The time has come! PFL stars like Kayla Harrison and Ray Cooper III have already locked up spots in the title card on October 27. Tonight, the final four spots in the championship bouts will be secured. In the light heavyweight semifinals, Emmanuel Sordi will look to extend his seven-match undefeated streak and earn a spot in his second straight title match by defeating Antonio Carlos Junior. In the other semi-final bout, Cezar Ferreira will look to bounce back from a loss in week five to beat Marthin Hamlet to secure a spot in the million-dollar title fight. Meanwhile, all eyes will be on one man in the featherweight division. His name is Bubba Jenkins. He started off his run in the PFL by taking out the defending featherweight champion Lance Palmer and has been on a tear ever since. Tonight, he’ll battle Chris Wade, who has won both of his matches this season. Also, Brendan Loughnane will take on Movlid Khaybulaev for a shot to fight for the title. Eight fighters. Four spots. One million dollars on the line. Who will come through?
Cezar Ferreira vs. Marthin Hamlet
Division: Light Heavyweight
Betting Odds: Hamlet (-150) | Ferreira (+130)
Ryan’s Scorecard: That was fast.
Official Scorecard: Hamlet def. Ferreira (KO)
Emiliano Sordi vs. Antonio Carlos Junior
Division: Light Heavyweight
Betting Odds: Carlos Jr. (-170) | Sordi (+150)
Ryan’s Scorecard: Carlos Jr. def. Sordi (29-28)
Official Scorecard: Carls Jr. def. Sordi (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
First Round: Both of these men are playing a dangerous game. Sordi and Carlos Jr. have knockout power, but they are staying in range of each other at all times. Carlos Jr. was able to control the first half of the round and Sordi took the second half of the round. Towards the end of the round, it appeared that Sordi had figured out the spacing, but he kept taking jabs as he came in. If he can take a shot to give one, he’ll be in good shape. It appears that his shots are doing more damage than Carlos Jr.’s
Second Round: Well, that was entertaining. The second round picked up where the first round left off. Sordi stayed in distance of Carlos Jr., made him back up and land nice shots. However, he had to take shots to give some. With a knockout artist like Carlos Jr., it’s dangerous, but he handled himself fairly well. In their exchanges, both men suffered cuts on the face. Towards the end of the second round, Carlos Jr. took control by getting Sordi up against the cage, landing heavy blows and earning a takedown. Sordi was able to get up, but the takedown seemed to be enough to sway an even round.
Third Round: Round three was all Carlos Jr. He earned two takedowns in the round and kept Sordi on the defensive for nearly all five minutes. Carlos Jr.’s best moments throughout the fight involved taking Sordi to the ground. If he had done that more throughout the fight, he would have won easily. However, that’s easier said than done. All in all, this bout will come down to how the judges scored round two.
Chris Wade vs. Bubba Jenkins
Division: Featherweight
Betting Odds: Jenkins (-210) | Wade (+175)
Ryan’s Scorecard: Wade def. Jenkins (30-27)
Official Scorecard: Wade def. Jenkins (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Brendan Loughnane vs. Movlid Khaybulaev
Division: Featherweight
Betting Odds: Loughnane (-180) | Khaybulaev (+245)
Ryan’s Scorecard: Khaybulaev def. Loughnane (30-27)
Official Scorecard: Khaybulaev def. Loughnane (Split Decision)
