The most significant victory of Renan
Ferreira’s career will likely come with an asterisk
attached.
Ferreira spoiled Fabricio
Werdum’s hotly anticipated
Professional Fighters League debut, as he took care of the
former
Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight titleholder with
punches in the first round of their
2021 PFL 3 headliner on Thursday at the Ocean Casino Resort in
Atlantic City, New Jersey. Werdum (24-10-1, 0-1 PFL) met his end
2:32 into Round, and it was not without controversy.
A two-time Abu Dhabi Combat Club Submission Wrestling World
Championships gold medalist, Werdum struck for an inside trip
takedown, shifted to half guard and appeared poised to move to full
mount. However, the 6-foot-8 Ferreira swept into top position and
immediately wandered into a triangle choke. Werdum tightened his
squeeze while being punched, appeared to elicit a tapout and then
relaxed. Referee Keith Peterson was positioned on the opposite side
and failed to see the apparent submission. All the while, Ferreira
continued to throw punches, and once he was clear of the choke, he
uncorked a volley of hammerfists that resulted in the stoppage.
Meanwhile, two-time Olympic gold medalist Kayla
Harrison kept her perfect professional record intact and did so
in overwhelming fashion, as she disposed of Mariana
Morais with punches in the first round of their women’s co-main
event. Morais (16-11, 0-1 PFL) bowed out 1:23 into Round 1.
Harrison (9-0, 8-0 PFL) was flawless. The
American Top Team rep punched into the clinch, executed a
takedown and landed in side control. From there, the result was a
formality. Harrison transitioned to full mount and let fly
with powerful rights and lefts until the job was done. It was
her fastest finish to date.
The loss snapped a three-fight winning streak for Morais.
Elsewhere, former two-division National Fighting Championship
titleholder Brandon
Sayles returned from a three-year absence and put Mohammed
Usman to sleep with a rear-naked choke in the second round of
their heavyweight feature. Usman (7-2, 0-1 PFL) lost his grip on
reality 3:42 into Round 1.
A competitive first round in which both men had their moments gave
rise to a wild middle stanza. Sayles (6-1, 1-0 PFL) dropped the
Nigerian to his knees with a right hook, threatened with a standing
guillotine choke and reset in open space when the submission failed
to materialize. Another right hook floored Usman a second time near
the base of the cage and set the stage for the finish. Sayles moved into top position, applied his
ground-and-pound and cinched the choke once his compromised
opponent surrendered his back. Soon after, Usman went limp.
Sayles, 40, has rattled off four consecutive victories.
Finally, onetime Jungle
Fight champion Larissa
Pacheco put away Julija
Pajic with punches in the first round of their women’s
lightweight showcase. The previously unbeaten Pajic (3-1, 0-1 PFL)
succumbed to blows 51 seconds into Round 1.
Pacheco (14-4, 3-2 PFL) sat down the Croatian with a left hook
inside the first 10 seconds, flowed immediately into mount and let
her ground-and-pound do the rest. The Tata Fight Team export secured her position,
cut loose with right hands and forced referee Gasper
Oliver to intervene on the hapless Pajic’s behalf.
The 26-year-old Pacheco has won four of her past six bouts.
In other action, Bruno
Henrique Cappelozza (11-5, 1-0 PFL) wiped out Ante Delija
(17-4, 0-1 PFL) with punches 46 seconds into the first round of
their featured heavyweight prelim; Kaitlin
Young (12-10-1, 1-0 PFL) captured a unanimous verdict over
Cindy
Dandois (16-6, 0-1 PFL) in a three-round women’s lightweight
pairing, earning 30-27 scores from all three judges; Genah
Fabian (3-1, 3-1 PFL) laid claim to a unanimous decision over
Laura
Sanchez (1-1, 0-1 PFL) in a three-round women’s lightweight
battle, sweeping the scorecards with 30-27 nods across the board;
Denis
Goltsov (26-6, 4-1 PFL) dispatched Muhammed
DeReese (8-3, 3-3 PFL) with punches 4:21 into the first round of their
heavyweight encounter; Taylor
Guardado (1-1, 1-0 PFL) took a unanimous decision from Helena
Kolesnyk (5-3, 0-1 PFL) in a three-round women’s lightweight
clash, drawing 29-27, 30-26 and 30-26 marks from the cageside
judges; and Magomed
Umalatov (10-0, 1-0 PFL) punched out Kyron Bowen
(9-6, 0-1 PFL) seven seconds into the second round of their
welterweight affair.