Tag: 2021 PFL 4

MMA Junkie Radio #3166: Guests Belal Muhammad, Brandan Loughnane, plus UFC, Bellator, PFL recaps

Check out the latest episode of MMA Junkie Radio with “Gorgeous George” and “Goze.”

Monday’s edition of MMA Junkie Radio with hosts “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” is here and will be live at noon ET.

On Episode 3,166, the gents welcome in UFC 263 winner Belal Muhammmad and 2021 PFL 4 winner Brendan Loughnane. Plus, they’ll recap this past week’s three straight days of fight cards with 2021 PFL 4, Bellator 260 and UFC 263. Tune in!

Stream or download this and all episodes of MMA Junkie Radio over at OmnyStudio. You can also catch it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and more. A new episode of the podcast is released every Monday and Thursday.

Brendan Loughnane admits he contemplated quitting in Tyler Diamond win: ‘I had to dig to somewhere I didn’t even know I had’

Brendan Loughnane was pushed like never before in his grueling win over Tyler Diamond.

[autotag]Brendan Loughnane[/autotag] was pushed like never before in his grueling win over [autotag]Tyler Diamond[/autotag].

Loughnane (21-3) outlasted Diamond on the main card of 2021 PFL 4 at Ocean Casino Resort in Atlantic City, N.J., on Thursday, and clinched a playoff spot and the No. 1 seed in the featherweight standings.

The Brit threw everything at Diamond (12-2), who just wouldn’t go away. The hard-nose wrestler kept coming at Loughnane, pushing the pace in all three rounds. He was able to weather the storm and even wound up in top position on the mat late, as Loughnane started to fatigue. But Loughnane’s power and precision proved to be too much throughout, dropping Diamond multiple times en route to a unanimous decision win.

“That man is an absolute warrior,” Loughnane said of Diamond during his post-fight interview. “He just brought the best out of me. That was a very close fight. If it would have went his way, I’m a gracious loser, as well. I’m covered in his blood. He’s covered in my blood. What a show for the PFL fans. Two fights for Brendan Loughnane, two entertaining fights. (It) could have went my way, could have went his way, but God, thank you for tonight because I scraped that by the skin of my ass.”

Loughnane, who had a flawless first-round finish over Sheymon Moraes in his first regular season fight, endured a much different type of bout against Diamond. Although he inflicted more damage overall, he was honest in his assessment in saying Diamond almost had him reach a breaking point – but he was ultimately able to push through.

“That was better for me than beating Sheymon Moraes,” Loughnane said. “I just had to dig to somewhere I didn’t even know I had tonight. In the third round when I had to scramble to get up, I contemplated quitting, and I’ve never done that in my career. I was sat there, and I was thinking, ‘Have I got it in me to get up from the bottom?’ And that’s just me being totally honest.

“My coach is looking at me in disgrace. We’ve got a a lot to go back to, but thank you for the win. Thinking back, I was hunting for the finish from start to the end of the fight. I was trying to knock Tyler out. I hit him with everything and the kitchen sink. God only knows how he stayed in there tonight.”

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After PFL 4 win, Bubba Jenkins would love to see ‘British boy’ Brendan Loughnane

Bubba Jenkins hopes he gets to lock horns with top seed Brendan Loughnane at some point.

[autotag]Bubba Jenkins[/autotag] hopes he gets to lock horns with the top seed in the featherweight standings.

Jenkins (16-4) notched his second straight regular season win when he fended off Bobby Moffett’s late surge at 2021 PFL 4 in Atlantic City, N.J. As he exited the cage, he exchanged words with [autotag]Brendan Loughnane[/autotag] (21-3), who also clinched a playoff spot when he beat Tyler Diamond in a back-and-forth battle.

Considered two of the favorites to win the season, Jenkins is looking forward to the opportunity of potentially facing Loughnane.

“I’m not going to put anything down against my other opponents. They’re formidable opponents – you saw their performance tonight. I love the bracket that I’m in,” Jenkins told reporters at the 2021 PFL 4 post-fight news conference. “I like the competition that is out here. PFL has really cooked up some really good stuff in the 145 division. We’re putting on some shows. I would definitely like to see that British boy, because we’ve been talking a lot and we’ve been having some good, fun back-and-forth.

