4/13/24: Five Light Heavyweights Earn First Round Finishes At PFL
Also: Two new CFFC champions crowned in Atlantic City
Welcome to a Saturday edition of the Knockdown Daily. Today’s issue is a big one! We have reports on PFL and CFFC, a big news story regarding UFC’s gloves, and a preview of tonight’s monumental card. Let’s begin.
PFL Lightweight, Light Heavyweight Standings Close At The Top Following Finish-Heavy Card
A high volume of early finishes on Friday’s PFL card means that the lightweight and light heavyweight divisions have numerous fighters vying for first place.
The PFL regular season—a series of events where fighters from six weight classes compete twice to score points and qualify for a playoff bracket—had its first event for 155 and 205-pound divisions this weekend. Fighters who won at The Theater at Virgin Hotels in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA this weekend earned three points, along with up to another three points, depending on if they got a finish and how early that stoppage emerged.
Five Light Heavyweights Earn First-Round Finishes
After all five winning light heavyweight talents earned first-round finishes this weekend, it left half of the lineup with the same score at the top of the standings. Impa Kasanganay, Rob Wilkinson, Josh Silveira, Antonio Carlos Junior and Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov all finished their fights within five minutes, giving them each six points in the standings.
Kasanganay hurt former LFA champ Alex Polizzi with strikes early in their main event fight, capping off an action-heavy evening. While Polizzi’s wrestling allowed him to stay in the contest for another minute or so after he was initally hurt by Kasanganay, the damage that he was dishing out eventually made the referee end the bout.
Kasanganay is the sole PFL talent this year looking to go back-to-back with championship runs. He won the 2023 light heavyweight season, scoring four consecutive wins and being Josh Silveira in the finals. His performance on Friday put him back into the win column after losing a champion vs. champion bout against Bellator’s Johnny Eblen two months before.
Wilkinson, who was competing for just the second time since winning his 2022 light heavyweight title, stopped Tom Breese early with a quick combination of shots. Wilkinson landed a shoulder strike while in the clinch that hurt Breese, then connected with a right uppercut that dropped him. He then followed up on the ground with punches until the referee stopped the bout.
Wilkinson tried to go back-to-back as champion last year but was removed from the 2023 season after a failed drug test.
2021 champ Carlos Junior had a quick outing in his return to the PFL cage, getting on the back of Simon Biyong and applying a rear naked choke for a first-round submission. Friday marked the end of a near two-year layoff for the former UFC talent.
Yagshimuradov made a statement in his first PFL fight, disposing of Jakob Nedoh in the first round with strikes. After Nedoh survived more than two minutes of the fight while looking rocked, a right cross dropped him hard halfway through the round and forced the referee to end the bout. Yagshimuradov is now on a four-fight winning streak, including the end of his Bellator run.
Silveira picked up six points due to a sudden injury that 2022 welterweight champ Sadibou Sy suffered in the first round of their fight. Silveira scored a takedown just over a minute into the bout, and the right thumb of Sy was injured upon arrival on the canvas.
Collard, Dufort, Primus Lead Lightweight Standings
PFL’s lightweight division has a trio of fighters at the top of its standings between Clay Collard, Michael Dufort, and Brent Primus after all three fighters earned second-round finish wins.
Collard landed a steady pace of punches in the second round against former Bellator titleholder Patricky Pitbull and continued with a constant stream of blows to the head and body until the referee stepped in and stopped the fight in the second round. The fight was a back-and-forth battle earlier, with Collard getting dropped at one point. Collard will be chasing his first PFL title this year, competing in the season format for the fourth time.
Dufort overcame UFC alum Mads Burnell with a second-round submission, catching him with a guillotine choke after hurting him on the feet with a fast flurry of punches.
Former Bellator Lightweight Champion Primus showed dominance on the ground against Bruno Miranda, getting on his back in both the first and second rounds and pounding away with punches before securing a rear naked choke submission.
Undefeated Elvin Espinoza picked up four points in the first tournament fight of the evening, scoring a third-round switch knee knockout against Adam Piccolotti. The fight was quite close before the finish, with Bellator vet Piccolotti finding moments of success both on the feet and on the ground.
Gadzhi Rabadanov walked away with just three points on Friday night, out-working Solomon Renfro for a unanimous decision win. Tension remained high following the end of the fight, as the lightweights had to be pulled apart after getting in each other’s faces.
