featherweight scrap. Divisional points leader Loughnane
(20-3, 3-0 PFL, 6 points), out of the United Kingdom, takes on
Diamond (12-1, 1-0 PFL, 3 points), who hails from California but is
proudly displaying his Canadian passport. Referee Keith Peterson
motions them into action, and they comply. Both men switch stances
in the early going as they feint and exchange jabs and low kicks.
90 seconds in, they’ve settled into orthodox stance. Loughnane
catches Diamond with a punch combination and Diamond appears to
consider a takedown, but stands back up. Diamond just whiffs with a
huge overhand right, the third or fourth he’s thrown so far.
Halfway through the round and Loughnane lands a glancing left high
kick, followed by a hard right calf kick. Diamond is stalking
forward, but Loughnane is giving ground and landing good counters.
Diamond shoots for his first earnest takedown, running Loughnane to
the fence and trying to secure a double-leg. He switches to a
single, but Loughnane extricates himself and they reset in the
middle of the cage. Diamond tries another double, again ends up
with a single and Loughnane pulls his leg free as the round
expires. 10-9 Loughnane.

Round 2

Loughnane is the one coming forward to open Round 2, throwing kicks
with both legs and snapping his jab in Diamond’s face. Diamond
stands his ground and throws a one-two that fall short. Loughnane
throws a high kick that lands solidly on Diamond’s guard. Loughnane
shoots for a takedown but Diamond sprawls all over it. Diamond
spins to the back, but Loughnane is up, up and away. Loughnane
catches Diamond coming in with a right uppercut that stuns him. He
staggers backward as Loughnane gives chase, looking for the finish.
Diamond goes down and Loughnane stops short of diving down onto
him, choosing instead to throw standing-to-ground punches. Diamond
staggers away and returns to his feet, but he’s hurt badly.
Loughnane pursues, landing punches with both hands. Diamond goes
down again, and as Loughnane moves in to drop strikes, Diamond
grabs a desperation single-leg. There’s not much doing, but he does
get back to his feet. They tumble across the cage, and Loughnane
ends up on top in Diamond’s full guard. Under a minute left, and
Diamond looks mostly recovered, but he’s on the bottom, just trying
to control the Brit’s posture. Loughnane’s pace has slowed, but he
is still dropping heavy punches as ref Peterson looks on closely.
The round ends, an easy 10-8 for Loughnane.

Round 3

Loughnane comes out and immediately shoots a takedown that makes
Dana White’s ears turn red. Diamond shucks him off. Loughnane
crushes Diamond with a short right hand that drops him. Loughnane
follows his man to the canvas, but Diamond grabs one of Loughnane’s
ankles. Not only does it stave off the ground-and-pound, but
Diamond actually secures the takedown! Diamond takes top position
and spends a few seconds recovering before Loughnane gets back to
his feet. Diamond shoots a nice double-leg and Loughnane sprawls
beautifully, but helps himself to a handful of fence while he’s at
it. Peterson stands them up and issues a warning. Loughnane rocks
Diamond with a pair of punches. Diamond wobbles, but manages once
again to survive with a desperation takedown. They scramble, with
Loughnane trying to hit an inside switch, but Diamond ends up on
top. Diamond works from top position near the fence. He looks for
an arm triangle, but Loughnane escapes and they’re back to their
feet. Loughnane rocks Diamond yet again with a pair of punches.
Diamond is still on his feet. Loughnane blasts him with a knee to
the face, then another. Diamond is unsteady on his feet as the
round expires. That fight was a lot of fun for such a one-sided
affair! 10-9 Loughnane (30-26 Loughnane).

The Official Result

Brendan Loughnane def. Tyler Diamond via Majority Decision (30-27,
29-27, 28-28)

Round 1

Former NCAA wrestling champ Jenkins (15-4, 1-0 PFL, 3 points) meets
MMA Lab product Moffett (13-5, 1 NC, 0-0 PFL) in another
featherweight regular season tilt. “Shaolin” Ribeiro is on ref
duty. After a touch of gloves, Jenkins launches an immediate head
kick, followed by a long straight right which doesn’t land, but
allows him to drive Moffett to the fence. Jenkins takes Moffett’s
back standing, then works to drag him to the canvas. Moffett is
game, looking to turn towards Jenkins and briefly looking for a
choke, but Jenkins gets Moffett to his knees and sinks in one hook.
Two minutes in, Moffett still has not conceded full back control,
using a two-on-one to trap Jenkins’s hand. Moffett escapes to his
feet and they separate, but Jenkins comes crashing right back in,
looking for the takedown. Moffett counters with another choke
attempt, and Jenkins gives up on the takedown. Moffett lands a low
kick. Jenkins returns fire with a right hand. Jenkins is in
southpaw stance, Moffett in orthodox. Jenkins steps in and lands a
stance-switching right hand. Jenkins with a switch kick up top at
the horn. 10-9 Jenkins.

