4/5/24: Valentin Moldavsky Sits Atop PFL Heavyweight Standings After Beating Ante Delija
Also: Previews of tonight's LFA and ONE Championship cards
Welcome to a Friday edition of the Knockdown Daily. Today’s issue includes a recap of last night’s PFL card, previews of tonight’s LFA and ONE Championship lineups, plus an extensive notes section that runs through all of the news from the past 48 hours in MMA. There’s a lot to cover, let’s begin!
Valentin Moldavsky Leaves First Regular Season PFL Event As Top Heavyweight, Three Fighters Sit Atop Flyweight Standings
The first of two opportunities for heavyweight men and flyweight women to earn points in the 2024 PFL Regular Season took place on Thursday night. 10 different season bouts emerged from the Boeing Center in San Antonio, Texas, USA, with winning fighters earning anywhere from three to six points in the standings.
PFL fighters are given three points for a win in a regular season fight, plus bonuses depending on how they won. Three extra points are given if the competitor wins via a first-round finish. A bonus of two points or one point is also given if the fight ends in the second or third rounds respectively. The points are put into a standings that determines which fighters advance into a four-person single-elimination bracket.
Moldavsky Stops Delija With Punches Early
Former Bellator talent Valentin Moldavsky left Thursday’s card with the top spot in PFL’s heavyweight division. He earned a first-round finish against 2021 heavyweight champ Ante Delija in the main event of the evening, stopping him in the first round with strikes.
Moldavsky hurt Delija with a right hand, then followed up with a fast flurry of punches. A shelled-up Delija remained on his feet while consuming these shots, but wasn’t able to do much before the referee stepped in to end the fight.
Delija seemed bothered in the moments that came before the ending sequence in Thursday’s main event. It was mentioned after the event by PFL’s Ray Sefo that Delija suffered a torn groin after throwing a kick in the fight, per Drake Riggs.
Moldvasky was making his PFL debut after a 10-fight run with Bellator. While he never earned an undisputed title during his Bellator run, his first of potentially four fights en route to a PFL season victory was passed with flying colors in the headlining spot of the night.
Daniel James made a one-round comeback against Marcelo Golm, finishing him with a second to go in the opening round of their fight. Golm started the round with a dominant position on top, but James was able to eventually explode out of the spot, get on top, and land ground and pound to force an end the fight. In a normal situation, James would have been up in first place with Moldavsky due to his win. However, he was deducted a point for missing weight on Wednesday, placing him in second place for now.
Rising Russian talent Oleg Popov earned five points in the opening heavyweight bout of the night, chipping away at Steve Mowry with punches from a crucifix position until the referee stopped the fight. Mowry, once an undefeated Bellator prospect, has now earned a draw, a no contest, and two losses in his past four fights.
Denis Goltsov put an end to Linton Vassell’s lengthy winning streak, dominating him on the ground and eventually landing enough strikes to force a stoppage by the third round. Vassell entered the weekend on a five-fight run of victories, with his last loss dating back to 2019.
Sergey Bilostenniy endured a three-round brawl against former UFC fighter Blagoy Ivanov to win via decision and earn three points in the PFL cage. Ivanov has now lost five of his past six fights.
Former UFC Title Challenger Santos Among Top Flyweights
A trio of fighters lead the pack in PFL’s flyweight standings after the first 2024 regular season event. Dakota Ditcheva, Taila Santos, and Jena Bishop are tied for first with six points each, all earned after first-round victories.
Ditcheva’s sharp striking was on display in her main card fight, finishing Lisa Mauldin with kickboxing combinations in the first round. After Mauldin was nearly stopped against the cage, 2023 PFL Europe Flyweight Champion Ditcheva landed a front kick and a left hook to the body that dropped her and finished the bout.
Santos submitted Bellator vet Ilara Joanne, putting on a rear naked choke to force a submission in the opening round. Santos performance snapped a two-fight losing streak that she developed near the end of her UFC run, including a 2022 title loss against Valentina Shevchenko.