If the standings require any tiebreakers following the second leg of regular season fights, PFL does have a protocol to figure out how the rankings get determined. Here is a look at the current standings, plus the quick results:
Light Heavyweight Standings
Rob Wilkinson (6)
Josh Silveira (6)
Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov (6)
Impa Kasanganay (6)
Antonio Carlos Junior (6)
Simon Biyong (0)
Alex Polizzi (0)
Jakob Nedoh (0)
Sadibou Sy (0)
Tom Breese (0)
Lightweight Standings
Michael Dufort (5)
Clay Collard (5)
Brent Primus (5)
Elvin Espinoza (4)
Gadzhi Rabadanov (3)
Solomon Renfro (0)
Adam Piccolotti (0)
Bruno Miranda (0)
Patricky Pitbull (0)
Mads Burnell (0)
Main Card (9:00PM EDT / 6:00PM PDT) (ESPN2)
Bout 11: Impa Kasanganay def. Alex Polizzi via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 3:29)
Bout 10: Rob Wilkinson def. Tom Breese via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 1:10)
Bout 9: Clay Collard def. Patricky Pitbull via TKO, Strikes (RD 2, 1:32)
Bout 8: Micahel Dufort def. Mads Burnell via Submission, Guillotine Choke (RD 2, 1:03)
Bout 7: Josh Silveira def. Sadibou Sy via TKO, Injury (RD 1, 1:14)
Preliminary Card (6:30PM EDT / 3:30PM PDT) (ESPN+)
Bout 6: Antonio Carlos Junior def. Simon Biyong via Submission, Rear Naked Choke (RD 1, 4:34)
Bout 5: Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov def. Jakob Nedoh via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 2:54)
Bout 4: Brent Primus def. Bruno Miranda via Submission, Rear Naked Choke (RD 2, 1:49)
Bout 3: Gadzhi Rabadanov def. Solomon Renfro via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 2: Elvin Espinoza def. Adam Piccolotti via via TKO, Strikes (RD 3, 2:23)
Bout 1: Marcelo Nunes def. Jordan Heiderman via Submission, Armbar (RD 1, 2:40)
Morquez Forest Gains CFFC Interim Lightweight Title With Knockdown, Submission Combo
Morquez Forest capped off his rookie year as a pro with a massive performance, handing Robert Varricchio his first loss and capturing an interim CFFC Lightweight Championship with a second-round finish.
Forest’s win headlined CFFC 131, which took place at the Hard Rock Casino & Hotel in Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA.
A massive knockdown allowed Forest to apply a rear naked choke to score a submission in the second round. After Forest seemingly got wobbled by a shot, an advancing Varricchio was floored by a hard overhand right. Forest got on his back immediately after the knockdown, applying a rear naked choke for a tap.
Forest showcased sharp stand-up skills prior to the finish as well. He earned a knockdown in the opening round in a close stand-up battle, landing a right hook that got Varricchio down.
Forest debuted just under a year ago in CFFC. He picked up four wins before his title fight this weekend, including a performance last October over Jordan Harrington.
After his win on Friday, Forest stressed that he wants to stay active and fight on CFFC’s next card.
Varricchio also came into this weekend with a perfect pro record. He had five wins since 2021, with all of the victories coming via finish due to strikes.
South Dakota’s Schoenfelder Ends Velasco’s Title Reign
Undefeated Bailey Schoenfelder dethroned CFFC Heavyweight Champion Greg Velasco in the co-main event of the evening, using an incredibly lengthy series of strikes to earn a finish in the second round.
Schoenfelder hurt Velasco early in the second round with a combination of punches. Velasco remained active despite being bothered by the shots, and this kept him in the fight for a significant amount of time.
The challenger, Schoenfelder, followed Velasco wherever he went. He continued to land with punches after defending takedowns. He kept unloading when Velasco gave up his back, and didn’t stop with strikes once moving into a full mount position. Eventually it became too much for the referee, who stepped in and stopped the fight.
Schoenfelder entered this weekend with prior experience on the South Dakota regional scene. He previously fought on LFA and Bellator cards, earning finish wins in all of his previous fights. The 26-year-old has yet to leave the second round as a pro.
When asked about what he wants next, Schoenfelder didn’t have the usual UFC call-out.
“I want to go home, take a little break, gather myself, then I’ll make a decision,” he said.
Velasco was returning to CFFC after losing to Shamil Gaziev on “Dana White’s Contender Series” last Fall. He held the CFFC heavyweight title for more than a year, defending it once with a stoppage victory over Ronald Coleman last year.
Anthony Dilemme, who was originally set to compete in a title fight on this card, extended his undefeated record to six wins on Friday night with a third-round finish against Wendel Araujo.