“But I’m America, bro, and the reason why we’re free is because (the British) couldn’t stop us in the beginning. So let’s get this thing going. But other than that, ‘Bad Man vs. Bad Man,’ I feel like I’m the best guy in the bracket. I feel like nobody could stop me. I take some breaks in there every now and then to really kind of let you all know that I’m in control, but when my personality shows and (you see) the things that I’m doing, you know that I’m comfortable. So we’ll see you guys in August.”

Jenkins also gave a shout to the man seated across from him, Chris Wade, who scored a big knockout of Arman Ospanov to secure his playoff spot. But the standout wrestler and former BRAVE CF featherweight champion insists that it’s him against himself in his pursuit of the $1 million prize.

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Claressa Shields reflects on MMA debut win at 2021 PFL 4: ‘I knew it wasn’t going to be easy’

Boxing champion Claressa Shields shares her thoughts on her first go in MMA.

[autotag]Claressa Shields[/autotag] had to work for her first professional win in MMA.

The decorated boxer made a successful MMA debut on Thursday night, stopping Brittney Elkin (3-7) via TKO in the third round of their lightweight contest. The bout served as the main event of the 2021 PFL 4 card in Atlantic City, N.J.

Shields (1-0) struggled early with Elkin’s ground game, but managed to mount a comeback and stop Elkin with ground-and-pound. It was a dramatic debut for the decorated boxer, but not as surprising one, as Shields expected to face adversity stepping in a new sport.

“I had told myself, ‘This is not going to be easy,'” Shields told reporters at the 2021 PFL 4 post-fight press conference. “That’s why I spent seven months in Albuquerque, I haven’t been home in a while. I knew it wasn’t going to be easy.

“I was getting in there with an experienced vet. I have been doing MMA for seven months and she’s been doing it for 12 years, so I knew I was at a disadvantage. But I also knew I’m just a different kind of animal. Even though I felt I was losing, I still felt I had time. So I just gave it my all, just don’t quit and you’ll come out happy and victorious.”

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The two-time Olympic gold medalist boxer and WBA, WBC, IBF, and WBO champion wasn’t able to showcase much of her world-class boxing. However, her willingness to come out on top and pick up a win despite likely being down on the scorecards was on full display.

“I knew it would be completely different and that’s what we had trained for,” Shields said. “The only thing I knew coming into the fight was that I was in dog shape. I knew I had trained the hardest that I could train and I had as much information in my mind as I could take. So my main thing was just come in the cage and have my faith over fear and put my best foot forward. I feel like every round I did that.”

“When I sat down after the second round coach said, ‘Hey, it’s time to go in there and get the stoppage,'” Shields continued. “I said, ‘I’m not getting taken down this round and put on my back. I’m just going to come out here and give the best that I got.’ I could’ve went home with the L like that, but something came over me and just kept punching.”

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Twitter reacts to boxing champion Claressa Shields’ successful MMA debut at 2021 PFL 4

Check out the reactions to the MMA debut of boxing champion Claressa Shields at 2021 PFL 4.

[autotag]Claressa Shields[/autotag] has successfully debuted in MMA.

The two-time Olympic gold medalist boxer and WBA, WBC, IBF and WBO champion had her first professional MMA bout on Thursday night in the main event of the 2021 PFL 4 card in Atlantic City, N.J. Shields (1-0) stopped Brittney Elkin (3-7) via TKO in the third round of their lightweight contest.

Shields struggled early, as she faced adversity on the ground in the first two rounds, but was able to rally back late, put Elkin in a tough position, and finish her with ground-and-pound.

Check below for the top Twitter reactions to Shields’ MMA debut.

2021 PFL 4 results: Claressa Shields tested, rallies to win MMA debut by third-round TKO

The main event of 2021 PFL 4 saw Claressa Shields make her professional MMA debut against Brittney Elkin.

No longer just a boxer, [autotag]Claressa Shields[/autotag] is now a winning mixed martial artist.

