Outside Source
Professional Fighters League’s return to UBS Arena in Long Island, New York, was punctuated by a majestic performance in the main event.
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The PFL New York headliner saw current 155-pound titleholder Usman Nurmagomedov (22-0, 1 NC; 4-0 PFL) defend his championship against Archie Colgan (13-1, 2-1 PFL). After a feeling-out couple of minutes in the center of the cage, Nurmagomedov connected with a head kick on his opponent’s temple before following up with a big left hand that dropped Colgan. Shortly after the American managed to recompose himself and get back to his feet, Nurmagomedov followed up with more uppercuts that sent “King” to his knees. Smelling blood, the Dagestani landed more punches before referee Keith Peterson waved it off at the 3:42 mark of Round 1. In his post-fight interview, Nurmagomedov was noncommittal about his future in the promotion, since Friday’s fight was the last on his current contract.
In the co-main event, Dakota Ditcheva (16-0, 11-0 PFL) made a successful return from a year-long injury hiatus, taking on former Bellator MMA title challenger Denise Kielholtz (9-6, 1-1 PFL). “Dangerous” showed no cage rust, combining clean, sharp striking with effective takedowns, putting any concerns about the injured hand to rest. Ditcheva made the most of her reach, attacking from range with front kicks to the head and midsection, while Kielholtz answered with a few spinning attacks but overall posed little threat. The pace slowed in the third frame, drawing scattered boos as Ditcheva went the distance for the third time in her otherwise finish-heavy career. When the dust settled, all three judges scored it 30-27 for Ditcheva.
In a 157-pound catchweight tilt, Amru Magomedov (10-0, 2-0 PFL) kept his record unblemished by overcoming Angel Alvarez (11-3, 1-1 PFL). Magomedov attacked with a variety of strikes out of the gate, but his kicks proved to be his most lethal weapon. After “Salsa King,” who failed to make the contracted 155-pound weight limit the day before, crumpled from the damage, Magomedov poured it on until referee Dan Miragliotta stepped in at 4:28 of Round 2.
An elite middleweight clash headlines PFL Charlotte: Tune on Friday, Aug. 7 at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN.
The main card opener saw former Ares Fighting Championship 205-pound kingpin Moustapha Diakhate (6-0-1, 1-0 PFL) make a statement in his promotional debut, crushing last-minute replacement Darryl King Walker (2-1, 0-1 PFL). “Black Black” hunted his opponent down with strikes from the opening bell before taking the fight to the canvas and finishing “The Sacred Beast” from mount at 2:35 into the opening stanza.
In the featured fight on the preliminary card, Lazaro Dayron (11-0-1, 3-0-1 PFL) relied on his crisp striking and well-timed takedowns to outpoint former interim Bellator MMA 135-pound titleholder Raufeon Stots (21-5, 1-3 PFL) at the end of a close contest, with two judges scoring 29-28 in favor of “El Cazador” and one 29-28 for “Supa”; earlier, Sean Gauci (12-1, 2-0 PFL) dominated Allan Begosso (10-5-1, 0-2 PFL) to secure a unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) at the end of a bantamweight bout; in their 175-pound catchweight Omar El Dafrawy (16-6, 6-1 PFL) outstruck Jonathan Piersma (12-4, 1 NC; 0-1 PFL) en route to a unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 30-27); Tatiana Postarnakova (6-0, 2-0 PFL) eked out a narrow split decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29) as she spoiled the promotional debut of Ultimate Fighting Championship vet Montana De La Rosa (13-10-1, 0-1 PFL) in their women’s flyweight tilt; in the 155-pound opener, Levan Khabalaev (6-0, 1-0 PFL) folded Chamy Delva (7-2, 0-1 PFL) with a couple of knees to the body followed by a series of punches at 1:44 of Round 1.
This article first appeared at Recent News on Sherdog.com
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