Outside Source
In his PFL debut, McKee dominated former world champion Sergio Pettis en route to a decision win (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) Saturday night at Wintrust Arena in Chicago. Despite the close scorecards, McKee (10-0, 1-0 PFL) was in control for the majority of the fight. The unbeaten Minnesotan made mincemeat of Pettis on the ground and controlled the former Bellator kingpin’s hips in check. Pettis nearly pulled off a hail mary triangle choke in the second round, but once McKee avoided the danger, he closed the door on Pettis’ hopes for a comeback. With his first win in the PFL coming against a battle-tested former champion, the sky is the limit for what the promotion plans for its newest title contender.
Renat Khavalov kept his unblemished record intact after eeking out a tough decision win over experienced veteran Raufeon Stots in bantamweight action. Khavalov (12-0, 4-0 PFL) bothered Stots with a consistent jab and erratic feints. Although Stots landed some big shots of his own and even dropped Khavalov in the third round, the Houston native spent too much time waiting for the perfect shot and was outworked throughout the fight. Stots (21-4, 1-2 PFL) displayed a high skillset and could’ve arguably snuck away with a decision, but Khavalov’s consistency was properly awarded the victory.
Ultimate Fighting Championship veteran flyweight Viviane Araujo handled business in her PFL debut, but she got a solid scrap out of Shanna Young. Despite dropping Young in the first round and nearly finishing her, Araujo was taken the distance in a fun fight. Young showcased heart and stubbornness and landed some big shots, but Araujo’s dominance on the ground and heavy hands led the way to a clear unanimous decision win (30-27, 30-27, 30-27).
After suffering a knockout in his last fight, Gabriel Braga dug deep and pulled out a decision win over scrappy featherweight Cheyden Leialoha (29-28, 29-28, 29-28). Braga (17-3, 9-3 PFL) opened the contest slow and was outworked early on by the PFL debutant. Leialoha (11-3, 0-1 PFL) fought well when he pushed the pace and walked forward, but Braga’s conditioning and mounting pressure turned the tide. Heading into the bout-deciding third round, Braga leaned on his wrestling and kept top pressure while working in consistent ground-and-pound. Leialoha’s gas tank failed him late and despite the fast start, Braga’s experience was too great to deny.
If you let a world champion jiu-jitsu specialist take your back, you’re probably going to sleep. Borena Tsertsvadze found out the hard way in her flyweight bout against Jena Bishop, where Bishop, a former International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation world champion, technically submitted Tsertsvadze 2:21 into the first round. Bishop (9-3, 4-3 PFL) knew she was levels above the formerly unbeaten prospect on the ground and quickly transitioned to the back after taking the fight to the mat. Tsertsvadze (6-1, 0-1 PFL) tried her best to fight Bishop’s hands but the vet was simply too good. Once she found the neck, it wouldn’t take long for the lights to go out.
Omar El Dafrawy is primed to make some noise in the PFL welterweight division. The former PFL MENA tournament champion brought the crowd to its feet with a highlight-reel worthy first-round knockout over James Vake (1:12). El Dafrawy (15-6, 5-1 PFL) stormed out and took control of the center of the cage, keeping Vake on his backfoot. After landing several solid calf kicks, El Dafrawy feinted the kick, and cracked Vake (7-2, 0-1 PFL) with a flush left hand that put him out flat on his back.
Paulina Wisniewska picked up the biggest win of her career via second round TKO (3:15) over Kana Watanabe. Wisnieska (7-1, 5-1 PFL) showed a ton of promise after winning the 2024 PFL Europe flyweight title but suffered a minor setback after losing a split decision in December. Wiseniewska took it out of the judges hands, however, and battered the former Bellator contender until Mike Crimm was forced to pull her off. Watanabe (13-5-1, 1-3 PFL) has lost three straight.
UFC veteran Alexander Romanov accepted a last-minute opportunity and dominated Rodrigo Nascimento en route to a second-round submission (gullotine). Romanov (22-4, 2-1 PFL) ragdolled Nascimento (12-5, 1-2) throughout the first round and had “Yogi Bear” out of sorts. Romanov is a frighteningly strong heavyweight who can make life hard on the mat. Nascimento held on for dear life, but Romanov wasn’t going to let him off the hook for much longer and seized his opportunity to close the show in the second.
Biaggio Ali Walsh made quick work of Dashiande Harris-Moore, TKOing the Michigan native in 46 seconds. Ali Walsh (4-1, 4-1 PFL) had been on the sidelines since August and wasted little time dispatching his overmatched foe. Ali Walsh invested to the body early and caught Harris-Moore with a right hand to the solar plexus. Harris–Moore (2-1, 0-1 PFL) crumpled to the canvas before referee John McCarthy was forced to call the bout.
Valanti Atsas kicked off the night with a unanimous decision win (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) over 25-fight veteran Nate Jennerman in welterweight action. Atsas (10-1, 1-0 PFL) controlled the first two rounds with his wrestling and kept Jennerman pressed and smothered against the fence. Down two rounds, Jennerman (18-7, 0-1 PFL) nearly pulled off the comeback in the final minute after catching Atsas in a deep arm triangle, but Atsas survived to the final bell and escaped with the win.
This article first appeared at Recent News on Sherdog.com
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