Tag: 2021 PFL Playoffs 1

Rory MacDonald issues statement after getting eliminated from PFL playoffs

Although he’s enduring the roughest stretch of his career, Rory MacDonald plans on bouncing back stronger.

Although he’s enduring the roughest stretch of his career, [autotag]Rory MacDonald[/autotag] plans on bouncing back stronger.

MacDonald (22-7-1), a former UFC title challenger and Bellator welterweight champion, was hoping to add another title to his resume when he signed with the PFL for the 2021 season.

But the “Red King’s” journey came to an end when he was dominated by reigning champion Ray Cooper III in the semifinals at 2021 PFL Playoffs 1 earlier this month. MacDonald took to Instagram to issue a statement, citing the time away from his family as one of the major factors that impacted his performance.

“Happy to be home with my family after spending 6 weeks apart. Being away from them for that long really affected me & showed me how much we need to be together for me to be at my best.

Ill be taking a few weeks off to enjoy relaxing at home with family and use the time to start planning my comeback for my 2nd season in @pflmma”

https://www.instagram.com/p/CSxuIYYFXJI/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

To kick off his PFL season, MacDonald submitted ex-UFC fighter Curtis Millender in the first round, then lost a controversial split decision to Gleison Tibau. The first-round finish over Millender was enough to earn him six points and a spot in playoffs, but he was eliminated when he ran into Cooper. MacDonald has now lost two in a row and three of his past four overall.

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Spinning Back Clique: Sean O’Malley’s career strategy, Paige VanZant’s revelation, Rory MacDonald’s future, more

Check out this week’s “Spinning Back Clique,” MMA Junkie’s weekly show that takes a spin through the biggest topics in mixed martial arts.

Check out this week’s “Spinning Back Clique,” MMA Junkie’s weekly show that takes a spin through the biggest topics in mixed martial arts.

This week, our panel discusses A.J. McKee’s title win at Bellator 263 and if that makes him the best featherweight in the world. Plus, they dive into MMA fighter pay in the aftermath of Cheyanne Buys’ UFC on ESPN 28 win and subsequent viral revelation; Sean Strickland’s post-fight speech; Bellator and UFC breakout performances; and upcoming heavyweight potential fights.

Our “Spinning Back Clique” panel this week of Matthew Wells, Nolan King and Brian “Goze” Garcia discusses these topics and more with host John Morgan.

  • This past weekend, the PFL kicked off the promotion’s 2021 playoffs, and in a featured bout, Ray Cooper III shut out [autotag]Rory MacDonald[/autotag] on the scorecards. While he’s just 32, MacDonald has been fighting for 16 years, and he’s now just 1-3 in his past 4 fights, dating back to his run in Bellator. “The Canadian Psycho” has given us a ton of highlights during his storied career, but what does the future hold? Are his days as an elite fighter over?
  • [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag] made a few statements recently that were quite logical in nature but may have riled up fans a bit in which he admitted financially, there’s no real incentive for him to take on higher-ranked opponents at this point in his career. What do you make of his logic? Is he right?
  • [autotag]Paige VanZant[/autotag] opened up in the latest edition of her and her husband’s video blog, admitting she became quite depressed following her recent BKFC loss and even saying “I didn’t want to live anymore.” We say all the time that this sport features the highest of highs and the lowest of lows – but what can we take out of comments like this? Does something more need to be done in MMA regarding mental health of the athletes?
  • [autotag]Gable Steveson[/autotag] claimed Olympic gold in wrestling over in Japan, capping off an incredible run there for the U.S. team, and there’s seems to be a lot of hype around Steveson potentially making the transition to MMA right away. We know that wrestling id a great base for MMA, but it’s obviously not all that you need to win. What’s the biggest career advice you would give to Steveson or any other Olympian making their way into the sport. Is there a promotion they should chase? A camp they should start at? Any training methodologies? What’s the advice?
  • Looking to this weekend guys, it’s a fight fan’s dream. PFL on Thursday, Bellator on Friday and UFC on Saturday. You’ve got Kayla Harrison vs. Genah Fabian, Cheick Kongo vs. Sergei Kharitonov and Jared Cannonier vs. Kelvin Gastelum in the headliners, but not everyone has the luxury of spending all three nights watching MMA, so narrow it down – what’s one fight on these three cards outside of the headliners that absolutely should not be missed?