Bishop submitted opponent Chelsea Hackett in the first round, catching her with an armbar from the bottom. Hackett tried to slam her way out of the submission but ended up having to tap because of the hold.
Current Bellator Flyweight Champion Liz Carmouche beat Juliana Velasquez for the third time, going the distance and earning her three points in the season. Carmouche has previously stopped Velasquez in two different Bellator title fights.
Kana Watanabe had a dominant performance against Shanna Young but was unable to earn a finish throughout the bloody and controlling fight. Because of this, she started her season with just three points. Young missed weight on Wednesday, causing her to place last on the standings with a score of -1.
Here are the standings for both divisions that competed on Thursday night:
Men’s Heavyweight Standings Following PFL 2024 #1
Valentin Moldavsky (6)
Oleg Popov (5)
Daniel James (5)
Denis Goltsov (4)
Sergei Bilostenniy (3)
Ante Delija (0)
Linton Vassell (0)
Marcelo Golm (0)
Blagoy Ivanov (0)
Steve Mowry (0)
Women’s Flyweight Standings Following PFL 2024 #1
Dakota Ditcheva (6)
Taila Santos (6)
Jena Bishop (6)
Liz Carmouche (3)
Kana Watanabe (3)
Juliana Velasquez (0)
Lisa Mauldin (0)
Ilara Joanne (0)
Chelsea Hackett (0)
Shanna Young (-1)
And here are the quick results from PFL’s season opener:
Main Card (10:00PM EDT / 9:00PM CDT) (ESPN2 / ESPN+)
Bout 12: Valentin Moldavsky def. Ante Delija via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 2:17)
Bout 11: Denis Goltsov def. Linton Vassell via TKO, Strikes (RD 3, 3:11)
Bout 10: Liz Carmouche def. Juliana Velasquez via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 9: Dakota Ditcheva def. Lisa Mauldin via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 3:54)
Preliminary Card (6:30PM EDT / 5:30PM CDT) (ESPN+)
Bout 8: Daniel James def. Marcelo Golm via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 4:59)
Bout 7: Sergei Bilostenniy def. Blagoy Ivanov via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 6: Taila Santos def. Ilara Joanne via Submission, Rear Naked Choke (RD 1, 3:57)
Bout 5: Oleg Popov def. Steve Mowry via TKO, Strikes (RD 2, 3:47)
Bout 4: Kana Watanabe def. Shanna Young via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 3: Jena Bishop def. Chelsea Hackett via Submission, Armbar (RD 1, 4:15)
Bout 2: Dimitre Ivy def. Lucas Brennan via Decision, Split
Bout 1: Bryce Meredith def. Ty Johnson via Decision, Unanimous
Previews
After Numerous Opponent Changes, Eimar Hernandez Remains On Hunt For Gold At LFA 181
While Eimar Hernandez isn’t facing the first or even second opponent that he was expected to fight this Friday, he nonetheless still has a chance to walk away from this weekend with LFA gold.
Hernandez will battle Igor Siqueira for the currently vacant interim LFA Flyweight Championship on Friday night. Their bout will headline LFA 181 from the Mystic Lake Casino Hotel in Prior Lake, Minnesota, USA.
This original plan was for Hernandez to challenge current LFA Flyweight Champion Eduardo Chapolin. However, after Chapolin withdrew, plans had to change to keep a flyweight main event in the lineup. Hernandez was kept in a title scenario, with LFA bringing in an interim belt for him to fight for. He was paired against Jordan Harris, although that fight fell apart as well.
LFA then called upon Igor Siqueira. The Brazilian talent is a former title challenger and, since his main event bout against Kevin Fernandez late last week was cancelled, was free for a new fight. Both talents made weight for the bout on Thursday afternoon, confirming it as the third and likely final headliner for LFA 181.
Siqueira is returning for the first time since losing a title fight against Cody Davis last year. Before that unsuccessful appearance, he had put together a stellar record of nine wins and one loss.
