Week two of the Professional Fighters League is underway. Last week, Bubba Jenkins took down defending champion Lance Palmer and Clay Collard pulled off the upset against Anthony Pettis. This week, Ray Cooper III looks to defend his welterweight title against Jason Ponet. Meanwhile, former Bellator champion Rory MacDonald battles UFC veteran Curtis Millender. With playoff seeding in play tonight, there’s a lot at stake in week two of the PFL. Here we go!
Emiliano Sordi vs. Chris Camozzi
Division: Light Heavyweight
Betting Odds: Sordi (-370) | Camozzi (+280)
Result: Sordi def Camozzi (29-28, 29-28, 28-27)
Emiliano Sordi entered the fight having finished all of his opponents within the distance and it looks like he may continue that streak tonight. Sordi and Chris Camozzi stepped into the middle of the ring during the first round and threw strikes like there was no tomorrow. Both men left the round bleeding, but Sordi was able to control the round enough with a takedown to earn a 10-9 advantage.
Round two looked a lot like round one with a few minor changes. The two men came to the center of the octagon with bad intentions. However, Sordi looked like he breathing a bit heavier than he was in the first round. Possibly, round one took a lot out of him and he could be gassed as this fight goes on. At no point did he look more gassed than when Camozzi dropped him with a strike less than a minute into the second round.
This fight will be incredibly difficult to score after a brutal third round. Sordi came out with a second wind much like Camozzi had in the second round. He dropped Camozzi in the third much like he was dropped in the second round. From there, he was able to control things on the ground.
In the end, Sordi emerged victorious with a unanimous decision, but it wasn’t easy. His knockout streak came to a close, but he proved that he can win a hard-fought decision.
João Zeferino vs. Gleison Tibau
Division: Welterweight
Betting Odds: Zefferino (-162) | Tibau (+130)
Result: Zefferino def. Tibau (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
João Zeferino entered the bout as the slight favorite against Gleison Tibau and he left the bout as the slight winner. Over the course of three rounds, he controlled the fight with his ground game and won two close rounds. The most hotly contested round was the third, which appears to be the round judges gave to Tibau. Other than that, it wasn’t eventful, but it got the job done.
Ray Cooper III vs. Jason Ponet
Division: Welterweight
Betting Odds: Ponet (+550) | Cooper III (-875)
Result: Cooper III def. Ponet (First Round Submission, 1:23)
Coming into this fight, Ray Cooper III had won all 20 of his professional fights by stoppage and tonight was no different. Kicking off the first round, Ponet tried to get his bearings by throwing a few jabs and then things went downhill quickly. Cooper III got a takedown and that’s all she wrote. Ninety seconds into the round, the defending welterweight champion finished off Ponet with an armbar choke that left Ponet a bit disoriented.
Rory MacDonald vs. Curtis Millender
Division: Welterweight
Betting Odds: MacDonald (-455) | Millender (+333)
Result: MacDonald def. Millender (First Round Submission, 3:38)
Rory MacDonald had a game plan and he stuck to it no matter what. In the early moments of the first round, it was clear that MacDonald was looking for the takedown and Millender knew it as well. To his credit, Millender was able to defend against MacDonald well during the first 90 seconds. Then, things quickly changed as MacDonald’s efforts paid off. After taking Millender down, he struggled with him for a bit before getting in position for the choke. Millender was game, but MacDonald was just the better man tonight.