From cleaning offices at night to fighting for $1 million, Raush Manfio reflects on his special 2021 PFL playoff run

Raush Manfio went from cleaning offices at night to fighting for $1 million in the 2021 PFL playoffs.

HOLLYWOOD, Fla. – [autotag]Raush Manfio[/autotag] is one fight away from winning $1 million after defeating Clay Collard in the semifinals at 2021 PFL Playoffs 1 on Friday.

Although his unanimous decision victory over Collard was controversial, Manfio (14-3 MMA, 3-0 PFL) continues on to the finals to face [autotag]Loik Radzhabov[/autotag] for a chance at a huge payday. Not bad for a fighter who struggled to find fights on the regional scene and started this PFL season as an alternate.

“When I pray tonight, I have a lot of stuff to be thankful (for),” Manfio told MMA Junkie. “The last three years before I stepped in the PFL, I was trying to schedule fights and no one would fight me in the other small leagues and I was going to quit my career.”

Fellow lightweight competitor Olivier Aubin-Mercier was injured in April and had to pull out of his scheduled bout against Joilton Lutterbach. This opened the window for Manfio to fulfill his alternate role and enter the season. He would go on to defeat Lutterbach via split decision.

Two months later, Manfio found himself standing across the cage from former UFC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis for his second fight of the season. Once again, Manfio edged out a victory via split decision to enter the playoffs, setting up a semifinal bout against Collard.

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On Friday, in perhaps his toughest bout yet inside the PFL cage, Manfio did enough in the judges’ eyes to get his hand raised, despite the backlash from many, including Collard himself.

“Where I came from this year, seven, eight months ago cleaning offices at night to now this opportunity for $1 million dollars, (it’s) the best feeling in feeling in the world,” Manfio stated.

Watch the full post-fight interview with Manfio in the video above.

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Despite feeling pressure from the grueling PFL schedule, Loik Radzhabov ready to win finals for his fans

Pushing through the grueling schedule of the PFL regular season and playoffs, Loik Radzhabov is ready to win the finals for his loyal fans.

HOLLYWOOD, Fla. – Loik Radzhabov has punched his ticket to the lightweight finals after defeating Alex Martinez via unanimous decision in the semifinals at 2021 PFL Playoffs 1.

Radzhabov’s first opponent in his opening bout of the regular season in April was Martinez, a fight that he lost by split decision. For a moment, Radzhabov thought he could be in for a similar situation after the conclusion of their rematch on Friday, but the judges unanimously sided with him as the winner.

After three fights in a span of four months, the hectic schedule of the PFL season is something that Radzhabov wishes were a little different, to allow more time for rest and recovery.

“It’s quite demanding,” Radzhabov told MMA Junkie through a translator. “I wish there would be a little bit more time, maybe every three months, but it’s the format, we have to deal with that. A lot of people don’t realize that it’s a lot of pressure, and then the weight cutting. All of these things, they take a toll on you, and yes, even though there’s only one fight left, you need to remember there are three fights behind me and they all take a little toll on you. It’s not easy, but it’s part of what we do.”

The 2021 PFL finals take place on Oct. 27, where Radzhabov will meet Raush Manfio, who defeated Clay Collard via controversial unanimous decision on Friday.

Tajikistan’s Radzhabov is looking forward to meeting Manfio inside the cage, while also feeling the need to come through with a victory to satisfy his loyal fans who support his efforts.

“It’s a double-edged sword,” Radzhabov said. “With all of this great support comes great responsibility. All of these people are watching me. They cheer me, they support the nation, but now I have to deliver.”

Watch the full post-fight interview with Radzhabov in the video above.

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Magomed Magomedkerimov happy he gets Ray Cooper III rematch in PFL welterweight final

Magomed Magomedkerimov owns a PFL finals win over Ray Cooper and will be looking to repeat this year.

HOLLYWOOD, Fla. – For the second time in three seasons, [autotag]Magomed Magomedkerimov[/autotag] will fight Ray Cooper III in the PFL welterweight final.

