4/20/24: Don Madge, Brendan Loughnane Sit Atop Respective PFL Standings Following Regular Season Event
Also: Jamahal Hill gets quick turnaround against Khalil Rountree Jr.
Welcome to a Saturday edition of the Knockdown Daily. Today’s issue includes a report on last night’s PFL card, the latest on Jamahal Hill, and a preview of tonight’s shows. While there isn’t a UFC card to discuss this week, there’s still a ton from the MMA world to discuss. Let’s get started!
Don Madge, Brendan Loughnane Sit Atop Respective PFL Standings Following Regular Season Event
The final event in PFL’s first leg of the regular season took place on Friday evening, putting a pair of fighters in the welterweight and featherweight divisions on top of their respective standings.
First-round finish victories from four different fighters gave them a higher score than the many other talents vying for spots in the 2024 PFL playoff brackets this weekend. Friday’s card—which took place from the Wintrust Arena in Chicago, Illinois, USA—gave fighters in the 170 and 145-pound divisions their first of two chances this year to earn points in the PFL regular season. The points will determine which fighters will go on to compete in a four-person, single-elimination bracket later this year.
Madge, Ramazanov Sit Atop Welterweight Class
Don Madge and Murad Ramazanov are the top names in the welterweight division after this weekend. Both fighters finished their opponents in the first round, putting them atop a division that featured just three stoppages in total on Friday night.
Former UFC fighter Madge started the night with a quick victory, mounting the back of Bellator vet Brennan Ward for a rear naked choke submission in just 62 seconds. The fight was his first win since his PFL debut back in October 2021.
ONE Championship alum Ramazanov made quick work of Laureano Staropoli, taking him down early and eventually finding a rear naked choke submission. Staropoli is now 10th place in the welterweight standings, as a weight miss on Thursday caused him to be deducted a point. While most losing fighters left the weekend with zero points, Staropoli sits at negative one points.
Undefeated Shamil Musaev scored a brutal second-round knockout against Logan Storley, dropping him with a right hook before putting him out with another right while on the ground, earning the Russian talent five points. Storley was already in trouble earlier in the fight, looking visibly rocked late in the first round due to punches from Musaev. Musaev now has an impressive record of 17 wins, including three previous appearances in KSW.
Magomed Umalatov won in the main event of the night, putting together a well-rounded performance against Andrey Koreshkov to score a decision victory. Koreshkov came into this weekend with an impressive five-fight winning streak, including wins in Bellator over Lorenz Larkin and Sabah Homasi.
Goiti Yamauchi returned for the first time after suffering a brutal knee injury, out-striking Neiman Gracie to earn a unanimous decision win. Yamauchi lost a fight to Michael Page in 26 seconds last year due to a ruptured patella tendon. He previously also faced Gracie in 2022, stopping him in the second round with punches.
2022 Champ Loughnane, Braga Lead Featherweight Standings
A pair of fighters sit atop the featherweight rankings following Friday night. 2022 champ Brendan Loughnane and Brazilian stand-out Gabriel Braga both earned first-round finish wins, earning them six points each in the standings.
Braga had an emotional victory on the main card, defeating Justin Gonzales and appearing for the first time since his father, Diego Braga, was killed. Gabriel and Diego had a close bond, having fought on the same cards before and cornered each other’s fights. Gabriel won his bout with a last-second finish in the first round, flooring Gonzales with a left hook.
Loughnane’s performance saw him drop Pedro Carvalho early, connecting with a hard right hook. After scoring a few shots on the ground, the referee stepped in to end the bout. Carvalho seemed bothered by this stoppage, protesting the finish shortly after it occurred.
Timur Khizriev earned three points and kept his record undefeated against former UFC talent Brett Johns, using his wrestling to sweep rounds on scorecards and walk away with a unanimous decision. Khirziev’s record previously included a trio of wins in Bellator, beating Daniel Weichel and Justin Gonzales.
Adam Borics had a hard-fought decision win against Enrique Barzola, walking away with three points after taking a decision nod. While Borics seemingly dominated the first few minutes of the bout with his striking, Barzola was able to fight back and make it a closer scrap in the later minutes. In defeat, the bout was a showcase of Barzola’s toughness.
Kai Kamaka III had a close victory over 2022 finalist Bubba Jenkins, beating him on scorecards to earn three points. The fight was mostly a back-and-forth battle on the feet, but Jenkins also mixed in some wrestling as well.
While it doesn’t need to be worried about yet, PFL does have a tiebreaker protocol that can place one fighter above another. This will potentially become a factor closer to the end of the season, when it will have to be determined which fighters make the cut for playoffs.