Round 2

Jenkins comes out with a flying knee. It doesn’t land solidly, but
same as in Round 1, allows him to close the distance and shove
Moffett into the cage. Jenkins drops for a double-leg, hoists
Moffett and dumps him to the ground. Moffett tries for another
front choke as he’s being lifted, but loses it. Jenkins is heavy on
top of the kneeling Moffett, landing short strikes. He tries to
advance to the back, but Moffett slips away and stands. Moffett
clinches and drives Jenkins to the fence. Now it’s Moffett bending
at the waist, possibly looking for a takedown as Jenkins grabs a
front headlock. Halfway through the round, Jenkins lands a knee,
and they break the clinch. Jenkins drops for a single-leg and hauls
Moffett to the ground. Jenkins working in Moffett’s full guard
against the fence. A minute left in the round and not much going
on. Moffett goes for a kimura and appears to have it locked up for
a moment, but loses it. He tries to stand and gets to his knees,
but Jenkins punishes him with punches the whole way. The round ends
in that position. 10-9 Jenkins.

Round 3

Moffett and Jenkins meet in the middle of the cage and exchange
punches. 30 seconds in, Jenkins shoots for a single-leg. He drives
Moffett to the fence, pulls him down and immediately gets the
outside leg ride. Moffett scrambles away and Jenkins is right back
on him. The PFL booth, saying the quiet part loud, refers to
Jenkins as a “wet blanket.” Moffett with another ninja choke
attempt, and this one is tight enough to threaten, forcing Jenkins
to scramble and extricate his neck. Moffett tries the choke once
more, but there’s nothing there and they return to their feet.
Moffett shoves Jenkins to the fence and unloads with a flurry of
body shots, Jenkins shells up behind his guard as Moffett grabs a
clinch and throws knees up the middle. Two minutes left. Jenkins
shucks Moffett off, and drops for a takedown. Moffett shoves him
away and tries to unload with more punches. 30 seconds left, and
Moffett is coming forward with everything he’s got, but it looks as
if Jenkins will hear the final bell. Barring another awful showing
from the judges, Jenkins should have this one in the bag. 10-9
Moffett (29-28 Jenkins).

The Official Result

Bubba Jenkins def. Bobby Moffett via Unanimous Decision (29-28,
29-28, 29-28)

Round 1

Collard (19-8, 1 NC; 1-0 PFL, 3 pts), fresh off his season-opening
win over Anthony Pettis, faces Brazilian-by-way-of-Germany
Lutterbach (34-9, 1 NC; 0-1 PFL, 0 pts) in the lightweight co-main
event. Gary Copeland is the third man in the cage. They set up in
orthodox stance and exchange low calf kicks and some punches which
mostly fall short. Lutterbach times Collard coming forward and
drops for a nice reactive double-leg. He gets Collard down, but
Collard isn’t conceding the takedown, using butterfly hooks to keep
the Brazilian off of him. Collard pops up but is snared in a brabo
choke. It looks tight! Copeland hovers near the action as the PFL
booth speculates whether Collard has gone out, but he pops his head
out and stands. He nails the kneeling Lutterbach with a punch and a
soccer kick to the body, causing him to scramble up and away.
Lutterbach takes Collard down again near the fence. Collard pops
back up but Lutterbach is stuck to him. Lutterbach is persistent in
looking for the takedown, dragging Collard to his knees and trying
to get a hook in. A minute left in the round and Lutterbach is
still looking for the takedown, Collard still doing a great job of
returning to his feet each time. They separate just before the
bell. 10-9 Lutterbach.

Round 2

Lutterbach drops for a takedown in the first 15 seconds, but
Collard sprawls against the fence and shoves him off. Collard is
the aggressor, coming forward and throwing punches. Lutterbach
lands a nice intercepting knee to the body, but Collard answers
with a punch to the body. Lutterbach tries another takedown,
Collard fights it off, and when Lutterbach is slow to return to his
feet, Collard nails him with another pair of soccer kicks to the
body. Lutterbach stands and Collard is still coming forward,
landing one-twos. Collard lands a hard left to the head, then
another. Lutterbach is feeling those. Collard pushes Lutterbach to
the fence and is met with a body lock and trip takedown. Collard
once again pops right back up. With 90 seconds left, they separate
and re-engage in the center of the canvas. Collard comes in with
punches and backs Lutterbach up to the fence. They clinch, and
Lutterbach trips Collard to the ground again. Lutterbach kneels
over Collard against the cage, but Collard kicks him off with a
foot on the hip. They separate and reset, and a few seconds later
the bell sounds. 10-9 Collard.

