9:03 pm | August 8, 2019 | Go to Source | Author:
The final night of the PFL’s regular season sees the return of the heavyweights and light heavyweights. With fewer finishes than their lighter counterparts in the first round of fights, playoff positioning and seeding are wide open for the taking Thursday night in Atlantic City.
Action started with five fights on ESPN2, highlighted by a pair of showdowns between the front-runners in each division. At light heavyweight, Bozigit Ataev, who opened PFL 3 with a first-round TKO of Dan Spohn, got dropped in the first round Emiliano Sordi, who locked up the No. 1 seed in the light heavyweight division. In the heavyweight division, Denis Goltsov dominated Kelvin Tiller for two rounds and ultimately finished the fight in the second round with a neck crank — locking up the top seed in his own right.
The remainder of the card is on ESPN+, with six fights set to determine how the rest of the heavyweight and light heavyweight playoff brackets shake out. The second half of the show also featured a showcase bantamweight bout between rising star (and cousin of Khabib Nurmagomedov) Umar Nurmagomedov and Sidemar Honorio, which Nurmagomedov won going away by unanimous decision.
Marc Raimondi is breaking down the action live throughout the night.
Satoshi Ishii (3 points) vs. Jared Rosholt (0 points) (heavyweight)
Fight in progress…
Vinny Magalhaes (6 points) def. Rakim Cleveland (0 points) via first-round submission (armbar) (light heavyweight)
The old Vinny Magalhaes is back. After two straight losses in the PFL, Magalhaes returned to his old form, submitting Rakim Cleveland with an armbar at 1:56 of the first round.
Magalhaes needed a victory here — and he did one better. The former Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu world champion earned 6 points and the No. 3 seed in the light heavyweight playoffs with this win. Cleveland, who went 0-for-2 this season after making the playoffs last year, was eliminated.
Magalhaes landed a takedown right away in the first round, advanced to side control, and then moved to a mounted crucifix with workmanlike efficiency. Initially, Magalhaes attempted a kimura, but when Cleveland defended, Magalhaes turned it into an armbar. Cleveland had no choice but to tap; Magalhaes said he would have broken his arm if he hadn’t.
Magalhaes (19-11) lost to Sean O’Connell in the $1 million PFL light heavyweight final last December when he retired after three rounds. The Brazilian, who lives and trains in Las Vegas, then dropped his first fight of this season to Emiliano Sordi via second-round TKO. Magalhaes, 35, didn’t mess around and get into a striking match Thursday night, though — he went straight to the ground, where he was most comfortable. He’ll meet Rashid Yusupov in the light heavyweight quarterfinals Oct. 31 in Las Vegas.
Cleveland (19-13-1) dropped both of his bouts this season and lost to Magalhaes by first-round submission (by kimura) in the 2018 quarterfinals. The 30-year-old Iowa resident has now lost four straight fights overall.
Viktor Nemkov (6 points) def. Rashid Yusupov (3 points) via split decision (light heavyweight)
Viktor Nemkov did just enough against his Russian countryman Rashid Yusupov to pull out a win.
Yusupov dropped Nemkov with a right hand in the third round and rode out the rest of the way on top. But Nemkov took the first two rounds on two of the judges’ scorecards — giving him the win via split decision; judges scored the fight 29-28, 28-29, 29-28. The first two rounds were extremely close. Nemkov caught a Yusupov kick in the second to ground him, which was the most effective technique of that frame.
Nemkov (30-7) earned 3 points with the win, giving him 6 total for the light heavyweight regular season. Both he and Yusupov clinched playoff berths here; Yusupov’s loss coming by split decision ultimately helped him with the tiebreaker. Nemkov beat Rakim Cleveland in his first bout, while Yusupov defeated Mikhail Mokhnatkin.
Nemkov, 32, has won three straight fights overall, and earned two victories in his debut season in PFL. He avenged a split decision loss to Yusupov from 2016 in M-1 in Russia. Yusupov (11-2), a 27-year-old striker, has lost two of his last three.
Ali Isaev (6 points) def. Carl Seumanutafa (0 points) via unanimous decision (heavyweight)
Carl Seaumanutafa raised his hand while the result of his fight against Ali Isaev was being announced, but it was not to be. The Samoan fighter put on a respectable performance as a heavy underdog. He was hanging onto a kimura attempt late in the third round, but Isaev still picked up the unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) win — and he was the clear choice.