Hernandez currently holds an undefeated record since his 2021 debut. He has fought all around the U.S. regional scene, appearing in Cage Warriors, A1 Combat, and B2 Fighting Series. Unlike Siqueira, the upcoming booking will be the first five-round fight in his career. The 27-year-old will have the opportunity to not only remain undefeated but pick up significant regional gold along the way as well.
The 13-fight lineup for Friday includes numerous rising prospects. One of the strongest rising names in LFA over the past few years, Quang Le, will return in the co-main event. Le has built up his record in LFA since 2021, with this weekend being his seventh appearance in the promotion. He is coming off the quickest win of his career yet, putting away Cody Peterson in just 65 seconds earlier this year. He’ll now face Tial Thang, a former ONE Championship fighter who has earned three wins and one loss since returning to the regional scene last year.
Australian featherweight Isaac Thomson will return in hopes of his third LFA win on the main card against Shaheen Santana. Here’s a full look at the LFA 181 lineup:
Main Card (9:00PM EDT / 8:00PM CDT) (UFC Fight Pass)
Bout 13: Igor Siqueira (9-2) vs. Eimar Hernandez (7-0) (Vacant Interim LFA Flyweight Championship)
Bout 12: Quang Le (7-0) vs. Tial Thang (6-3) (Bantamweight)
Bout 11: Isaac Thomson (6-1) s. Shaheen Santana (7-3) (Featherweight)
Bout 10: Santos Verdinez (4-1) vs. Keegan Witbeck (6-1) (Bantamweight)
Bout 9: Wes Schultz (5-1) vs. Adland Benson (4-2) (Middleweight)
Bout 8: Alvin Hines (2-0) vs. Justin Smith (3-0) (Heavyweight)
Broadcasted Prelims (Youtube)
Bout 7: Steven Asplund (2-0) vs. Larry Gonzales (5-1) (Heavyweight)
Bout 6: Noah Lindsey (4-1) vs. Mark Choinski (4-0) (Lightweight)
Bout 5: Jayde Sheeley (2-1) vs. Hannah Brobyskov (0-0) (Strawweight)
Preliminary Card
Bout 4: Canon Swanson (1-0) vs. Kurtis Ellis (2-2) (Featherweight)
Bout 3: Kelton Sneve (2-0) vs. Davion Trotter (1-0) (Lightweight)
Bout 2: Griffin Parriott (2-1) vs. Michael Banks (2-4) (Catchweight 150 lbs)
Bout 1: Dalan Jones (1-1) vs. Zach Gehl (4-2) (Amateur Featherweight)
Regian Eersel Looks To Remain Dominant At ONE Fight Night 21
It’s been a long time since Regian Eersel lost. In fact, the last Eersel defeat predates his lengthy run in ONE Championship, which first started in 2018.
Eersel is easily one of the most dominant names across ONE Championship’s divisions. He has held the promotion’s 170-pound kickboxing title since 2019 and has defended it four times. He also holds their Muay Thai belt in that same weight class, which he has retained twice.
The 31-year-old combat sports vet will try to keep his dominant run alive when he faces Alexis Nicolas in a kickboxing title bout on Friday night. Their clash will headline ONE Fight Night 21, which will take place at the Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
Eersel will be making his return to kickboxing for the first time in nearly two years. He has spent recent fights focusing on his Muay Thai reign, leaving no time for fights under kickboxing rules. Nicolas will have a chance to make a splash early in his ONE campaign this weekend. The French talent won his promotional debut just three months back, defeating Magomed Magomedov on scorecards.
A total of three MMA fights will take place on this week’s ONE Championship card. Undefeated heavyweight Ben Tynan will look for his second promotional victory when he faces Duke Didier, who is coming back after losing his debut in 2022.
In a fight that was first targeted for February before being re-booked, rising Japanese talent Hiroyuki Tetsuka will fight Valmir da Silva. Tetsuka has put together four victories since 2021, all of which have come via stoppage.
