Outside Source
Vadim Nemkov’s arrival to the heavyweight division has been nothing but smooth sailing as the former Bellator MMA light heavyweight king claimed the Professional Fighters League heavyweight title with a first-round (4:00) arm triangle over Renan Ferreira on Saturday at LDLC Arena in Lyon, France.
Nemkov (19-2, 3-0 PFL) wasted little time taking the 6-foot-8 Brazilian giant to the mat before applying the choke. Ferreira (13-5, 8-3 PFL) frantically fought to survive and even reversed position, landing some heavy shots before Nemkov shook him off and returned him to his back. With a minute remaining, Nemkov upped his pressure and mounted Ferreira before snatching the rest of his air out of his lungs.
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With the win, Nemkov secured the vacant title and could be on a crash course with former champion Francis Ngannou.
Cyborg Earns Second Career Submission
At 40 years old, Cristiane “Cris Cyborg” Justino is still levels above her competition.
The PFL women’s featherweight champion defended her title at PFL Lyon in dominating fashion, submitting formally unbeaten Sara Collins by face crank in the third round (2:55). Cyborg (29-2, 2-0 PFL) took control of the cage early, but Collins (6-1, 1-1 PFL) proved her toughness and even put the champion in a compromising headlock midway through the third round. As Collins looked to transition into an Americana choke, Cyborg slid to her back and quickly attacked the chin. It wouldn’t take long for the 20-year MMA veteran to tap her Australian foe. After the fight, Cyborg called out Leah McCourt to a fight and announced her plans to pursue a world title in boxing.
Surging Habirora Clobbers Jousset
Patrick Habirora put a vicious beatdown on Kevin Jousset to improve to 8-0.
The Belgian Bomber is one of the most explosive young welterweights in the world and showcased that power by dropping Jousset (10-5, 0-1 PFL) with a jab before finishing him off with ground-and-pound 2:42 into the first round.
Lapilus Cruises Against Gittins
French fan favorite Taylor Lapilus cruised to a fourth straight win after peppering Liam Gittins en route to a unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27).
Lapilus (23-4, 2-0 PFL) started the bantamweight battle on the front foot looking to put Gittins away early, but the Englishmen proved his mettle. Lapilus cracked Gittins (13-5, 0-1 PFL) with gut-wrenching knees to the body and quick counters but couldn’t put his man away. Gittins fought tough, but Lapilus’ speed and precision were on full display as the Paris native made the fight look easy.
Adiguzel Claims 2025 PFL Europe 135-Pound Crown
France’s Baris Adiguzel needed only 44 seconds to bring his countrymen to his feet and put Dean Garnett flat on his face en route to a TKO finish.
Adiguzel (10-1, 2-0 PFL) won the PFL Europe bantamweight title with the finish after cracking Garnett with a flush right hand and left hook off the top of the temple. Garnett hit the canvas but instinctively scrambled for a single leg while referee Daniel Movahedi was in the middle of stopping the fight. Garnett (14-4-1, 2-2 PFL) was visibly frustrated with the quick stoppage while Adiguzel partied around the cage.
Atangana Stays Unblemished
Boris Mbarga Atangana may be known for his frightening power, but the Belgian light heavyweight punisher proved that he can be a problem on the canvas with his grappling.
After battering Guilherme Soares (16-7-1, 0-1 PFL) for most of the afternoon, Atangana (8-0,3-0 PFL) snapped Soares’ four-fight win streak with a rear-naked choke 2:35 into the second round.
Chizov Earns 2025 PFL Europe 155-Pound Crown
Aleksandr Chizov claimed the $100,000 PFL Europe lightweight grand prize with a highlight reel-worthy knockout of Connor Hughes.
After splitting the first two rounds, the evenly matched rivals traded combinations at center cage until Chizov (13-3, 4-2 PFL) split Hughes’ guard with a short left hook before putting him down with a crisp right hand. Hughes (12-3, 5-3 PFL) came up short in last year’s PFL Europe final, and unfortunately, his fate was repeated.
Oliveira Upsets Ibragimov
After seeing the first two fights decided by split decision, Brazilian bantamweight Gustavo Oliveira took the judges out of the equation with a picture-perfect counter left hook to Movsar Ibragimov’s exposed jaw.
Ibragimov (7-1, 1-1 PFL) entered the bout unbeaten and riding the high of a seven-fight finish streak, but was dealt his own medicine after catching a perfectly timed counter shot from Oliveira (12-2, 2-0 PFL) 0:34 into the second round.
De Sousa Edges 2024 PFL Europe Champ
In a battle of unbeaten flyweights, Brazil’s Sabrina de Sousa defeated 2024 PFL Europe champion Paulina Wisniewska by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28).
The contest was very tricky to score as de Sousa (5-0, 2-0 PFL) would control most of the round on the ground yet fade in the final minute. Wisinewska (6-1, 4-1 PFL) got the better of de Sousa in the striking department, but surrendered too much control time. With the win, de Sousa retained her unbeaten record, while the Polish star will look to refine her grappling skills.
Balbali Outpoints Batchelor
French bantamweight Rayan Balbali (2-0, 1-0 PFL) handed Levi Batchelor (3-1, 1-1 PFL) his first loss as a pro following 15 heavily disputed minutes.
Despite Batchelor’s strength in the clinch and on the ground, Balbali found his moments on the feet and kept the match close throughout. Both fighters held their breaths as the scorecards were read in favor for Balbali by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 30-27).
This article first appeared at Recent News on Sherdog.com
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