[autotag]Valentin Moldavsky[/autotag] arrived in style under the PFL banner Thursday as he pummeled [autotag]Ante Delija[/autotag] en route to a first-round finish.
The heavyweight bout headlined 2024 PFL 1 at Boeing Center at Tech Port in San Antonio. Moldavsky (13-3) finished Delija (24-6) with punches for a stoppage at 2:17 of Round 1.
With legendary Russian heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko in his corner, Moldavsky showed off a strike-heavy approach. Delija appeared uncomfortable in the minute leading up to the finish, as he glanced at his corner, potentially indicating an injury. PFL president Ray Sefo later revealed Delija suffered a torn groin muscle (h/t MMA Mania).
That didn’t hold back Moldavsky, who continually marched forward and served up a healthy platter of punches until Delija covered up against the cage. The intensity and frequency of punches increased until referee Jacob Montalvo waved off the fight.
With the victory, Moldavsky pocketed six points in the heavyweight regular season standings. He finished out the night as the division’s leader.
QUICK WORK FOR VALENTIN! He goes straight to the top of the Heavyweight standings!#PFLRegularSeason pic.twitter.com/7ZJLkP8upp
— PFL (@PFLMMA) April 5, 2024
Moldavsky, 32, is a former Bellator interim heavyweight champion. He went 7-2 under the promotion’s banner prior to his entrance into the PFL regular season.
Delija, 33, has a five-fight winning streak snapped. He was the promotion’s 2022 heavyweight champion but only competed once in the 2023 season prior to injury.
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The up-to-the-minute 2024 PFL 1 results include:
- Valentin Moldavsky def. Ante Delija via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 2:17
- Denis Goltsov def. Linton Vassell via TKO (ground-and-pound) – Round 3, 3:11
- Liz Carmouche def. Juliana Velasquez via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Dakota Ditcheva def. Lisa Mauldin via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 3:54
- Daniel James def. Marcelo Golm via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 4:59
- Sergei Bilostenniy def. Blagoy Ivanov via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Taila Santos def. Ilara Joanne via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 3:57
- Oleg Popov def. Steve Mowry via TKO (ground-and-pound) – Round 2, 3:47
- Jena Bishop def. Chelsea Hackett via submission (armbar) – Round 1, 4:15 – regular season bout
- Dmitre Ivy def. Lucas Brennan via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) – showcase bout
- Bryce Meredith def. Ty Johnson via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) – showcase bout
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for 2024 PFL 1.