Shields (1-0), the two-time Olympic gold medalist and champion boxer, made her long-awaited MMA debut on Thursday at 2021 PFL 4 against Brittney Elkin (3-7) in a non-regular season lightweight bout, rallying to win by third-round TKO. The fight served as the main event of the evening at the Ocean Casino Resort in Atlantic City, N.J., which aired on ESPN 2.

Elkin kept Shields at distance early by threatening with kicks. A minute into the fight, Elkin shot in for a takedown and successfully completed the attempt. The first test of Shields’ career on the mat was answered, as she worked her way back to her feet briefly, and ended up on top of Elkin after a scramble and began landing some hard punches.

Elkin was able to regain her position on top, keeping the ground pressure high on her opponent. A few moments later, she transitioned to full mount and began switching between hunting for submissions and landing ground and pound until the round ended.

Shields began the second round with a little more urgency by letting her hands fly and landed a couple of good punches. Elkin wasn’t interested in spending too much time on the feet and took the fight to the mat again, returning to full mount.

Elkin didn’t rush anything from the position, knowing she was the more experienced fighter on the mat. Towards the end of the round, she jumped on an armbar attempt, but Shields was ready to escape it and get to her knees. From there, Shields landed hard punches until the round ended while Elkin covered up.

The third round began with Elkin shooting in for a takedown that Shields defended well. After the sprawl, Shields rained down hard punches while Elkin held on to her opponent’s legs. With the threat of regaining position lessened, Shields continued to throw punches on the ground until the referee saw enough.

“I feel like I am dreaming! This is crazy,” Shields said during her post-fight interview.

After stuffing the takedown in the third round, Shields’ corner wanted the boxer to return to the feet to let her hands go.

“They were saying let her up, and I just told myself, ‘hell naw’,” Shields said.

Shields, 26, joined the PFL in 2020 and has been training at Jackson Wink MMA for over seven months alongside former UFC champions Holly Holm and Jon Jones to prepare for the jump from the boxing ring to the cage. On Thursday, the takedown defense she picked up in the training room led her to victory.

Undefeated in the boxing ring, she can now call herself an undefeated MMA fighter as well after an impressive crossover debut in Saturday’s main event.

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2021 PFL 4 Results: Brendan Loughnane secures playoff spot with tough win over Tyler Diamond

The opening main card bout of 2021 PFL 4 between Tyler Diamond and Brendan Loughnane stole the show.

[autotag]Brendan Loughnane[/autotag] locked in his spot in the PFL featherweight playoffs by outlasting [autotag]Tyler Diamond[/autotag] in an incredible battle.

Kicking off the main card of 2021 PFL 4 at Ocean Casino Resort in Atlantic City, N.J. on Thursday evening, England’s Loughnane (21-3) was set to take on Diamond (12-2) in a matchup that had the potential to steal the show, and it certainly lived up to that promise. The bout card aired on ESPN2 following prelims on ESPN+.

Diamond kept the pressure high early in the first, striking fast and cutting off the cage as his Loughnane was content with counters. Loughnane began throwing kicks in the latter half of the opening round, including finding a home for a hard calf kick that caused Diamond to drop to the canvas briefly.

Diamond opened the second round in a similar fashion to the first, looking to push the pace. Loughnane stunned him with a clean counter that sent him to the canvas. Pouring on the pressure and raining down heavy ground and pound, Loughnane tried to finish the fight.

Diamond remained as calm as he could to weather the storm, making it to the end of the round.

In the third round, Loughnane continued his effective striking, hurting Diamond early in the round. It appeared the finish was near again, but Diamond managed to find top position on the mat to slow the pace.

With Loughnane showing fatigue, Diamond began to lean on his wrestling skills, keeping him on his back. Loughnane worked his way up with about a minute remaining and the pair would slug it out until the final horn.

Two of the judges saw the bout in favor of Loughnane with scores of 30-27 and 29-27, while the other judge scored the bout a draw at 28-28, giving him a majority decision victory.

“I’m covered in his blood, he’s covered in my blood, what a show for the PFL fans,” Loughnane said during his post-fight interview.

