It seems the third time was a charm for Elvin
Espinoza.
And just like that, the
Professional Fighters League has a new lightweight prospect as
the Nicaraguan won for the third time in as many tries in the PFL.
After previously winning “showcase” bouts during the 2021 and 2022
PFL Playoffs, Espinoza punched his ticket to the major leagues with
an impressive Round 2 submission of Damir
Ferhatbegovic at
PFL Challenger Series 4. Still unblemished at 8-0, Espinoza
took the first frame on all three unofficial Sherdog score cards
and then
put a stamp on his performance by making Ferhatbegovic (6-3-1), who
missed weight Thursday, tap to a tight rear-naked
choke at the 1:53 mark.
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Former
Ultimate Fighting Championship divisional rulers Tyron
Woodley and Vitor
Belfort were joined by 2014 NBA rookie of the year Michael
Carter-Williams as celebrity judges for the event. Both the celeb
panel and online fan vote handed the contract to Espinoza, who is
expected to compete in the 2023 PFL Season.
Elsewhere, Manoel
Sousa took a split decision from Paulo
Henrique Laia in the co-feature. Sousa kept his perfect record
intact and moved to 10-0 with the win.
Laia, winner of the 2022 PFL International Qualifier Series, was an
inspiration to all observers as he lost his voice and ability to
hear due to a childhood illness; he required non-verbal
instructions from his corner.
Laia, 14-6, escaped a bevy of tight submission attempts including
kimuras, armbars and arm-triangle chokes. Although the official
judges saw the action 29-28, 28-29, 29-28, many, including the
unofficial Sherdog scorers, felt Souza was the clear victor.
King of
the Cage,
Legacy Fighting Alliance and
Dana White’s Contender Series veteran Anthony
Romero cruised to a lopsided unanimous decision against
Antonio
Caruso. All three official judges saw the tilt 30-26.
Romero (12-1) dominated throughout, controlling his opponent with
tight positioning and nearly finished the Australian with a torrent
of punches and hammerfists on the floor in Round 2. Caruso (8-2)
grabbed the fencing to escape and reverse potion; he was
immediately docked a point by referee Larry Folsom for the
foul.
In the evening’s curtain jerker, Charles
Decca outpointed Jose Aguayo
en route to a unanimous decision with scores of 30-27 across the
board. All three unofficial Sherdog virtual scorers saw the contest
29-28 for the eventual winner.
Decca (5-2-1), of
American Top Team, utilized leg kicks throughout the scrap to
hold serve on the feet. Aguayo, of Nick Diaz Fight
Team, had little to offer outside of several failed submission
attempts from the bottom. The Californian dropped to 5-3 with the
loss.