PFL 8 2021 Play-by-Play, Results & Round Scoring

Round 1

Beginning the night’s fights, Christian “Hollywood” Lohsen (8-2)
takes on Jonas “Joe Nasty” Flok (14-5). Both are newcomers to the
PFL and the oddsmakers have this as a pure pick’em. Referee Gary
Copeland gets the card’s first assignment. Lohsen begins with a
side kick, but Flok blocks in time. Lohsen goes for another one,
and it lands solidly to the body this time. Flok comes forward with
hooks, and Lohsen barely ducks in time. Lohsen throws a right jab,
but Flok blocks. They go in for a grappling exchange, with Flok
looking for a hip throw, but Lohsen shows nice balance to stay
upright. Lohsen is being a little loose with his defense, and he
wades forward, only to get hit with a right hand by Flok. Lohsen
does partially get a left cross through, and soon after, a leg
kick. Flok lands a jab when Lohsen gets loose again, and follow-up
shots by both men miss. Flok lands a leg kick of his own, and is
starting to find his range, firing a 1-2 that touches Lohsen.
Lohsen throws a right jab that gets blocked, but lands a neat body
kick. They get involved in a crazy grappling exchange, where Lohsen
almost looks to have an abdominal stretch. He shows good agility
here, transitioning to taking Flok’s back with both hooks in. They
are on their back though, and Flok has a good chance of turning
into him. Lohsen peppers away with short punches, but is unable to
land anything hard. Flok eventually gets to a seated position and
does in fact turn into Lohsen, but Lohsen spins with it
beautifully, staying in top position and having Flok flattened out.
He lands a few hard punches, but Flok manages to scramble again.
Lohsen briefly looks for an armbar, but settles for ending the
round taking Flok’s back. 10-9 Lohsen.

Round 2

Both men begin the round cautiously, with Flok landing a few light
leg kicks, and then getting a head kick blocked. He fires a right
cross, but Lohsen dodges in time. Flok throws a wild lead left hook
to clinch, and the two men jockey for position against the cage.
Lohsen disengages with a hip-throw and then lands a knee to the
body for good measure. Lohsen adds a leg kick to his work for the
round, too. He is calm, and pops Flok with a jab as he gets into
range. Flok seems a little flustered, unclear of what to do next.
In the meanwhile, Lohsen digs a decent right hook to the body. Soon
after, he goes back to a nice side-kick that lands, too. Flok tries
a head kick, but it is again unsuccessful. Halfway through the
round, Flok lands a leg kick, before Lohsen retaliates with one of
his own. Lohsen peppers him with another jab, and as Flok comes
forward, Lohsen takes him down with a double-leg. Flok tries to
scramble out, but to no avail, as Lohsen is in side control soon
after. Flok, however, rolls Lohsen over when he gets too high.
Lohsen keeps grappling though, and they are in a neutral position
with a minute left. Flok works a guillotine, but Lohsen moves with
it well, with the choke never getting close. Flok keeps flopping to
his back, but it’s unsuccessful again and again. Lohsen briefly
takes the back, but Flok reverses and lands a few punches. They
scramble to end the stanza. 10-9 Lohsen.

Round 3

Lohsen starts the round bouncing, and Flok lands a light leg kick.
A second one, however, is checked. Lohsen lands a leg kick of his
own, but it’s much harder. A few follow-up punches by him are
blocked or dodged. A head kick by Lohsen does touch Flok, though.
They trade left hands, and Flok gets the better of it. Flok reaches
for a left jab to the body which touches Lohsen. Lohsen responds
with another hard leg kick. Flok partially catches Lohsen with a
head kick coming forward, but Lohsen gets yet another takedown in
the process. Lohsen is working in half-guard now, but yet again, is
throwing few, if any strikes, prioritizing a BJJ mindset. Flok
tries to hip-escape, but Lohsen neatly pushes his back back down
onto the canvas. Lohsen steps over to mount beautifully. Flok gives
up his back, and as in Round 1, Lohsen has his back with both hooks
in. Flok turns back around and Lohsen goes back to mount, now
hammering Flok with a series of punches. None are hard, as they’re
not thrown with his body, but they’re not being defended. Suddenly,
due to his depth, Lohsen switches to a triangle attempt from mount.
He then transitions to an armbar that looks very tight. Flok is
very tough though, and follows it. After a second armbar attempt,
Flok defends again, and now finds himself on top. He is in
half-guard, but is doing little. Finally, with a little over a
minute left, realizing he needs a finish, Flok goes for a heel hook
attempt. Lohsen knows how to defend, though, sitting up and
eventually getting into top position. With 30 seconds left, Flok,
desperate to get up, gives up his back again. Both men throw short
punches, more annoying than anything, as the fight ends. A fun
grappling battle, and good win for Lohsen, who is a prospect worth
keeping an eye on. 10-9 Lohsen (30-27 Lohsen)