The promotion will now take a few weeks off, returning in June with another trio of regular season cards. Here are the welterweight and featherweight standings following Friday’s PFL event, plus the quick results:
Welterweight Standings
Don Madge (6)
Murad Ramazanov (6)
Shamil Musaev (5)
Magomed Umalatov (3)
Goiti Yamauchi (3)
Andrey Koreshkov (0)
Neiman Gracie (0)
Logan Storley (0)
Brennan Ward (0)
Laureano Staropoli (-1)
Featherweight Standings
Brendan Loughnane (6)
Gabriel Braga (6)
Timur Khizriev (3)
Adam Borics (3)
Kai Kamaka III (3)
Bubba Jenkins (0)
Enrique Barzola (0)
Brett Johns (0)
Justin Gonzales (0)
Pedro Carvalho (0)
Main Card (9:30PM EDT / 8:30PM CDT) (ESPN / ESPN+)
Bout 12: Magomed Umalatov def. Andrey Koreshkov via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 11: Brendan Loughnane def. Pedro Carvalho via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 1:26)
Bout 10: Shamil Musaev def. Logan Storley via TKO, Strikes (RD 2, 0:27)
Bout 9: Gabriel Braga def. Justin Gonzales via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 4:59)
Bout 8: Goiti Yamauchi def. Neiman Gracie via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 7: Kai Kamaka III def. Bubba Jenkins via Decision, Unanimous
Preliminary Card (7:00PM EDT / 6:00PM CDT) (ESPN+)
Bout 6: Adam Borics def. Enrique Barzola via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 5: Timur Khizriev def. Brett Johns via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 4: Murad Ramavanoz def. Laureano Staropoli via Submission, Rear Naked Choke (RD 1, 4:07)
Bout 3: Don Madge def. Brennan Ward via Submission, Rear Naked Choke (RD 1, 1:02)
Bout 2: Tyler Diamond def. Otto Rodrigues via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 1: Thad Jean def. Romain Debienne via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 2:07)
Jamahal Hill Gets Quick Turnaround, Matched Against Khalil Rountree Jr. At UFC 303
Just days after his first-round defeat to Alex Pereira in the UFC 300 main event, Jamahal Hill has his next fight lined up.
Hill will meet Khalil Rountree Jr. at UFC 303 on June 29th, per an announcement from the promotion Friday. The fight will be on the undercard of Conor McGregor’s next fight at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.
Hill lost his return in just over three minutes last weekend, getting dropped by a left hook from Pereira. The fight was his chance to regain the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship after an out-of-competition injury put him on the sidelines in 2023 and made him relinquish his belt.
Prior to his loss last weekend, Hill had a four-fight winning streak in the UFC. His biggest victory was a five-round decision over Glover Teixeira to briefly become the titleholder at light heavyweight.
Rountree Jr., the eighth-ranked fighter at 205 pounds, will be searching for his sixth consecutive win. The 34-year-old talent is on the best streak of fights since turning pro a decade ago, having won four of his last five via finish. His last appearance saw him stop former title challenger Anthony Smith in the third round.
Previews
OKTAGON Searches For New Flyweight Champ At First-Ever Birmingham Card
The title reign of the first-ever OKTAGON Flyweight Champion was quite short-lived. Elias Garcia was crowned champion last November in unceremonious fashion, as a doctor stoppage took opponent Aaron Aby out of the fight in between the second and third rounds. The U.S.-based talent went on to not compete again for OKTAGON, with the promotion stripping him of the belt and claiming that he refused to take other fights.
After the Garcia era arrived with one fight, lasted a few months and then suddenly came to an end, OKTAGON looks toward finding a new champion when they head to the Resorts World Arena in Birmingham, England this weekend.
Aby will get a second shot at OKTAGON gold, this time taking on veteran Sam Creasey in Satruday’s main event.
Creasey is coming over to OKTAGON after spending 18 fights—nearly his entire career—in Cage Warriors. He had a title reign and numerous championship appearances during that time and is making the switch in promotion after scoring a pair of wins last year.
Aby, despite having the failed title bid quite recently, is also coming off a win. He bounced back from his championship defeat just a couple of months later, going three rounds to beat Christopher Daniel in January. The fight was his first victory since coming over to OKTAGON.
The final first round bout in the Tipsport Gamechanger Lightweight Grand Prix will get the co-main event spot, as Akonne Wanliss and Sahil Siraj will collide. The duo was originally scheduled to meet in early March on a card where all of the tournament’s round of 16 bouts were set to take place. However, due to an attack that Wanliss suffered from coaches representing Siraj, their fight was delayed. OKTAGON stated after the incident that coaches Reza Madadi and Milad Zxkavakto were given lifetime bans from the promotion.
Friday’s card, which is OKTAGON’s debut in Birmingham, features many notable English fighters. Former Cage Warriors Middleweight Champion Mick Stanton will make his promotional debut against Kamil Wojciechowski. Stefano Paterno will get a strong matchup high up on the card, meeting Shem Rock. George Staines, who won his pro debut last year in the grand finals of OKTAGON’s “Challenge” reality show series, will return for his second pro fight.
One slight alteration was made to the card this week, as pro newcomer Mbaye Gaye received a change in opponent. While he was originally booked to face Beau Gavin at featherweight, it was announced Friday that short-notice opponent Bakhtyaar Oryakhail would take his place.