Here are the quick results from CFFC 131:
Main Card (9:00PM EDT) (UFC Fight Pass)
Bout 12: Morques Forest def. Robert Varricchio via Submission, Rear Naked Choke (RD 2, 2:16) (Vacant Interim CFFC Lightweight Championship)
Bout 11: Bailey Schoenfelder def. Greg Velasco via TKO, Strikes (RD 2, 3:24) (CFFC Heavyweight Championship)
Bout 10: Anthony Dilemme def. Wendel Araujo via TKO, Strikes (RD 3, 3:00)
Bout 9: Vilson Ndregjoni def. Mark Grey via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 1:33)
Bout 8: Eric Nolan def. R’Mandel Cameron via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 7: Kevin Pease def. CJ LaFragola via Decision, Unanimous
Preliminary Card (7:00PM EDT) (Onlyfans)
Bout 6: Kaecy Raddon def. Armando Gjetja via Submission, Rear Naked Choke (RD 3, 0:37)
Bout 5: Riley Palmer def. Matt Hammerstone via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 4: Ricardo Fuentes def. Braydon Akeo via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 3: Nick Galanti def. Russ Korbul via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 2: Thomas Picciano def. Jartavis Jackson via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 1: Giorgi Kvirchishvilli def. Mike Curiel via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 3:58)
UFC To Debut New Gloves At June PPV
A new model of the UFC fight glove will be debuted when the promotion heads to Newark, New Jersey, USA for a pay-per-view event on June 1st.
A press event was held in Las Vegas, Nevada on Friday, unveiling the new design of glove that UFC will begin using later this year.
The new glove, which UFC says was designed “using athlete and coach feedback, scientific data and engineering principles to improve the fit, function and technology of the glove,” presents many minor adjustments.
While the glove might look the same at a glance, the promotion touting a large number of changes to the equipment. Among the changes are a reduced weight of the glove, a shape that hopes to provide a better fit for the hands of fighters, padding on the sides that “protect vulnerable bone structure,” and a data chip placed in each glove to verify which fighter wore a glove during a specific bout.
The glove will also now utilize “VICIS RFLX foam,” a type of foam that is layered inside to better absorb impact and allow for flexibility.
The full list of details about the gloves that were provided to the public on Friday can be seen here, as provided by Aaron Bronsteter of Sportsnet.
One of the biggest issues in the UFC—eye pokes—could possibly be less prevalent following the change in glove, although there’s no guarantee. During a Q&A discussion that MMA Fighting’s José Youngs attended, UFC Performance Institute Senior Vice President Duncan French said that while they saw less eye pokes when testing the gloves on “Dana White’s Contender Series,” he cannot guarantee that the change was directly because of the glove changes.
Along with the technical changes, some aesthetic alterations have also been made to the gloves. Champions will now compete in golden gloves, different from the usual black that most fighters wear on their hands. Blue gloves have been designed for the “Dana White’s Contender Series” show, black “The Ultimate Fighter” gloves will be utilized, and red gloves will be seen in other special shows like the “Road To UFC” tournament.
Preview
UFC Celebrates 300th Numbered Card With A Start-To-Finish Stacked Lineup
When discussions about UFC 300 first started months ago, people wondered what the fight promotion would do to celebrate the big, round number. With lineups that UFC 100 and 200 provided in prior years, there were high expectations for Saturday’s card.
While this weekend’s pay-per-view lineup doesn’t have any of the huge draws like Conor McGregor or Jon Jones in the lineup, it arguably has something even better in a start-to-finish stacked show. From the first bout of the night to the very last, UFC 300 is full of big-time fights. UFC 300 might not have that one massive fight that many of the most memorable MMA cards possessed, but it has arguably one of the strongest lineups of all time, which is a strong way to celebrate the promotion’s legacy.
UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Alex Pereira will headline the night against Jamahal Hill. Pereira captured the title last November, stopping former champ Jiri Prochazka in the second round with strikes. The victory put Pereira back on top of a division just months after he dropped his middleweight belt to long-time rival Israel Adesanya.
A win on Saturday would make Pereira the first light heavyweight fighter in years to actually defend their title once or more. The division has been in turmoil since the end of the Jon Jones era, with Jan Blachowicz being the only champ to successfully retain his title once.
For Hill, this weekend will be a chance to reclaim a position that he never lost inside the cage. The 32-year-old earned the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship in early 2023, going five hard rounds with Glover Teixeira to grab the vacant belt. He had to drop his title later that year after rupturing his achilles tendon outside of training. Considering the type of injury that Hill is returning from, questions do surround how he will perform this weekend in the UFC cage.