Loughnane, 31, picked up six points with his first-round knockout of Sheymon Moraes at 2021 PFL 1, the only finish to occur on that evening.

“That was better for me than beating Sheymon Moraes. I just had to dig to somewhere I didn’t even know I had tonight,” Loughnane said after the bout.

With the unanimous decision win on Thursday, he added another three points to his total to keep his lead in the featherweight standings and secure his spot in the playoffs.

You can check out the full results of 2021 PFL 4 here.

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2021 PFL 4 live and official results (7 p.m. ET)

Follow along for results from PFL 4, where boxing champion Claressa Shields makes her MMA debut in the main event.

The PFL season continues Thursday, and you can get live results of all the action here at MMA Junkie beginning at 7 p.m. ET.

2021 PFL 4 takes place at Ocean Casino Resort in Atlantic City, N.J. The main card airs on ESPN 2 following prelims on ESPN+.

PFL 4 is headlined by the MMA debut of boxing champion [autotag]Claressa Shields[/autotag], who takes on [autotag]Brittney Elkin[/autotag] in a non-regular season women’s lightweight bout. The card also sees the lightweight and featherweight divisions in action for the second time in hopes of advancing to the postseason where a $1 million bonus awaits the champions.

Complete PFL results include:

MAIN CARD (ESPN2/ESPN+, 10 p.m. ET)

  • Claressa Shields vs. Brittney Elkin
  • Clay Collard vs. Joilton Lutterbach
  • Bubba Jenkins vs. Bobby Moffett
  • Tyler Diamond vs. Brendan Loughnane

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, 7 p.m. ET)

  • Alex Martinez vs. Natan Schulte
  • Olivier Aubin-Mercier vs. Marcin Held
  • Akhmed Aliev vs. Loik Radzhabov
  • Sheymon Moraes vs. Jesse Stirn
  • Arman Ospanov vs. Chris Wade

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MMA Junkie Radio #3165: Guest Demetrious Johnson, plus PFL, Bellator, UFC previews

Check out the latest episode of MMA Junkie Radio with “Gorgeous George” and “Goze.”

Thursday’s edition of MMA Junkie Radio with hosts “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” is here and will be live on SportsCastr at noon ET.

On Episode 3,165, the boys bring on ONE Championship’s [autotag]Demetrious Johnson[/autotag]. Plus, they’ll preview the next three straight days of fight cards with 2021 PFL 4, Bellator 260 and UFC 263. Tune in!

Stream or download this and all episodes of MMA Junkie Radio over at OmnyStudio. You can also catch it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and more. A new episode of the podcast is released every Monday and Thursday.

2021 PFL 4 predictions: Is anyone picking against Claressa Shields? (Updated)

Check out our staff members’ picks for the 2021 PFL 4 main card, which features the MMA debut of boxer Claressa Shields.