Isaev, a former Olympic wrestler, earned 3 points with the victory, giving him 6 points total and a spot in the postseason. Isaev (6-0) used his wrestling early, nearly submitting Seaumanutafa in the first with an arm triangle after Seaumanutafa couldn’t quite lock in a guillotine choke. It was much of the same in the second.
Isaev, 35, landed a nice spinning back kick, an impressive technique for a 6-foot-3 Russian who walks around near the heavyweight limit, in the third round. Seaumanutafa (12-11) was competitive late, but couldn’t lock in a submission after a scramble. The California resident dropped both of his PFL fights this season and was eliminated from playoff contention.
Maxim Grishin (9 points) def. Mikhail Mokhnatkin (0 points) via first-round KO (punches) (light heavyweight)
Maxim Grishin is making waves in his second PFL season. The Russian fighter starched Mikhail Mokhnatkin with a right cross and finished on the ground at :48 of the first round.
The victory earned Grishin 6 points, putting him at 9 for the season when adding the three points he earned in a close split-decision win over Jordan Johnson at PFL 3. Grishin, 35, clinched a light heavyweight playoff spot with his second win, as well as a high seed.
Grishin (30-7-1) did not lose last year in PFL and is unbeaten in his last eight fights. He fought Smealinho Rama to a draw in the quarterfinals and Rama advanced due to winning the first round. Mokhnatkin (11-5-2) has dropped three straight fights overall and failed to score any points during this season of the PFL.
Muhammed De’Reese (6 points) def. Valdrin Istrefi (0 points) via first-round TKO (referee stoppage due to punches) (heavyweight)
Valdrin Istrefi will rue the day he charged at a recovering Muhammed De’Reese. After an Istrefi kick below the belt, De’Reese took his time in recovering. He had a full five minutes, but didn’t take it all. The moment the fight resumed, Istrefi ran full bore at De’Reese, who weathered the storm, caught Istrefi with a combination, dropped him and finished the fight on the ground.
The wild ending came at 2:06 of the first round. De’Reese earns 6 points for the first-round finish, which was huge, considering he lost his first fight against Kelvin Tiller. De’Reese clinched a spot in the playoffs with the victory.
De’Reese (8-1) won just 13 seconds after the fight resumed after the low blow. The 31-year-old Florida resident is an Ultimate Fighter veteran and won twice in PFL last year. Istrefi (13-4), a 28-year-old from Liechtenstein, went 0-2 this regular season and is out of playoff contention.
Umar Nurmagomedov def. Sidemar Honorio via unanimous decision (non-tournament bantamweight showcase)
The future looks bright for Umar Nurmagomedov. The question is, what’s next for the blue-chip prospect?
Nurmagomedov, the cousin of UFC lightweight champion Khabib, beat Sidemar Honorio by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) in a comprehensive performance. Nurmagomedov’s style is different from his older cousin, though — he’s more of a striker with flashy kicks. But he can also wrestle and dominate in top position, as Honorio found out when he decided to pull guard on several occasions.
Nurmagomedov (11-0) is not part of PFL’s 2019 season. He’s a bantamweight, and the PFL does not have that division right now; this was simply a showcase bout for the 23-year-old. Perhaps in 2020, the PFL will add 135 pounds — or maybe Nurmagomedov could end up in the UFC. Honorio (13-7), a 39-year-old Brzilian, saw a two-fight winning streak snapped with this decision.
Francimar Barroso (6 points) def. Ben Edwards (0 points) via unanimous decision (heavyweight)
Once Francimar Barroso took things to the ground, he had his fight against Ben Edwards well in hand. Edwards, who was making his PFL debut, gave Barroso trouble early on the feet, but Barroso was able to get Edwards down early and often and worked his superior Brazilian jiu-jitsu for a unanimous decision win; judges scored the fight 30-27, 29-28, 29-28 in his favor.
With his second straight decision win, Barroso pushed his total for the season to 6 points, clinching a heavyweight playoff berth.
Barroso (24-7-1) is unbeaten in his last six fights and is someone to watch in the postseason due to his grappling skills. The 39-year-old UFC veteran has not lost since he was in the UFC, back in January 2018. Edwards (5-1-1) missed his first PFL fight due to injury, and with no points in his second, Edwards fell short of a spot in the playoffs.