The Official Result

Christian Lohsen def. Jonas Flok via Unanimous Decision (29-28,
29-28, 29-28)

Round 1

Next up we have Miranda Barber (1-1) against Amanda Leve (0-0).
Despite Leve making her pro debut, she is a massive favorite,
likely a combination of a solid amateur record, being a three-time
BJJ world champion, and Barber’s first round knockout loss to
fellow PFL women’s lightweight Laura Sanchez. Keeping a close eye
on the action will be referee Keith Peterson. Barber begins with a
leg kick, but a second one is partially countered by a straight
left from Leve. Leve looks very raw with her striking though,
throwing uncertain blows with her chin straight up. A flurry by her
causes Barber to retreat, however. Leve lands a leg kick of her
own. Leve partially lands a left cross, as Barber is very passive,
perhaps fearing a takedown. Leve lands a body kick. A spinning back
kick by Barber misses. A head kick by Barber misses. Leve rushes in
with punches, but they all miss. Oddly, she doesn’t take the
opportunity to clinch with Barber. Barber misses a front-kick.
However, as Leve charges forward with her chin high, Barber hits
her with a right hook, although it’s not very hard. However, after
Leve circles around, again with her chin up, Barber catches her
with an overhand right, and this one floors and hurts Leve. She
gets up, but Barber floors her with another overhand right. Leve
desperately clinches, but in the process, takes Barber down. Leve
easily slices through her guard and takes her back. Leve gets both hooks in, switches to a body
triangle, and instantly locks in the rear-naked choke, as Barber
does a poor job of fighting the hands. Barber tries to gut it out,
but she isn’t even trying to turn her head away from the crook of
the elbow. She has no choice but to tap. What a huge and sudden
turnaround! Leve has very effective grappling, but her striking
clearly needs work.

The Official Result

Amanda Leve def. Miranda Barber via Submission (Rear-Naked Choke)
at 4:18 of Round 1

Round 1

Coming up next, Claudia Zamora (3-1), who weighed in at just 148.8
pounds for a lightweight contest, and has fought at bantamweight
earlier this year. Her opponent Marina Mokhnatkina (5-2) went 1-1
in Bellator’s featherweight division, is married to fellow PFL
veteran Mikhail Mokhnatkin, and is a 6-time sambo world champion.
They will be fighting under the watchful eye of referee Andrew
Glenn. They trade leg kicks to begin the fight. Mokhnatkina’s are
more powerful, though. Mokhnatkina throws a 1-2, but it’s slow and
Zamora easily evades. Zamora lands a leg kick of her own. As Zamora
misses a body kick, Mokhnatkina slowly wades forward to clinch.
However, Zamora pushes off and manages to get away, staying at
range. Mokhnatkina goes back to the leg kick, and it bothers
Zamora. Mokhnatkina throws a lazy overhand right, it misses, and
Zamora counters him, though it’s not very hard. Again Mokhnatkina
tries to clinch, with a lumbering approach, but Zamora frames away
easily enough and again thwarts an attempt to get to the ground.
They throw kicks at the same time, and Mokhnatkina slips. She uses
the opportunity to for a takedown, and on her third attempt, is
successful. Mokhnatkina immediately goes for a heel-hook. Zamora
rolls with her and lands punches, but Mokhnatkina turns her face
away. However, Zamora is able to get out. Mokhnatkina follows and
takes her back to the ground. The action slows, as she lands a few
weak arm punches. Zamora works to the cage and then wall-walks back
up, and then breaks off again. With 2 minutes left, we are back to
striking. The action slows considerably, as both are tired.
Mokhnatkina lands a few awkward overhand rights, none of them doing
much damage, but scoring points for the judges. Mokhnatkina is
looking for the counter every time Zamora throws a kick, but she is
often too slow to land. They throw kicks at the same time, but this
time, Zamora falls down. Mokhnatkina tries to get on top, but
Zamora kicks her off. Zamora gets up and Mokhnatkina presses her to
the cage as the round ends. 10-9 Mokhnatkina.