Their rematch was set Friday night after Cooper, the reigning 2019 PFL welterweight champion, won a lopsided unanimous decision against former Bellator champ and UFC title challenger Rory MacDonald in the main event of 2021 PFL Playoffs 1. Just before that in the co-main event, Magomedkerimov took care of business with his own lopsided unanimous decision win over Sadibou Sy.

Magomedkerimov (29-5) and Cooper (23-7-1) previously met in the 2018 PFL welterweight final, with Magomedkerimov winning by second-round submission to claim the title and $1 million prize.

Now they’ll run it back three years later, and Magomedkerimov at least has seen a difference in Cooper between then and now – but he still likes the matchup.

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“I see the style changed a little bit,” Magomedkerimov told MMA Junkie through a Russian translator. “He used to box more. Now I see he has some wrestling going on. It’s a good thing for him, but it’s actually a good thing for me.”

After a 2020 season lost because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Magomedkerimov is happy to have made it back to the final.

“It’s quite a journey, and it takes several steps,” he said. “Most of the steps are behind. The most important one is ahead of me. I’m very happy, yes. I’m relieved. Time to relax a little bit right now, and we’re gonna regroup and be ready.”

You can watch Magomedkerimov’s full interview in the video above.

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Ray Cooper III expected to dominate Rory MacDonald, turns focus to PFL finals rematch vs. Magomed Magomedkerimov

Ray Cooper III turns his focus to a rematch with Magomed Magomedkerimov after defeating Rory MacDonald in the PFL semifinals.

HOLLYWOOD, Fla. – The MMA community may have been surprised at the outcome of Friday’s 2021 PFL Playoffs 1 main event, but [autotag]Ray Cooper III[/autotag] was not.

Cooper (23-7-1 MMA, 10-2-1 PFL) was matched up against [autotag]Rory MacDonald[/autotag] in what promised to be a tough fight for both welterweight competitors who hoped to punch their ticket to the PFL finals to face [autotag]Magomed Magomedkerimov[/autotag].

However, at the conclusion of the fight, there was no doubt that Cooper did enough to win the fight, in fact, the only question was if a judge gave MacDonald a single round.

“(It was) Nothing I didn’t expect, I knew this was going to happen,” Cooper told MMA Junkie. “Nothing but respect for Rory. He’s a great competitor, awesome fighter.”

Perhaps the key to success on Friday evening was Cooper’s approach to the fight, as he didn’t allow the stage, the moment, or the opponent to get to him all week long. He simply approached the fight with the same mentality as he always does in a tournament format.

“He’s just another guy,” Cooper said. “He’s in my way of my main goal. This is a tournament style. This is not, ‘Oh, you’re fighting a big guy this fight, that’s your biggest fight.’ No, you have to focus on the fights after that too, but you still gotta be focused on the fight in front of you and that’s what I did. I focused on him, I got past it, and now I’m focused on the main, main goal, and that’s winning the championship.”

All three judges scored the contest 30-27 in favor of Cooper over MacDonald, giving him a clean sweep on the cards and advancing him to the finals to face Magomedkerimov, who defeated Sadibou Sy via unanimous decision on Friday.

Cooper will have a chance at revenge against Magomedkerimov, who defeated him in the 2018 tournament championship via second-round guillotine choke.

“I’m getting my rematch,” Cooper said. “It’s a totally different fight now, the way I’m gonna approach it, the way Magomed’s gonna approach it – we both know how we fight, but that last fight we fought, I was a little bit immature during the fight, but now, I know what he’s gonna do already. It’s no secret what he does. He’s gonna wrestle. Period. I’m ready.”

The 2021 PFL Playoff finals will take place Oct. 27 at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Fla.

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‘That sh*t sucks’: Clay Collard reacts to controversial decision loss to Raush Manfio at 2021 PFL Playoffs 1

Clay Collard reacts to his controversial unanimous decision loss to Raush Manfio at 2021 PFL Playoffs 1.

HOLLYWOOD, Fla. – On Friday’s main card of 2021 PFL Playoffs 1, [autotag]Clay Collard[/autotag] faced Raush Manfio in what turned out to be an intense 15-minute back-and-forth battle.

