Light Heavyweights Impa Kasanganay and Dovlet Yagshimuradov to square off for $1 million at 2024 PFL World Championship.
Lightweights Brent Primus and Gadzhi Rabadanov to square off for $1 million at 2024 PFL World Championship.
August 16, 2024 – The Professional Fighters League (PFL) continued the 2024 PFL Global Playoffs with an action-packed event of fights live from Hard Rock Live in Hollywood, Florida. The evening’s card featured four playoff bouts across the Light Heavyweight and Lightweight divisions.
In the highly anticipated main event of the evening, Impa Kasanganay and Josh Silveira battled with a spot in the 2024 PFL Light Heavyweight Championship on the line. After three full rounds of action, Kasanganay earned the unanimous decision victory and now has the opportunity for a second straight $1 million check and world title belt.
In the co-main event of the evening, Rob Wilkinson faced off against Dovlet Yagshimuradov. The fight went the full distance and Yagshimuradov earned the unanimous decision victory to advance to the 2024 PFL Light Heavyweight Championship, while becoming the first fighter representing Turkmenistan to qualify for the PFL World Championship.
To kickoff PFL Playoff action in the Lightweight division, Brent Primus matched up with 2023 PFL Lightweight finalist Clay Collard. The bout went the full distance with Primus clinching his spot in the 2024 PFL World Championship via unanimous decision.
Further Lightweight action saw Gadzhi Rabadanov go toe-to-toe early against Michael Dufort. Rabadanov defeated Dufort via 2nd round knockout, earning a spot in the 2024 PFL World Championship. Rabadanov secured his ninth straight victory and will face Brent Primus for the 2024 PFL Lightweight World Championship.
“Tonight, MMA fans around the world witnessed four remarkable fighters continue their million dollar PFL dreams,” said PFL CEO Peter Murray. “The 2024 PFL Playoffs have showcased the very best in MMA and we look forward to the third PFL Playoff event on August 23 to determine the remaining matchups in the 2024 PFL World Championship.”
“The PFL provided fans with can’t miss action in another entertaining PFL Playoff thriller this evening,” said PFL President of Fighter Operations, Ray Sefo. “Congratulations to the four athletes who punched their tickets to the 2024 PFL World Championship.”
Opening the main card, Biaggio Ali Walsh, the grandson of boxing legend Muhammad Ali, returned to the PFL SmartCage for his second pro fight of his budding career against Brian Stapleton. The Las Vegas native showcased his skills and quickly finished Stapleton via 1st round knockout just 55 seconds into the fight.
A Bantamweight showcase bout featured Danny Sabatello and the undefeated Lazaro Dayron. The opening frame saw Dayron nearly finish “The Italian Gangster” but Sabatello used his grappling skills to rebound throughout the bout. In the end, a third round fence grab by Dayron docked him a point on the scorecards, resulting in a majority draw.
Further action saw Elvin Espinoza and Mads Burnell collide in a Lightweight showcase bout. Burnell defeated Espinoza via unanimous decision and has now won four of his last five fights, boosting his career record to 20-6.
In a Welterweight showcase bout, 2023 PFL Challenger Series contract Winner Thad Jean returned to the PFL SmartCage against Chris Brown. After an exciting three rounds, it was Jean that defeated Brown by way of unanimous decision, and the Haitian improved his undefeated record to 8-0.
Wrestling standout Jordan Oliver matched up with Braydon Akeo in a Featherweight showcase bout. Oliver defeated Akeo by unanimous decision and remained undefeated in his young MMA career.
To kickoff the night, Michelle Montague and Marilia Morais clashed in a Women’s Featherweight showcase bout. Montague, who hails from New Zealand, swiftly defeated Morais via 1st round submission, improving her career record to 6-0.
2024 PFL Playoff action continues from The Anthem in Washington, D.C. for the final playoff event on Friday, August 23. Eight fighters across the Welterweight and Featherweight divisions will enter the PFL SmartCage in pursuit of a 2024 PFL World Championship opportunity.
All 2024 PFL Global Season events are live across ESPN platforms in the U.S. and DAZN in Canada and Europe with additional international premium sports platform distribution reaching 160 countries globally.
COMPLETE RESULTS
Main Card Results:
Light Heavyweight Semifinal: #1 Impa Kasanganay defeated #4 Josh Silveira via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Light Heavyweight Semifinal: #3 Dovlet Yagshimuradov defeated #2 Rob Wilkinson via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Lightweight Semifinal: #2 Gadzhi Rabadanov defeated #3 Michael Dufort by 2nd round KO (1:51)
Lightweight Semifinal: #1 Brent Primus defeated #4 Clay Collard via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-27)
Catchweight Showcase: Biaggio Ali Walsh defeated Brian Stapleton by 1st round KO (0:55)
Early Card Results:
Bantamweight Showcase: Danny Sabatello and Lazaro Dayron ended in majority draw (29-27 Sabatello, 28-28, 28-28)
Lightweight Alternate Bout: Mads Burnell defeated Elvin Espinoza via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Welterweight Showcase: Thad Jean defeated Chris Brown via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Featherweight Showcase: Jordan Oliver defeated Braydon Akeo by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Women’s Featherweight Showcase: Michelle Montague defeated Marilia Morais by 1st round submission (rear-naked choke 1:44)
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