Denis Goltsov (11 points) def. Kelvin Tiller (6 points) via second-round submission (neck crank) (heavyweight)
Denis Goltsov is the PFL’s heavyweight top seed, and for good reason. The Russian fighter absolutely dominated Kelvin Tiller for the better part of two rounds en route to a neck crank submission win at 3:40 of the second. The victory earned Goltsov 5 points, giving him 11 total for the season and the top spot in the heavyweight playoffs. Tiller came in with 6 points and will also make the postseason.
Goltsov used a devastatingly quick jab early in the fight and Tiller had no answer. Goltsov busted up Tiller’s eye and nose in the early going with the jab, which may have contributed to Tiller repeatedly losing his mouthpiece over the course of the fight. In all, Tiller looked totally overmatched.
Goltsov outstruck Tiller 41-1 in the first. In the second, Tiller landed two takedowns, but Goltsov swept both times and quickly regained control. The second time, Goltsov got into mount and applied a version of the ezekiel choke for the finish. Tiller had to tap.
Goltsov (24-5) stopped Jared Rosholt by TKO in the first round of his first PFL fight this year. The 29-year-old Russian fighter has won five straight fights overall, 19 of his last 20 and seems to be the favorite to win the $1 million heavyweight title. Tiller (11-3) beat Mo De’Reese by first-round submission in his first fight. The 29-year-old Kansas native fell to Rosholt in last year’s quarterfinals.
Emiliano Sordi (11 points) def. Bozigit Ataev (6 points) via first-round TKO (referee stoppage due to punches) (light heavyweight)
PFL’s light heavyweight division has its $1 million favorite.
Emiliano Sordi ran through Bozigit Ataev, stopping him via knockout at 1:23 of the first round — good enough to earn 6 points. Sordi landed a right-left combination that wobbled Ataev, then dropped him with a grazing right uppercut. Sordi then followed up two monster right hands from top position to put Ataev out.
With the stoppage, Sordi (19-8) has a total of 11 points, putting him in the driver’s seat in the 205-pound standings as the No. 1 seed. The 28-year-old Argentina native won his first fight of the season via second-round TKO against Vinny Magalhaes. Sordi has won all of his 19 career wins by stoppage. Ataev (21-4), a 40-year-old Russian fighter, has 6 points on the season courtesy of a first-round TKO over Dan Spohin in his first fight. That result was enough to earn him a playoff berth, although the rest of the night’s action ultimately determined his seed.
Alex Nicholson (6 points) def. Zeke Tuinei-Wily (0 points) via first-round TKO (referee stoppage due to punches) (heavyweight)
Alex Nicholson has new life in the PFL. After a split decision loss in his first fight of the season, the UFC veteran knocked out Zeke Tuinei-Wily at 3:07 of the first round to earn the maximum 6 points. Nicholson landed a step-in body kick that hurt Tuinei-Wily, and followed up with a right hand that dropped him. Nicholson then pounced with punches on the ground to seal it.
Nicholson (14-8), who has finished all of his career wins, clinched a playoff spot with the early stoppage and sits in the top half of the postseason bracket. The 29-year-old Florida native, a 2018 PFL semifinalist, snapped a two-fight losing streak with the victory. Tuinei-Wily (3-3) went winless in his first PFL season and is out of playoff contention.
Jordan Johnson (3 points) def. Sigi Pesaleli (3 points) via unanimous decision (light heavyweight)
Jordan Johnson notched his first PFL win and locked up a spot in the playoffs to kick off the PFL 6 broadcast. The UFC veteran beat Sigi Pesaleli by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) in a dominant performance but could not get a finish, which means he only earned 3 points for the victory — likely leaving him to claim one of the lower playoff seeds in the light heavyweight division.
Johnson (11-1), who lost his first fight to Maxim Greshin, was able to use his wrestling to ground Pesaleli throughout. The 30-year-old Arizona resident went 4-0 in the UFC before signing with PFL as a free agent. Pesaleli (1-2), a 25-year-old New Zealand native, dropped both of his PFL fights this season, but earned 3 points for a walkover ahead of his first fight because Ronny Markes failed to make weight, leaving his playoff status up in the air until later in the night.
Still to come:
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