Round 2

Mokhnatkina throws a tentative jab to begin the round, but Zamora
avoids it. The commentators mention both women were tired on their
stools at the end of Round 1. Mokhnatkina lands a solid leg kick
that again bothers Zamora. A wild left hook and follow-up right
cross by Mokhnatkina misses. A couple of leg kicks work, but
they’re not very powerful. Zamora is being very passive, however. A
clumsy front kick by her misses and she almost falls over.
Mokhnatkina lands a calf kick and Zamora looks hurt. Another wild
overhand right by Mokhnatkina gets blocked. They come forward and
engage in a boxing exchange where Mokhnatkina gets slightly the
better of it, although most of them miss. Mokhnatkina counters a
Zamora leg kick with a right cross, and while it doesn’t do much
damage, it forces her on her back to the canvas. However, yet
again, Mokhnatkina is unable to secure a takedown, as Zamora kicks
up, and soon scrambles back up. On the feet, Mokhnatkina throws a
1-2 that misses but lands a follow-up leg kick. Zamora is purely
circling in retreat, very rarely throwing strikes of any kind.
Mokhnatkina lands a body kick that partly gets through. Zamora is
simply refusing to let either her hands or feet go, having gone
almost 2 minutes with almost no offense. Mokhnatkina lands another
leg kick and touches Zamora with a right cross. Zamora tries to
wrestle, but is easily thwarted. Mokhnatkina scores with a solid
jab. Mokhnatkina catches Zamora with an overhand right coming
forward, but it’s fairly weak. They exchange punches, and
Mokhnatkina is the only one who lands. Mokhnatkina misses a wild
overhand right to end the round. 10-9 Mokhnatkina.

Round 3

Mokhnatkina throws a body kick, but Zamora blocks. Zamora continues
circling away on the outside, and Mokhnatkina scores with a leg
kick. They trade jabs, and Mokhnatkina gets slightly the better of
it, as her’s is slightly more stiff. Zamora goes for a kick and
slips, but recovers before Mokhnatkina gets to her. Mokhnatkina
throws a few hooks, but they all miss as Zamora retreats. They
flurry in the pocket, but all the strikes miss. Mokhnatkina misses
a leg kick, but there are no receipts from Zamora, who continues to
throw very little. Mokhnatkina lands a leg kick that almost lands
Zamora off her feet, although it doesn’t appear very hard. A second
leg kick hurts and Zamora clinches, although Mokhnatkina easily
gets her off. Oddly, Mokhnatkina is not throwing many leg kicks,
although Zamora is visibly hobbling on her left leg now. Finally,
she throws one and it lands, badly bothering Zamora. Zamora is
slowly circling away on her hurt left leg. Mokhnatkina lands a leg
kick to Zamora’s right leg now. A jab by Mokhnatkina misses. A
follow-up flurry by her partially lands, as Zamora is extra slow on
one good leg. The pace slows again, as Mokhnatkina looks a little
slow. Mokhnatkina lands another leg kick, and a counter hook by
Zamora misses. A leg kick by Mokhnatkina misses. Zamora tries to
grapple and briefly takes Mokhnatkina’s back, before Mokhnatkina
scrambles back up. Mokhnatkina throws a body kick that is blocked
and then misses an overhand right. It’s a clear win for the Russian
fighter, but hardly an impressive one. 10-9 Mokhnatkina (30-27
Mokhnatkina).

