Rory
MacDonald could not have been more efficient.
The former Bellator
MMA champion dazzled in his
Professional Fighters League debut, as he submitted Curtis
Millender with a rear-naked choke in the first round of their
2021 PFL 2 welterweight headliner on Thursday at the Ocean
Casino Resort in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Millender (18-7, 0-1
PFL) bowed out 3:38 into Round 1.
MacDonald (22-6-1, 1-0 PFL) executed a takedown midway through the
first round, advanced to the back and secured his position with a
body triangle. He then distracted Millender with a series of heel
strikes to the abdomen and calmly cinched the fight-ending choke
when the Californian lowered his guard. The squeeze was too much
for the CSW product to overcome.
In the welterweight co-main event, Ray Cooper
III submitted Cage Warriors Fighting Championship alum Jason Ponet
with a first-round arm-triangle choke. Ponet (20-14-1, 0-2 PFL)
conceded defeat 1:23 into Round 1, then appeared to briefly lose
consciousness.
Cooper (21-7-1, 8-2-1 PFL) caught a knee strike from the Frenchman
inside the first minute and turned into a slam. He shifted from side control to half guard, at
which point he framed the choke and constricted. Ponet struggled to
remain lucid as the Hawaiian cut off blood flow to his brain but
ultimately had no choice but to surrender.
The 28-year-old Cooper has recorded three wins in a row, all of
them finishes.
Meanwhile, Joao
Zeferino leaned on crisp boxing, a stout clinch and lateral
movement, as he laid claim to a unanimous verdict over
American Top Team’s Gleison
Tibau in a three-round welterweight feature. Zeferino (25-9,
4-1 PFL) swept the scorecards with 29-28 marks from all three
judges.
The plodding nature of the 15-minute encounter did no favors for
Tibau (35-15, 0-1 OFL). Zeferino pecked away with jabs, kept him
off-balance with feints and threw in a few body kicks. He staggered
Tibau with a straight right in the third round, then withstood a
late surge from the hulking
Ultimate Fighting Championship veteran.
Zeferino will carry a four-fight winning streak into his next
assignment.
Finally,
Nova Uniao export Emiliano
Sordi waded through a grueling trench war to claim a unanimous
decision over Chris
Camozzi in a three-round light heavyweight showcase. All three
cageside judges scored it for Sordi (23-8, 7-1 PFL): 29-28, 29-28
and 28-27.
Camozzi (25-15, 0-1 PFL) had the exhausted Argentinian in real
danger in the middle stanza, where he capitalized on a slip,
assumed top position and tore into “He-Man” with ground-and-pound.
However, he failed to exact enough of a toll to secure a stoppage.
Sordi’s superiority in the grappling exchanges and a pivotal
knockdown provided the difference. He dominated the first and third
rounds with a ferocious top game that included sustained bursts of
ground-and-pound and attempted chokes.
Sordi, 30, has rattled off six consecutive victories.
In other action, Antonio
Carlos Jr. (11-5, 1-0 PFL) submitted Tom Lawlor
(10-8, 0-1 PFL) with a guillotine choke 4:43 into the first round
of their light heavyweight clash; Cezar
Ferreira (14-8, 1-0 PFL) cut down Nick
Roehrick (9-2, 0-1 PFL) with punches 37 seconds into the first round of
their light heavyweight encounter; Marthin
Hamlet (7-1, 1-0 PFL) choked Dan Spohn
(18-8, 2-3 PFL) unconscious with an arm-triangle choke 52 seconds
into the second round of their light heavyweight pairing; and
an inadvertent Sadibou Sy
(8-5, 2-3-2 PFL) eye poke resulted in a no contest with Nikolay
Aleksakhin (24-5, 1-0 PFL) 1:56 into the second round of their
welterweight tilt.