Shields
vs.
Elkin		 Collard
vs.
Lutterbach		 Jenkins
vs.
Moffett		 Diamond
vs.
Loughnane
MMA Junkie readers’
consensus picks
2021: 71-50 (58.7%)		 shields2021
Shields
(73%)		 collard2021
Collard
(78%)		 jenkins2021
Jenkins
(82%)		 loughnane2021
Loughnane
(67%)
Nolan King
@mma_kings
2021: 72-49 (59.5%)		 shields2021
Shields		 collard2021
Collard		 jenkins2021
Jenkins		 loughnane2021
Loughnane
John Morgan
@MMAjunkieJohn
2021: 72-49 (59.5%)		 shields2021
Shields		 collard2021
Collard		 jenkins2021
Jenkins		 diamond2021
Diamond
George Garcia
@MMAjunkieGeorge
2021: 71-50 (58.7%)		 shields2021
Shields		 collard2021
Collard		 jenkins2021
Jenkins		 loughnane2021
Loughnane
Mike Bohn
@MikeBohnMMA
2021: 70-51 (57.9%)
trophy copy 2014 Champion		 shields2021
Shields		 collard2021
Collard		 jenkins2021
Jenkins		 loughnane2021
Loughnane
Simon Samano
@SJSamano
2021: 70-51 (57.9%)		 shields2021
Shields		 collard2021
Collard		 jenkins2021
Jenkins		 loughnane2021
Loughnane
Brian Garcia
@thegoze
2021: 70-51 (57.9%)
trophy copy 2017 Champion		 shields2021
Shields		 collard2021
Collard		 jenkins2021
Jenkins		 loughnane2021
Loughnane
Danny Segura
@dannyseguratv
2021: 70-51 (57.9%)		 shields2021
Shields		 collard2021
Collard		 jenkins2021
Jenkins		 loughnane2021
Loughnane
Ken Hathaway
@kenshathaway
2021: 69-52 (57%)
trophy copy 2018 Champion		 shields2021
Shields		 collard2021
Collard		 jenkins2021
Jenkins		 loughnane2021
Loughnane
Matt Erickson
@MMAjunkieMatt
2021: 67-54 (55.4%)		 shields2021
Shields		 collard2021
Collard		 jenkins2021
Jenkins		 loughnane2021
Loughnane
Dan Tom
@DanTomMMA
2021: 67-54 (55.4%)
trophy copy 2020 Champion		 shields2021
Shields		 collard2021
Collard		 jenkins2021
Jenkins		 loughnane2021
Loughnane
Abbey Subhan
@kammakaze
2021: 66-55 (54.5%)		 shields2021
Shields		 collard2021
Collard		 jenkins2021
Jenkins		 loughnane2021
Loughnane
Farah Hannoun
@Farah_Hannoun
2021: 65-56 (53.7%)		 shields2021
Shields		 collard2021
Collard		 jenkins2021
Jenkins		 loughnane2021
Loughnane
Matthew Wells
@@MrMWells
2021: 0-0 (40%)		 shields2021
Shields		 collard2021
Collard		 jenkins2021
Jenkins		 loughnane2021
Loughnane
BetMGM
Betting Favorites		 shields2021
Shields		 collard2021
Collard		 jenkins2021
Jenkins		 loughnane2021
Loughnane

(Editor’s note: Updated after Anthony Pettis was removed from his fight against Alex Martinez on the main card, and Clay Collard vs. Joilton Lutterbach was moved into that position.)

The PFL is back this week featherweights and lightweights on the lineup – and the MMA debut of a boxing superstar.

2021 PFL 4 takes place Thursday at Ocean Casino Resort in Atlantic City, N.J. The main card airs on ESPN2 following prelims on ESPN+.

(Click here to open a PDF of the staff picks grid in a separate window.)

In the main event, women’s boxing champion and sensation [autotag]Claressa Shields[/autotag] (0-0) makes her highly anticipated MMA debut at lightweight against [autotag]Brittney Elkin[/autotag] (3-6). Shields is the betting favorite at -275 at BetMGM, and she’s one of three unanimous picks from our 13 editors, writers, radio hosts and videographers.

In the co-feature, with former UFC and WEC lightweight champ Anthony Pettis (24-11) out of his fight against Alex Martinez (8-0) due to illness, the lightweight bout between [autotag]Clay Collard[/autotag] (19-8) and [autotag]Joilton Lutterbach[/autotag] (34-9) moved up from the prelims. Collard is a -225 betting favorite and a unanimous pick from our staff members.

Also on the main card, [autotag]Bubba Jenkins[/autotag] (15-4) is our third unanimous pick in his featherweight regular season fight against [autotag]Bobby Moffett[/autotag] (13-5). Jenkins is a -275 favorite in the fight.

And to open the main card, [autotag]Tyler Diamond[/autotag] (12-1) is the only fighter keeping us from a fully unanimous main card. He’s a +225 underdog against [autotag]Brendan Loughnane[/autotag] (20-3) in their featherweight fight. But it’s still Loughnane with a near-unanimous rout at 12-1 in the picks.

In the MMA Junkie reader consensus picks, Shields (73 percent), Collard (78 percent), Jenkins (82 percent) and Loughnane (67 percent) are the choices.

Check out all the picks above.

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