Here’s how the show looks:
Main Card (12:00PM EDT / 5:00PM BST) (OKTAGON PPV)
Bout 13: Aaron Aby (16-8-1) vs. Sam Creasey (18-5) (Vacant Cage Warriors Flyweight Championship)
Bout 12: Akonne Wanliss (7-2) vs. Sahil Siraj (9-2) (Tipsport Gamechanger Lightweight Grand Prix Opening Round)
Bout 11: Shem Rock (9-1-1) vs. Stefano Catacoli (7-1) (Catchweight 150 lbs)
Bout 10: Daniel Skvor (7-3) vs. Will Fleury (11-3) (Light Heavyweight)
Bout 9: Andrej Kalasnik (10-5) vs. Liam Etebar (8-3) (Welterweight)
Bout 8: George Staines (1-0) vs. Tomas Ciganik (1-1) (Lightweight)
Bout 7: Jakub Dohnal (12-4) vs. James Hendin (8-2) (Featherweight)
Bout 6: Denis Frimpong (1-2) vs. Callum Mullen (6-2) (Lightweight)
Bout 5: Mick Stanton (12-8) vs. Kamil Wojchiechowski (8-1) (Middleweight)
Bout 4: Max Handanagic (9-6-1) vs. James Dixon (4-2) (Welterweight)
Bout 3: Ammari Diedrick (4-2) vs. Daniel Hromek (3-3) (Welterweight)
Bout 2: Bakhtyaar Oryakhail (1-1) vs. Mbaye Gaye (0-0) (Catchweight 157 lbs)
Bout 1: Megan Morris (2-2) vs. Aitana Alvarez (5-5) (Flyweight)
Cage Warriors Puts Scottish Prospects In The Spotlight With Return To Glasgow
Cage Warriors will be returning to Glasgow, Scottland for the first time in a decade, presenting a lengthy lineup of valuable Scottish prospects from the Braehead Arena.
The evening, which will start at 5 p.m. local time and will present 16 fights in total, involves numerous notable names from the region. Arguably the most experienced fighter on the card, Chris Bungard, will headline in a lightweight bout against Dumitru Girlean.
Bungard has fought as a pro since 2013, including five appearances in Bellator and recent bouts in Cage Warriors. After losing a title shot to George Hardwick in 2022, Bungard has gone on to earn a pair of victories in the promotion. He’ll be trying to keep that momentum going against another respected prospect this weekend. Girlean has won two of his three Cage Warriors fights, and is coming off a third-round submission over Simone Patrizi from last October.
The co-main event spot will go to Reece McEwan and Cameron Else. McEwan had his four-fight winning streak broken last year when he lost a title fight decision to Liam Gittins. Else is returning to Cage Warriors for the first time since 2018, coming back after an unsuccessful two-fight UFC stint.
The long Cage Warriors card is jam-packed full of up-and-coming fighters. Whether it be other Scottish fighters like Sean Clancy Jr. or Aidan Stephen, or non-Scotland talents like Indonesia’s Ronal Siahaan and Italy’s Khadim Dia, there are many names to look out for. Even on a Cage Warriors lineup where there isn’t a big title fight—like their trip to London last month and tonight’s show—there are always many quality prospect appearances.
Here’s how the show looks:
Main Card (3:30PM EDT / 8:30PM BST) (UFC Fight Pass)
Bout 16: Chris Bungard (19-8) vs. Dumitru Girlean (7-2) (Lightweight)
Bout 15: Reece McEwan (7-2) vs. Cameron Else (10-6) (Bantamweight)
Bout 14: Sean Clancy Jr. (3-0) vs. Lucas Rodrigues (6-6) (Welterweight)
Bout 13: Aidan Stephen (9-4) vs. Gianluca Scottoli (9-3) (Bantamweight)
Bout 12: Scott Malone (9-6) vs. Nicolas Leblond (9-4) (Flyweight)
Bout 11: Keir Harvie (6-3-2) vs. Kaique Modesto (6-4) (Bantamweight)
Preliminary Card (12:00PM EDT / 5:00PM BST) (UFC Fight Pass)
Bout 10: Konstantinos Ntelis (8-2) vs. Jan Quaeyhaegens (11-5) (Lightweight)
Bout 9: Paull McBain (7-3) vs. Alberth Dias (6-4) (Featherweight)
Bout 8: Jack Eglin (4-2) vs. Daan Duijs (9-2) (Bantamweight)
Bout 7: Jordan Stronge (2-0) vs. Jordan Little (0-0) (Lightweight)
Bout 6: Jamie MacDonald (3-0) vs. Nell Ariano (0-0) (Light Heavyweight)
Bout 5: Michael Blair (2-2) vs. Dec Dean (1-2) (Lightweight)
Bout 4: Ronal Siahaan (8-1) vs. Igor Wojtas (10-9) (Flyweight)
Bout 3: Iain Postlethwaite (6-6) vs. Pav Sahota (5-2) (Bantamweight)
Bout 2: Khadim Dia (4-0) vs. Mush Aslani (4-4) (Welterweight)
Bout 1: Cornellius Aritonang (3-0) vs. Thomas Hepburn (1-1) (Featherweight)