PFL 1
May 9, 2019
Long Island, NY from Nassau Coliseum
Live on ESPN+ (6:30 PM ET) and ESPN 2 (9 PM ET)
Welcome to PFL season 2. This is the first regular season event and it will feature fighters from the Welterweight and Women’s lightweight divisions.
ESPN + Prelims
Roberta Samad (+3 points) def. Moriel Charneski via Unanimous Decision
Chris Curtis (+4 points) def. Andre Fialho via TKO (Punches) Round 3
Glaico Franca (+6 points) def. Gamzat Khiramagomedov via Submission (Rear Naked Choke) Round 1
Bobbi Jo Dalziel (+3 points) def. Genah Fabian via Unanimous Decision
Handesson Ferreira vs. Bojan Velickovic (Welterweight)
Round 1: Ferreira connects with a solid kick to the body. Velickovic returns one of his own but it wasn’t quite as hot. Velickovic scores with a trip takedown, Ferreira pops right back up though and they’re back in the center. Strikes are fairly even with two minutes left in the round. Ferreira scores with a takedown late in the round, that will probably be enough to take the round. (10-9 Ferreira)
Round 2: Ferreira scores with a takedown early. He must have noticed something he liked in the previous round. Velickovic is working back to his feet but Ferreira is staying on him. Velickovic has a leg and he’s looking for a takedown but Ferreira is defending well. Ferreira scores with another takedown, but Velickovic is doing a good job of controlling his hips and keeping him from establishing a dominant position. (10-9 Ferreira)
Round 3: Velickovic is looking for a takedown, but Ferreira is wrestling with him in the clinch. Ferreira connects with a big right and then a left. Ferreira drags his opponent to the mat and takes his back. Velickovic rolls right into an arm-triangle choke, but escapes. Ferreira is working from top half guard. Velickovic is up but Ferreira has an under hook and he appears to be looking for another takedown. He completes it and Velickovic has just under a minute to get up or make something else happen. (10-9 Ferreira) (30-27 Ferreira)
Result: Handesson Ferreira (+3 Points) def. Bojan Velickovic via Unanimous Decision
ESPN 2 Main Card
Sadibou Sy vs. David Michaud (Welterweight)
Round 1: Sy connects with a kick to the liver to get things started! Michaud is in trouble! He’s down and Sy connects with a shot on the ground and this fight is over! That’s good enough for second fastest KO in PFL history.
Result: Sadibou Sy (+6 points) def. David Michaud via TKO (Liver kick and Punches) Round 1, 0:17
Sarah Kaufman* vs. Morgan Frier (Lightweight)
*Current Invicta Bantamweight (135) Champion
Round 1: They’re exchanging early. Kaufman completes a takedown but Frier goes directly for an arm. Kaufman defends well though and takes side control. She’s attacking with an arm-triangle and this fight is over.
Result: Sarah Kaufman (+ 6 points) def. Morgan Frier via Submission (Arm-Triangle Choke) Round 1, 2:22
Ray Cooper III vs. Zane Kamaka (Welterweight)
Round 1: Cooper scores immediately with a takedown. Cooper is pressuring and scoring with punches from top position. He moves into half guard briefly but Kamaka quickly recovers guard. Kamaka has been warned twice for grabbing the fence. Good control so far by Cooper, he’s forcing Kamaka to carry his body weight. Cooper scores with another takedown just as Kamaka was regaining his footing. Cooper is working from side control, and from there he is landing some nice shots. Kamaka appears well out of his league here. (10-9 Cooper)
Round 2: Cooper scores with a takedown and moves right into half guard. Cooper is bullying Kamaka so far, just like he did in the first. Cooper is landing shots whenever he wants, but he is choosing them wisely likely in an effort to conserve energy. Cooper lands a big shot causing Kamaka to give up his back. Cooper slaps on a rear naked choke with no hooks and Kamaka taps… Cooper held on for a bit long, and the fight didn’t end the animosity. Things were still a bit tense post fight.
Result: Ray Cooper III (+5 points) def. Zane Kamaka via Submission (Rear Naked Choke) Round 2, 4:29
Magomed Magomedkerimov vs. John Howard (Welterweight)
Round 1: Magomedkerimov took Howard down right out of the gate, controlled the entirety of the round before sinking in a guillotine in the final seconds of the final minute. Not much happened aside from the finish but Magomedkerimov is well on his way to defending his title.
Result: Magomed Magomedkerimov (+6 points) def. John Howard via Submission (Guillotine) Round 1, 4: 45
Kayla Harrison vs. Larissa Pacheco
Round 1: Harrison lands a few strikes on the feet but then takes the fight right down to the mat. She moves right into side control, and then into mount. Pacheco kicks Harrison away but Harrison moves right back in and takes half-guard. Harrison is looking to take the back and does to but she doesn’t have much time. She’s attempting an RNC with two hooks in but it looks like Pacheco will survive to the second round. (10-9 Harrison)
Round 2: Harrison attempts a single leg early, but Pacheco ends up on her back! Harrison hits the at but Pacheco still has the position with a hook in! Harrison escapes though, reverses and takes top control. Pacheco has an arm but Harrison is relaxed and not in any danger. Harrison passes to side control with little resistance. She’s in total control here on the ground, and she appears content to ride out the round. (10-9 Harrison)
Round 3: Harrison takes her opponent down right out of the gate. She’s in half guard landing some very hard shots. Harrison is controlling and landing, and her opponent seems a bit out of sorts here. She is surviving though. Pacheco throws up a triangle but Harrison is avoiding it. Good performance by Harrison, but I will say that Sarah Kaufman seems more than capable of giving her problems. That will be an anticipated fight. (10-9 Harrison) (30-27 Harrison)
Result: Kayla Harrison (+3 points) def. Larissa Pacheco via Unanimous Decision
Analysis: Decent night of fights but nothing great. The concept of PFL is so cool though that it makes up for a bit of a lackluster card. I’ll be back tomorrow with some sort of a rundown and overview of the upcoming season and what we can expect in the coming weeks.
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