The 2021 Professional Fighters League Playoffs kick off tonight with welterweight and lightweight action. Headlining the ten-fight card live from The Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, FL the highly anticipated fight between 2019 PFL welterweight champion Ray Cooper III and former world champion Rory MacDonald.
Ray Cooper III, who finished the regular season as the number 3-seed, will be looking to move one step closer to becoming a two-time PFL champion, while Rory MacDonald, who comes into the postseason as the number 2-seed, looks to cap off his maiden PFL season as champion.
In the co-main event, 2018 PFL Welterweight Champion Magomed Magomedkerimov meets Sadibou Sy in welterweight semifinal action. Magomedkerimov finished the regular season as the number 4-seed and looks to once again climb the summit of the welterweight division. Sy, who finished as the number 5-seed, replaces number 1-seed Joåo Zeferino, who is unable to compete.
In the lightweight semifinal pairings, number 2-seed Clay Collard meets number 3-seed Raush Manfio, while number 1-seed Loik Radzhabov faces number-4 seed Alexander Martinez.
Loik Radzhabov vs. Alexander Martinez
Division: Lightweight
Betting Odds: Martinez (+170) | Radzhabov (-225)
Ryan’s Scorecard: Radzhabov def. Martinez (29-28)
Official Scorecard: Radzhabov def. Martinez (Unanimous Decision)
Round One: That hurt just watching it. I would say Radzhabov is fighting like it’s a win-or-go-home match, but that’s just how he fights every time. He’s walking forward regardless of what is being thrown in response, taking Martinez down and piecing him up in the stand-up. Making things worse, Martinez has a cut. It doesn’t look too bad, but it could certainly get worse with the way this fight is going.
Round Two: Closer, but still the same result. Martinez did a few great things at the round. He was able to slow down the pace, pin Radzhabov against the cage and protect that cut he suffered in the first round. Still, Radzhabov was able to drop Martinez toward the end of the round and put him on the defensive end of things. Round two could have gone either way, but I’d still give it to Radzhabov.
Round Three: If this is how all playoff matches are going to end, I’m 100% all-in on the PFL Playoffs tonight. Just when I thought Radzhabove had won two of the three rounds and advanced to the next round, Martinez nearly completed the guillotine and ends the fight. Radzhabov was able to survive, but he certainly didn’t look good doing it. This fight is really going to come down to how the second round was scored.
Clay Collard vs. Raush Manfio
Division: Lightweight
Betting Odds: Collard (-195) | Manfio (+145)
Ryan’s Scorecard: Manfio def. Collard (29-28)
Official Scorecard: Manfio def. Collard (Unanimous Decision)
Round One: During the first five minutes, both Collard and Manfio have moved with caution. Manfio has elected to use his reach and stay to the outside while Collard has attempted to get on the inside and find success on the body. At moments, both fighters have been willing to engage, but they’ve been very economical about their work. It’s hard to give either fighter the edge, but the most exciting part of the round came when Collard pushed toward the inside and landed a knee to the body that seemed to startle Manfio. For that, I’ll give Collard the slight edge.
Round Two: Collard took a bit of damage in the second. Again, Manfio was able to use his reach and keep Collard on the outside while countering effectively. However, he did run into trouble in the final minute. Collard nearly finished Manfio with a guillotine, but Manfio was able to push forward. At the end of the day, I’ll take the 3:30 that Manfio was able to control the round in favor of Collard’s impressive 1:00 to end the round. We’re tied heading into round three.
Round Three: Collard appears to be tired. He’s not moving as swiftly around the cage and he appears to be standing straight up in a position that makes Manfio’s life a whole lot easier. As always, Collard was able to let his hands go and do damage, but I don’t think it was enough to win the round or the fight for that matter.
Magomed Magomedkerimov vs. Sadibou Sy
Division: Welterweight
Betting Odds: Magomedkerimov (-835) | Sy (+500)
Ryan’s Scorecard: Magomedkerimov def. Sy (30-27)
Official Scorecard: Magomedkerimov def. Sy (Unanimous Decision)
Round One: Sy entered the fight s the biggest underdog of the night, but he’s looking to make this fight interesting. In round one, he spent nearly three minutes on his back as Magomedkerimov threw a few shots and looked to submit him early. While Magomedkerimov was able to dominate the first round for the most part, Sy was able to survive two submission attempts and get by to the next round. With that said, carrying someone for three minutes can take a lot out of someone. Hopefully, Sy is in good shape and can keep this up for the next two rounds.
Round Two: If Sy has an advantage, it is his length. His long legs and arms could keep Magomedkerimov on the outside if used wisely. In the second round, Sy was able to keep Magomedkerimov off of him with leg kicks and a few right hands. Magomedkerimov has heavy hands and was able to find success with his overhand rights. Towards the end of the round, Magomedkerimov was able to open up Sy and grab hold of his leg for the takedown. Again, Magomedkerimov was able to control things on the ground, but Sy survived until the next round. Round two was much more competitive, but Magomedkerimov seemed to edge it out in the end.
Round Three: Things got off to an interesting start as Sy kicked off the round by landing a nice left hand. Despite spending a good amount of time on his back during the first two rounds, he appeared to be a lot fresher than one would expect. His conditioning allowed him to be pretty effective with his kicks, but didn’t appear to be as aggressive as one would like after losing the first two rounds. During the second half of the round, things slowed down as Magomedkerimov pushed Sy against the cage and the two men struggled for position for more than one minute. In the end, Sy was much more solid than previously given credit for, but he didn’t do enough to win in my opinion.
Ray Cooper III vs. Rory MacDonald
Division: Welterweight
Betting Odds: Cooper (-105) | MacDonald (-115)
Ryan’s Scorecard: Cooper def MacDonald (30-27)
Official Scorecard: Cooper def. MacDonald (30-27)