Round 3

Collard comes forward to open Round 3 and Lutterbach appears to
have slowed quite a bit. Collard lands a pair of punches to the
body. Lutterbach shoots from outside and Collard sprawls all over
it. Collard stands back and referee Copeland has to motion
Lutterbach to stand. Collard comes in with more punches, throwing
quite a few to the body. Lutterbach comes back with a knee to the
body. Lutterbach shoots another takedown and again Collard stuffs
is. Collard lands a combination of punches, including a nice left
to the head. Lutterbach times Collard’s next entry and gets the
takedown. Collard is on his back, with Lutterbach in his full
guard, throwing punches and elbows from the bottom. They scoot to
the fence and Collard rolls for a leg, working for a kneebar.
Lutterbach defends calmly and when Collard works to stand,
Lutterbach hoists him and slams him back to the canvas. They
scramble to the fence, where the round, and fight, expire. Close
round, but 10-9 Collard (29-28 Collard).

The Official Result

Clay Collard def. Joilton Lutterbach via Split Decision (29-28,
29-28, 28-29)

Round 1

It’s time for the main event, a non-tourney lightweight bout
between boxing star Shields (0-0 MMA, 11-0 boxing), who hopes to
make a successful MMA debut at the expense of Elkin (3-6, 0-1 PFL).
Gasper Oliver will oversee the proceedings. Shields inches forward
as Elkin gives ground. Elkin flicks out a couple of front kicks.
Elkin lands an inside leg kick. Shields misses with a huge sweeping
right hand. Elkin comes forward and, when Shields throws a kick,
drops levels and drives her to the canvas. Elkin is on top against
the fence but Shields calmly gets back to her feet. They clinch
against the fence and it’s now Shields grabbing a body lock and
throwing Elkin to the ground. Elkin sweeps to top position, then
passes to mount, grapevining both of Shields’ legs. Elkin is heavy
on top, chest in Shields’ face, looking to isolate an arm so that
she can drop strikes unimpeded. Shields sniffs it out and
extricates her arm. A minute left, Elkin is still in full mount,
trying to posture up and throw offense. In the PFL booth, Randy
Couture gets in a quick jab at onetime Octagon opponent James
Toney. Shields bucks and tries to get up, but Elkin is secure on
top and starts throwing punches. Some get through, but Shields has
good head movement on the ground and actually throws a few punches
from the bottom before the bell. Largely dominant five minutes of
work for the grappler, but without much damage to show for it. 10-9
Elkin.

Round 2

Shields comes out with another low kick. Elkin comes forward and
Shields throws a pair of huge punches which glance off the taller
woman’s guard. She lands another punch and Elkin drops for a
takedown. Shields elects to try to reverse rather than escape, and
she ends up on the bottom. Elkin uses a knee on the belly to move
into mount, and it’s Elkin in dominant position with two minutes
gone in the round. Shields bridges and tries to hip over, but Elkin
stops it and goes back to work. Elkin throws short punches to the
ribs of Shields, still looking to isolate an arm. Elkin doing a
great job using her legs to grapevine only when Shields tries to
turn. Shields tries to sit up but is blocked by the fence. Elkin
postures up and throws a couple of punches. A minute left and Elkin
is sitting on Shields’ chest, legs almost folded under her, very
high. Elkin peels off for an armbar on the left side, but Shields
extracts her arm, scrambles out and throws a flurry of hammerfists
as Shields clings to a single-leg. The bell sounds. 10-9 Elkin.

Round 3

A tired-looking Elkin shoots for a long takedown in the opening
seconds, but Shields sprawls nicely. Elkin works for it for a
moment but loses it, and Shields gets on top, throwing a furious
volley of punches as Elkin clings to an inverted single-leg.
Referee Oliver is looking on closely. Elkin is inert, barely defending herself and after
probably 30 unanswered strikes to the head, Oliver breaks it
up. A rousing comeback win for Claressa Shields in her MMA
debut.

The Official Result

Claressa Shields def. Brittney Elkin R3 1:44 via TKO
(Punches)