Two-time UFC Strawweight Champion Zhang Weili will meet Yan Xiaonan in Saturday’s co-main event spot with the 115-pound title on the line. A win this weekend will make Zhang the second-ever woman to defend a strawweight title more than once, with Joanna Jedrzeczyk’s 966-day reign being the only time in the weight class that a champion has successfully defended twice or more.
Zhang regained the title in late 2022 with a stoppage against Carla Esparza. She then returned last August to beat Amanda Lemos in a five-round decision outcome. Yan, a long-time contender at strawweight, lined herself up for a title shot last year after earning a stoppage over former champ Jessica Andrade in the first round with strikes.
The third title fight, while it is not for one of UFC’s main titles but is instead for a bragging rights belt called the “BMF Championship,” will see fan favorites Justin Gaethje and Max Holloway face off.
Despite both being solid contenders in their respective divisions, Holloway and Gaethje set title implications aside for a special attraction bout when they meet at lightweight for a maximum of five rounds. There are high expectations for this bout, as both fighters have a reputation for their violent stand-up striking performances.
There is an endless number of other storylines lower on the card that are worth discussing. Two-time PFL Lightweight Champion Kayla Harrison will make her UFC debut on the prelims, dropping down to bantamweight for the first time to face veteran Holly Holm.
In a high-stakes fight at lightweight, Charles Oliveira will meet Arman Tsarukyan as part of the main card. The fight will be Oliveira’s first appearance since an injury forced him out of a title shot in late 2023 against Islam Makhachev.
Former UFC Bantamweight Champion Aljamain Sterling will make his featherweight debut against tough gatekeeper Calvin Kattar.
Fighting for the first time since losing a title bout at light heavyweight, Jiri Prochazka will meet Aleksandar Rakic. The matchup will be a return for Rakic, who last fought back in May 2022 with a loss to Jan Blachowicz.
Bo Nickal, a former NCAA wrestler UFC has tried to market as a star in the making, will try to showcase his skills in a middleweight bout against Cody Brundage.
And Jim Miller—the record-holder for most fights and wins in UFC history—will become the only person to compete on UFC 100, 200 and 300. He will face fellow veteran Bobby Green in a lightweight prelim.
Even after writing 700 words, there are chunks of this card that can’t be covered yet.
I personally did some talk shows in the lead-up to UFC 300, if you want to hear more.
I was invited onto Jason Hagholm’s Youtube page to chat about the card. If you want a more long-form discussion, check out this video (UFC discussion begins at 6:55)
If you have less time and want a discussion that only goes around 30 minutes, check out the convo I had with John Pollock of POST Wrestling on Friday. The podcast is on the POST Wrestling Patreon but is available as a free preview for the public as well. I’ll also be doing a free post-show for POST Wrestling on Sunday afternoon at 11 a.m. ET on their Youtube page.
Here’s the full lineup for Saturday’s show:
Main Card (10:00PM EDT / 7:00PM PDT) (PPV)
Bout 13: Alex Pereira (9-2) vs. Jamahal Hill (12-1) (UFC Light Heavyweight Championship)
Bout 12: Zhang Weili (24-3) vs. Yan Xiaonan (17-3) (UFC Strawweight Championship)
Bout 11: Justin Gaethje (25-4) vs. Max Holloway (25-7) (BMF Lightweight Championship)
Bout 10: Charles Oliveira (34-9) vs. Arman Tsarukyan (12-3) (Lightweight)
Bout 9: Bo Nickal (5-0) vs. Cody Brundage (10-5) (Middleweight)
Preliminary Card (8:00PM EDT / 5:00PM PDT) (ESPN / ESPN+)
Bout 8: Jiri Prochazka (29-4-1) vs. Aleksandar Rakic (14-3) (Light Heavyweight)
Bout 7: Calvin Kattar (23-7) vs. Aljamain Sterling (23-4) (Featherweight)
Bout 6: Holly Holm (15-6) vs. Kayla Harrison (16-1) (Bantamweight)
Bout 5: Sodiq Yusuff (13-3) vs. Diego Lopes (23-6) (Featherweight)
Early Prelims (6:00PM EDT / 3:00PM PDT) (ESPN / ESPN+)
Bout 4: Jalin Turner (14-7) vs. Renato Moicano (18-5-1) (Lightweight)
Bout 3: Jessica Andrade (25-12) vs. Marina Rodriguez (17-3-2) (Strawweight)
Bout 2: Bobby Green (31-15-1) vs. Jim Miller (37-17) (Lightweight)
Bout 1: Deiveson Figueiredo (22-3-1) vs. Cody Garbrandt (14-5) (Bantamweight)