The Official Result

Marina Mokhnatkina def. Claudia Zamora via Unanimous Decision
(30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Round 1

It’s now time for the first heavyweight match-up of the night, as
Muhammed DeReese (8-4) looks to snap a 3-fight skid, all defeats by
first-round knockout, against well-traveled veteran Carl
Seumanutafa (12-13). DeReese will be looking to grapple and
Seumanutafa will want to strike. The oddsmakers have this as a near
pick’em. Referee Gary Copeland will seek to establish order among
the big men, each one twice his size. Seumanutafa leaps forward
with a front kick and a punch that misses, but DeReese uses the
opportunity to clinch. He briefly gets Seumanutafa down, but
Seumanutafa gets up to the cage, as he locks on a kimura grip and
DeReese continues grinding for the takedown. No feeling out here!
DeReese lands a few knees to the thighs of his opponent.
Seumanutafa is holding on to the kimura grip for dear life while
occasionally lifting his left leg. Seumanutafa moves over and
DeReese takes his side. They seem to be in a stalemate of sorts,
with little progress being made. DeReese is reduced to throwing
hammerfists at Seumanutafa’s left thigh. DeReese then goes back to
a few knees to that same thigh, while Seumanutafa just stays there,
holding on to the kimura grip. DeReese occasionally throws light
arm punches to Seumanutafa’s body. Halfway through the round, and
Gary Copeland is allowing them to continue working, although it’s
at a very slow pace. As Seumanutafa is turning more of his back to
DeReese, DeReese lands a few punches to the head, but they’re not
very hard. DeReese continues lightly pepering his opponent with
punches, but nothing significant. Eventually, he gets a single-leg
takedown. Seumanutafa instantly stands back up, though. Finally,
Seumanutafa turns around with the kimura grip, with his side
solidly against the cage. DeReese locks on to a single-leg, as even
the commentators mention it’s a stalemate. They briefly roll on the
ground, seemingly showing progress, but then both men instantly get
back up, clinching against the fence, with Seumanutafa now pushing
DeReese against the cage. The round ends. Very uneventful, but I
guess if I had to choose, it was won by DeReese. 10-9 DeReese.

Round 2

They start more cautiously to begin the stanza. DeReese misses a
jab, and Seumanutafa lands a leg kick. A second leg kick by
Seumanutafa catches DeReese off-balance and partially knocks him
off his feet. A third leg kick lands solidly and DeReese looks to
be in pain. They start talking to one another, which seems like a
waste of an opportunity for Seumanutafa. An inside leg kick by
Seumanutafa finds the mark again, but the wrong one, scoring a low
blow. DeReese winces in pain and gets some time to recover. After
they reconvene, both men paw jabs, but none of them land. A head
kick by Seumanutafa is blocked and DeReese tries one of his own,
also blocked. DeReese lands a leg kick. And after Seumanutafa’s leg
kick misses, DeReese scores another leg kick. DeRese comes forward
and catches Seumanutafa with a hard short uppercut. Seumanutafa’s
chin holds up, but it’s the hardest landed strike of the fight.
They clinch against the cage, and DeReese lands more knees to the
legs. He gets a little more separation after failing on a
single-leg, and this time, lands a more significant knee to the
body. They clinch against the cage, and Seumanutafa again goes for
the kimura lock. This time, though, he cranks it very hard, and
it’s bothering DeReese, whose faces displays significant pain.
DeReese is now in a defensive mode in the grappling. Seumanutafa
uses the kimura grip to throw DeReese to the canvas. DeReese gets
back up but Seumanutafa has his back now, throwing his onw knees to
the thighs and adding some old-school foot stomps for good measure.
Seumanutafa throws a knee to the body that partially gets through.
With 30 seconds left, however, Seumanutafa is largely just holding
on. As the round ends, Seumanutafa tries to elevate DeReese for a
slam, but is unsuccessful. A tough round to score, as DeReese had
the best strike of the round, but Seumanutafa did slightly more
damage overall. 10-9 Seumanutafa.