The opening bout of the card will see a pair of 145-pound talents returning. Both competing for the first time since 2022, Jeremy Pacatiw and Wang Shuo will collide.
Here’s the full lineup:
Main Card (8:00PM EDT / 7:00PM ICT) (Amazon Prime Video)
Bout 9: Regian Eersel vs. Alexis Nicolas (ONE Kickboxing Lightweight Championship) (170 lbs)
Bout 8: Tye Ruotolo vs. Izaak Michell (ONE Grappling Welterweight Championship) (185 lbs)
Bout 7: Suablack Tor Pran49 vs. Vladimir Kuzmin (Featherweight Muay Thai)
Bout 6: Ben Tynan (5-0) vs. Duke Didier (8-2) (Heavyweight)
Bout 5: Jacob Smith vs. Denis Puric (Bantamweight Muay Thai)
Bout 4: Kade Ruotolo vs. Francisco Lo (Catchweight 180 lbs Grappling)
Bout 3: Hiroyuki Tetsuka (13-4) vs. Valmir da Silva (9-3) (Middleweight)
Bout 2: Dedduanglek TDed99 vs. Taiki Naito (Bantamweight Kickboxing)
Bout 1: Jeremy Pacatiw (12-5) vs. Wang Shuo (16-7) (Featherweight)
Notes On: UFC, PFL, Bellator, ONE Championship & Cage Warriors
UFC
Victor Hugo (24-4) has a new opponent for his UFC debut this Saturday. He is now expected to face fellow newcomer Pedro Falcao (16-3), who is taking a short-notice booking. Falcao earned a finish win on a 2021 episode of “Dana White’s Contender Series,” but didn’t win a contract with the performance. He’s entering the UFC on a five-fight winning streak. Hugo, a winner on the 2023 “Contender Series” season, hasn’t lost in more than a decade.
Manel Kape (19-6) withdrew from his April 27th main event fight against Matheus Nicolau (19-3-1) due to an injury, per a recent social media post. “I broke the cartilage of my rib and I couldn’t move for a week,” Kape said Wednesday. “On Thursday last week my surgery went extremely well.” As mentioned in the Wednesday edition of the newsletter, Nicolau will now face Alex Perez (24-8).
UFC confirmed three more fights for their May 11th card from St. Louis, Missouri, USA:
Tecia Pennington (13-6) will make her return to action when she faces Tabatha Ricci (9-2). Pennington had a three-fight winning streak broken in April 2022 when she dropped a split decision to Mackenzie Dern. Ricci also had a winning streak snapped in her last fight, dropping a decision to Loopy Godinez late last year.
Both coming off their first UFC wins, Trey Waters (8-1) and Billy Goff (9-2) will face off. Goff stopped Yusaku Kinoshita in the first round with strikes last August, adding to a winning streak that previously included wins in Bellator and CES. Waters handed Josh Quinlan his first pro loss last year.
Flyweights JJ Aldrich (13-6) and Veronica Hardy (8-4-1) will meet. Hardy scored a pair of victories last year, beating Jamey-Lyn Horth and Juliana Miller. Aldrich similarly earned a stoppage over Liang Na and beat Montana De La Rosa on scorecards in 2023.
Welterweights Khaos Williams (14-3) and Carlston Harris (19-4) will meet at UFC’s May 18th card from Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, per Nolan King and Farah Hannoun of MMA Junkie. Williams’ last fight saw him beat Rolando Bedoya in a split decision. Harris has won four of his five UFC fights, with his sole loss coming against contender Shavkat Rakhmonov.
Two more fights have joined UFC 302, which will go down at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, USA.
Appearing for the first time since his viral disqualification win, Andre Lima (8-0) will meet Park Hyun-sung (9-0) at flyweight. Lima’s first UFC opponent, Igor Severino, was disqualified and took his first loss due to biting Lima in the arm. Lima, a former LFA fighter, will now face Road To UFC winner Park. The Korean fighter won in his first non-tournament UFC fight late last year, finishing Shannon Ross in the second round.