Round 3

DeReese begins the round with a leg kick that lands. An attempt to
come forward with punches just barely misses. Seumanutafa reaches
with a leg hook that touches DeReese. Seumanutafa finally lands a
hard leg kick of his own and it causes DeReese to fall onto the
canvas. He gets up, but Seumanutafa sneaks in a nice right uppercut
that bothers him. DeReese comes back with a left hook and knee to
the head of his own, a nice sequence. The action is picking up.
DeReese scores on another leg kick. Seumanutafa reaches with a lazy
jab, but follows it up with another painful leg kick that scores.
DeReese’s straight punches are a little lazy, though, and they all
miss. An attempt to score with a knee to the head misses.
Seumanutafa lumbers forward and seemingly falls for no apparent
reason. DeReese takes the opportunity to dive on him and pound him
with hammerfists. Seumanutafa eventually covers up and gets to the
fence, slowly rising as DeReese scores with knees to the thighs and
occasionally, the body. Eventually, Seumanutafa gets back up, but
there are only 2 minutes remaining, and DeReese is draped all over
him. Seumanutafa manages to turn into him, as DeReese continues
working with short knees. With 75 seconds left, DeReese drops
levels, looking for a double-leg lift, but is unable to lift
Seumanutafa. Seumanutafa throws a few solid punches to the body.
Gary Copeland finally separates them with a minute left. DeReese
comes forward, but barely blockes the counters by Seumanutafa. They
throw wild haymakers, very few of them missing. Seumanutafa goes
for a crazy flying knee, but in the process, DeReese takes him
down. DeReese is in half-guard and works for an arm-traingle. It
looks deep, but DeReese lacks the energy to finish it as the fight
ends. 10-9 DeReese (29-28 DeReese).

The Official Result

Muhammed DeReese def. Carl Seumanutafa via Unanimous Decision
(29-28, 29-28, 30-27)

Round 1

In the final fight with no stakes attached, Renan Ferreira (7-2),
whose first-round knockout triumph over Fabricio Werdum was
overturned to a no contest, robbing him of a spot in the
heavyweight tournament as well as a signature victory, battles
tough veteran Stuart Austin (15-6). Keeping them honest will be
referee Keith Peterson. Ferreira lands a hard leg kick against
Austin to start the bout. He follows it up with another hard, fast
one. However, that is just an appetizer, as Ferreira
throws a fast, vicious, and pinpoint accurate 1-2, catching Austin
right on the button and putting his lights out. Wow! Renan
Ferreira is a serious and dangerous heavyweight striker, and it’s
even more of a shame that he isn’t in the PFL playoffs.

The Official Result

Renan Ferreira def. Stuart Austin via KO (Punch) at 0:31 of Round
1

Round 1

Kicking off the semifinal tournament fights, Denis “The Russian
Bogatyr” Goltsov (27-6), who has one of my favorite nicknames in
the sport, takes on vicious striker and Crocop protege Ante Delija
(18-4). Delija made the semifinals despite losing via knockout in
46 seconds in his first PFL regular season bout. Andrew Glenn will
officiate this potentially explosive affair. They start out both
throwing jabs, but it’s Goltsov’s that reaches the mark. Not long
after, Delija shoots, Goltsov defends, and they end up in a clinch
against the cage. Goltsov manages to score with a couple of solid
knees to the body. Delija is grinding, but getting very little, as
it’s a 50/50 position, with both men having an underhook apiece.
Goltsov continues firing short knees to the body, and eventually,
he turns Delija around, now pushing him into the cage. He partly
scores on a knee to the head. An attempt to get Delija off results
in them separating. Goltsov scores with a jab. However, Goltsov
gets a little complacent, and Delija lands a hard left hand that
hurt the Russian. They then go back to the clinch, with Goltsov now
being the one who initiates it. Goltsov eventually gets a reap of
the leg and gets the takedown, landing in half-guard against the
cage. Goltsov has little trouble stepping over to mount, as Delija
is covering up now. Goltsov is patient, taking his time with
punches from the mount. However, he overextends, and Delija sweeps,
ending up on top! Delija is now in Goltsov’s guard, working away
with punches and occasionally posturing up. He ends the round going
body to head with punches. A wild, back-and-forth round. 10-9
Delija.

Round 2

Goltsov begins the round with a few jabs, but Delija blocks them.
Delija throws a right cross, but Goltsov evades. Goltsov continues
to test with the jab, but it doesn’t land. He throws a head kick
that partially gets through, despite Delija blocking it. Goltsov
fires another jab, and this one touches Delija. Delija throws a
left hook that misses, but the follow-up right cross hits the
target, as his double-leg shot is stuffed. Both men end up in a
clinch against the cage, as Goltsov has the better position. He
eventually gets Delija down on another reap of the legs and ends up
in a wrestling ride, landing short punches. Delija covers up, and
Goltsov is just firing away with short punches, keeping Delija
trapped against the cage. Goltsov has nice outside writst control,
and just continues abusing Delija. Delija eventually tries to
scramble up, but Goltsov retains good position, landing a
gut-busting knee in the process. Delija does, however, manage to
retain the clinch position, looking very beaten up. Goltsov throws
and lands another huge knee. Goltsov gets a little overconfident
though, with another attempted otside trip being blocked and ending
up on his own back. Delija is exhausted, only able to offer the
occasional, half-hearted punch from the top. Goltsov tries to
hip-escape, but doesn’t quite have enough energy to manage it. He
keeps Delija in his closed full guard. Finally Delija breaks free a
little and partially lands an elbow. With 15 seconds left, Delija
opens up a little and lands several meaningful punches from the
top. The end of that round saved Delija from a 10-8 round against
him. 10-9 Goltsov.

Round 3

Goltsov, after some feeling-out, pops Delija with a jab. Delija
shoots a double-leg takedown soon after, and for the first time all
fight, it succeeds, ending up in Goltsov’s guard. Goltsov opens up
his guard now, but is content to stay on his back for now. He
closes it as Delija lands a short punch. Delija then lands several
hard punches to the body, which Golstov doesn’t like, trying to
shrimp to the cage. Delija continues working with body punches,
though, finding a rythmic pace that isn’t too taxing. Delija is
content to remain in guard, landing the occasional punch. Goltsov
has his mouth open, possibly too tired to get back up. Goltsov does
eventually get close to the cage, but an attempt to sit up leads to
Delija pushing him back down. With half a round remaining, Goltsov
looks to be behind the eight ball. An attempt for a kimura lock
fails, but Goltsov finally manages to scramble to his feet against
the cage. The pace slows, as both men clinch against the cage,
throwing the occasional knee. They finally break, and Goltsov lands
a jab, and then a knee to the body. However, they clinch again.
Finally, as the round comes to an end, they separate, and Delija
dances away, having seemingly won a major upset. The legendary
Mirko Crocop Filipovic, working his corner, comes out to
congratulate him, as Delija starts crying and falls to his knees. A
very gutsy, if not always rousing performance. 10-9 Delija (29-28
Delija)

The Official Result

Ante Delija def. Denis Goltsov via Unanimous Decision (29-28,
29-28, 29-28)

Round 1

In the semifinals of the women’s lightweight tournament, Mariana
Morais (17-11), who initially failed to qualify for the PFL
postseason, is a late replacement for Larissa Pacheco, and is only
a small underdog against Taylor Guardado (2-1), both of whose
professional victories have occurred in the PFL, and who is only
one win away from fighting for $1 million. Referee Gary Copeland
will preside over this one. Guardado begins the fight landing
several leg kicks. Morais seeks to counter, but isn’t quite finding
the mark. A leg kick by Guardado is met with several lunging hooks
by Morais, but in the process, she gets into the clinch. Guardado
gets her down, but Morais scrambles back up to her feet. They
clinch against the cage, and it’s now Morais with a nice hip-toss,
getting Guardado down and landing in side-control. Guardado gets
back to half-guard. Morais postures up and looks to be going for a
guillotine. Guardado takes the opportunity to explode up and push
her against the cage. Morais goes for another hip toss attempt, but
this one is blocked. Halfway through the round, and it’s a
stalemate as Guardado grinds Morais against the fence. Each woman
has an underhook apiece. Guardado fires a few knees to the body,
but they’re not very hard. Morais responds with a few of her own.
Guardado manages to sneak in a knee to the head, but it just barely
touches Morais, robbed of any power. Guardado is, in general, more
active with knees, and she continues working with them, pushing
Moras against the cage. Morais finally turns her around with less
than a minute remaining. Guardado pushes her back and finally
separates. Guardado lands a jab, and then Morais lands a leg kick.
A reaching overhand right by Guardado misses and Morais lands a
straight punch. Morais touches Guarado with a leg kick but misses
the follow-up punch. Morais misses a 1-2 as Guardado pulls straight
back to end the round. Very tough round to score. 10-9
Guardado.