Searching for his first win in years, Niko Price (15-7) will fight Jeremiah Wells (12-4-1). Price’s last victory dates back to October 2021, when he beat Alex Oliviera. He has since been finished by Robbie Lawler and Phil Rowe. Wells will also be trying to avoid falling into a three-fight losing streak.
Reports have also confirmed two more fights for UFC’s June 8th show, which is currently without a location or main event.
Charles Radtke (9-3) and Carlos Prates (18-6) will try to remain undefeated in the UFC when they face off, as first reported by Diego Ribas of AgFight. Radtke earned his second UFC win in February, putting away “The Ultimate Fighter” alum Gilbert Urbina in the first round with punches. Prates, a ONE Championship and LFA alum, stopped Trevin Giles in his UFC debut two months ago.
Middleweight finisher Brunno Ferreira (11-1) will take on Dustin Stoltzfus (15-5), per an interview that Ferreira did with Sherdog. Ferreira bounced back from his sole pro loss in January, stopping Phil Hawes in the first round. Stoltzfus, a six-fight UFC vet, submitted Punahele Soriano late last year with a rear naked choke.
UFC veteran Kang Kyung-ho (19-10) will fight Muin Gafurov (18-6) at the promotion’s Saudi Arabia “Fight Night” card on June 22nd, per Alex Behunin. Gafurov has yet to earn a win in the UFC, with the upcoming fight being his third appearance in the promotion. Kang had a two-fight winning streak broken late last year with a loss to John Castaneda.
PFL
The second leg of PFL’s 2024 regular season will kick off with a June 13th card at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut, USA, per a report from Nolan King of MMA Junkie. Regular season events will later also take place on June 21st and 28th, although the locations for those dates hasn’t been announced yet.
Bellator
Bellator has announced a pair of bouts for its return to the 3Arena in Dublin, Ireland on June 22nd:
Sinead Kavanagh (9-6) will rematch Arlene Blencowe (15-10) at featherweight. Kavanagh first met Blencowe in 2017, losing in a split decision outcome. She was set to make her return—competing for the first time since a 2023 loss to Sara Collins—last month, but an injury took opponent Leah McCourt out of their fight. She’ll now face Blencowe, who has lost to Cris Cyborg and Sara McMann in recent years.
In a fight being billed as a “#1 contender” bout at bantamweight, Kasum Kasumov (15-1) will face Matheus Mattos (14-2-1). Kasumov made his Bellator debut just last year, overcoming veteran Josh Hill on scorecards. Mattos has earned two victories in Bellator, including a submission against Richard Palencia late last year.
ONE Championship
A series of bouts have been announced for ONE Fight Night 22, which will take place May 3rd from the Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
ONE Championship 125-pound Muay Thai champ Smilla Sundell will face Natalia Diachkova in the main event. Sundell defended her title for the first time last September, finishing Allycia Rodrigues in the third round with punches. Diachkova is being given a title shot after earning four Muay Thai wins in ONE, including a trio of first-round stoppage wins.
In a clash of undefeated lightweights, Akbar Abdullaev (10-0) and Halil Amir (10-0) will face off. Amir has picked up three wins since joining ONE in 2022, including a finish over Timofey Nastyukhin. All of Abdullaev’s wins have come via finish, and both of his ONE performances finished in under a minute each.
Chihiro Sawada (7-0-1) and Noelle Grandjean (5-1) will get a quick turnaround, facing off just two months after they both last competed. Sawada extended her undefeated record in March, returning to ONE and beating Jihin Radzuan. Grandjean bounced back from her sole pro loss with a decision over Victoria Souza on that same card.
Cage Warriors
Joe Ambler (1-1) will face Michael Tchamou (3-4) at Cage Warriors 172 on May 25th in Newcastle, England. Ambler earned his first win last month on the regional scene. Tchamou will be trying to snap a three-fight skid of finish losses in Cage Warriors.
Cage Warriors will return to London, England on July 20th.