Round 2

Morais goes for a leg kick, but Guardado steps out of range. A
follow-up, however, lands despite a Guardado retreat. Guardado goes
for another telegraphed overhand right, but Morais avoids it. A
well-timed double-leg shot, however, finds success, as Guardado is
in Morais’ half-guard. She lands a few punches to the body, but
Morais soon gets to full guard. Guardado is relatively passive from
the top now, as Morais throws a few light punches off her back.
Morais makes her way close to the cage, as Guardado is largely
neutralized. Morais, however, keeps herself locked on to the bottom
with a closed full guard. Guardado postures up at times, but is
only able to throw a few minor, piddly punches. Morais, to her
credit, is doing a good job of controlling her biceps. Guardado
gets one arm free and lands a few punches to the body, but nothing
significant. With 2 minutes remaining, referee Gary Copepland
finally stands them up, which makes sense. Morais comes forward
with a right hook and straight left that partially lands. Guardado
throws a 1-2, but it misses. She touches Morais with a leg kick,
but it’s much weaker now. She does, however, land a jab that
partially snaps Morais’ head back. A head kick attempt by Guardado
misses. A 1-2 by Morais misses. A counter right by Guardado touches
Morais, but doesn’t do much damage. A Guardado jab misses. Guardado
lands a leg kick, and just barely evades the straight-armed
overhand right in return. A fairly uneventful round ends. It wasn’t
convincing, but I think Guardado won it. 10-9 Guardado.

Round 3

Both fighters begin the round cautiously. A Morais head kick is
partially countered by a Guardado right cross. Guardado lands a leg
kick. A Morais leg kick hits nothing but air. A Guardado jab into
overhand right misses, and so does a Morais counter attempt. Morais
comes forward and manages to land with a 2-punch combination that
bothers Guardado. Morais again comes forward, with an uppercut that
misses but a straight that lands, as they clinch again, with
Guardado pushing Morais into the fence. Morais manages to turn her
around, though. Guardado gets space and disengages. Morais reaches
forward with punches, but none land. A leg kick only touches
Guardado, little more. Guardado comes forward and clinches, but
again, it’s Morais who gets a nice hip-toss. She ends up in
Guardado’s half-guard, and she has a sense of urgency, throwing
punches to the body and head. None are hard, but they do score
points for the judges. Morais lands a punch to the head and then a
hammerfist to boot. Morais continues landing short little punches.
Guardado tries to rise, but gets pushed back down, as Morais
continues landing short little blows to the head and body. With 20
seconds left, she postures up, and scores some more significant
punches. Guardado tries to sit up to get up, but gets pushed back
down. The round ends with Morais continuing to inflict
ground-and-pound. A very close fight. Guardado clearly won round 2,
Morais won round 3, and round 1 is a toss-up. 10-9 Morais (29-28
Guardado)

The Official Result

Taylor Guardado def. Mariana Morais via Split Decision (29-28,
28-29, 29-28)

Round 1

In the co-main event of the card, dangerous Brazilian striker Bruno
Henrique Cappelozza (12-5), all 12 of whose victories have come by
knockout, faces Jamelle Jones (12-6), who tends to either knock out
his opponent or get knocked out himself. Should be very exciting
for as long as it lasts. The third man in the cage is referee Keith
Peterson. Cappelozza starts out feinting, hoping to draw Jones out.
Jones wants none of the striking and charges in to clinch. However,
in the process, he lands a knee that is very low, causing a
temporary halt. As They resume, Cappelozza lands a brutal leg kick
that badly hurts Jones. He follows it up with a head kick that
almost hits pay dirt. Another leg kick lands and hurts Jones again.
Cappelozza is looking for a killing blow now, and lands a hard body
kick. Jones is purely looking to defend now, solely reacting to
what his Brazilian opponent is doing. Cappelozza lands a right
cross, and after landing another body kick, Jones goes to clinch
again. He lands a knee, and Cappelozza complains it’s low again,
although they separate. Cappelozza is patient and taking his time,
stalking his prey against the cage. Jones comes forward with a
hook, but he stumbles, showing the damage to his leg. Cappelozza
lands another vicious leg kick, and Jones is sitting down, getting
up with the greatest of pain. Cappelozza looks for punches now, but
Jones manages to defend against a few hooks. A Cappelozza jab
partially lands. Another Cappelozza jab misses and Jones partially
lands a right cross. Jones is game, partially landing a body kick,
and soon, a leg kick. Cappelozza goes for a front-kick but slips,
landing on his butt. Jones is unable to capitalize, however. Jones
throws a head kick, but it’s solidly blocked. Cappelozza lands
another hard leg kick, after a lull in his offense. Cappelozza
throws a series of 1-2s that touch the chin of Jones. Jones fires
with hooks, but they’re blocked. As the round ends, Cappelozza
lands another vicious leg kick, throws punches, and then punctuates
it with yet another leg kick. Very impressive. 10-9 Cappelozza.

Round 2

Both men begin the second round cautiously, with neither firing for
the first 20 seconds. A testing Jones punch is easily blocked.
Jones wings a wild overhand right that hits nothing but air.
Cappelozza goes for a 1-2 and Jones barely dodges it. A couple of
Cappelozza jabs touch Jones and Jones explodes forward for a
clinch. Cappelozza gets him off, though, and Jones looks tired.
Cappelozza partially lands a 1-2 and then lands another fantastic
leg kick. Jones is in serious trouble, seemingly unable to move
against the cage. Cappelozza hurts him with a gorgeous straight jab,
and then follows it up with a brutal yet highly technical barrage
of punches. As Jones ducks his head in the fetal position, the
referee has no choice but to stop it. Another fantastic
performance by Cappelozza, who may be one of the very best strikers
in the heavyweight division in any organization. He moves on to the
PFL heavyweight finals and should be a considerable favorite.

The Official Result

Bruno Henrique Cappelozza def. Jamelle Jones via TKO (Punches) at
1:33 of Round 2

Women’s Lightweight Semifinal Bout:
Kayla
Harrison (155.6) vs. Genah
Fabian (156)

Round 1

In the main event of the night, the face of the PFL, two-time
Olympic judo gold medalist Kayla Harrison (10-0) squares off
against New Zealand striker Genah Fabian (4-1). Fabian has improved
a lot since her first appearance in the PFL in 2019, but it’s
difficult to imagine her troubling Harrison much. Referee Andrew
Glenn will get the final assignment of the night. Both women test
the distance to begin the fight, with neither throwing a strike for
the first 30 seconds. Fabian finally goes for a leg kick, but
Harrison retreats out of range. Harrison comes forward and clinches
45 seconds into the round. Fabian is resisting well, managing to
get an underhook of her own. Harrison lands a couple of solid knees
to the body. She looks for a trip, but Fabian hangs tough for the
moment. Fabian lands a knee to the body of her own. Harrison
continues working against the cage, throwing the occasional knee.
She gets an angle on Fabian’s hips, and soons gets a nice
single-leg that gets Fabian down, landing in side-control. Harrison
lands some short punches, and then steps over easily into mount,
with over 2 minutes remaining. Harrison gets some separation and
lands some hand punches to Fabian’s head. She looks for a possible
armbar, but decides to land more punches instead. Fabian tries to
turn her back, but Harrison continues pounding away. Eventually
Fabian turns back, and Harrison continues to brutalize her with one
punch after another. She throws one punch after another, with
seemingly no defense from her hapless opponent. Fabian has to turn her back again, but Harrison is
undeterred, continuing to land flush punch after flush punch. I’m
surprised that referee Glenn isn’t stepping in here, as it’s so
one-sided, and Fabian is offering nothing in the way of intelligent
defense. Harrison continues to inflict more and more
ground-and-pound like it’s a simple cardio work-out. Finally, after
Fabian absorbs some unnecessary punishment, the referee finally
stops it. Another dominant, one-sided win for Kayla
Harrison.

The Official Result

Kayla Harrison def. Genah Fabian via TKO (Punches) at 4:01 of Round
1