The three decision-makers sitting cageside are either be your best friend or your worst enemy after a close fight. Unfortunately for Collard, the judges’ scorecards were not in his favor, despite the commentary team, and of course, Collard himself, believing otherwise.

“I mean, what do you want me to say? That sh*t sucks,” Collard told MMA Junkie shortly after the conclusion of the fight. “I definitely got the first two rounds. Third round, he might have squeaked by.”

Collard knew the fight was close, but didn’t think that he was behind on the scorecards. The judges scored the contest unanimously in favor of Manfio, all turning in scores of 29-28, although they did not score all of the rounds the same way. The only round all three judges agreed on was the final round, scoring it 10-9 for Manfio.

“I felt like I was trying to mix things up, I went for a few takedowns, I was even going for a few submissions like that, and he was just throwing slappy shots the whole time,” Collard said. “I feel like I did enough to win the fight, you know? The judges didn’t think that and he gets to go fight for a million dollars, so good for him.”

Manfio extends his win streak to three in a row and advances to the lightweight finals where he will face Loik Radzhabov.

Collard’s run towards the 2021 PFL final comes up one fight short but still had an impressive run with wins over former UFC champion Anthony Pettis and Joilton Lutterbach during the regular season.

Watch the full interview with Collard in the video above.

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Video: Watch the 2021 PFL Playoffs 1 post-fight press conference

Hear from PFL president Ray Sefo and winners from Friday’s 2021 PFL Playoffs 1 at the post-fight press conference.

The PFL’s 2021 playoffs got underway on Friday with 2021 PFL Playoffs 1 at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Fla.

Following the event, you can watch the post-event press conference on MMA Junkie to hear from the competitors of the event.

Expected to take part in the press conference are PFL president Ray Sefo, as well as winners from the event including [autotag]Ray Cooper III[/autotag], [autotag]Magomed Magomedkerimov[/autotag], [autotag]Raush Manfio[/autotag], and [autotag]Loik Radzhabov[/autotag].

Watch the post-fight press conference in the video above.

 

2021 PFL Playoffs results: Ray Cooper III dominates Rory MacDonald in lopsided decision

Ray Cooper III punches his ticket to the PFL lightweight final with dominant win over Rory MacDonald at PFL Playoffs.

HOLLYWOOD, Fla. – [autotag]Ray Cooper III[/autotag] shocked the MMA world on Friday night.

The 2019 PFL lightweight champion dominated former Bellator champion and long-time UFC contender [autotag]Rory MacDonald[/autotag] in the main event of 2021 PFL Playoffs 1. Cooper III (22-7-1) officially defeated MacDonald (22-7-1) via unanimous decision, winning 30-27 on all three judges’ scorecards.

Cooper III now advances to the 2021 PFL lightweight final. He’s set to take on Magomed Magomedkerimov, who defeated Sadibou Sy in the co-main event. The final is scheduled for Oct. 27 also at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood.

The 2021 PFL Playoffs 1 took place on Friday night at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood. The main card air on ESPN 2 and ESPN+ with the prelims exclusively on ESPN+.

It was a one-way street for Cooper III.

The Hawaiian was pressed early in the fight, as MacDonald clinched him up against the cage. But after a few minutes, Cooper III took down MacDonald and dominated the action. Cooper III sank in an arm-triangle but time ran out on the clock before he could get the finish.

The second and third rounds were the same story: Cooper III took the fight to the ground and shut down MacDonald’s defense. There were brief times where the fight was on the feet, but even then Cooper III appeared to land the more meaningful strikes.

It was a dominant and complete showing by Cooper III.

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Cooper III entered on a four-fight winning streak and being the last winner of the welterweight season, having crowned himself champion in 2019 with a win over David Michaud in the 2019 PFL finals. The win over MacDonald is arguably his biggest and perhaps paired with his two wins over former Strikeforce champion Jake Shields.

Meanwhile, MacDonald entered the 2021 PLF playoffs having defeated Curtis Millender with a first-round submission and then losing a controversial split-decision to Gleison Tibau. The first-round finish over Millender was enough to get him six points and into the playoffs. MacDonald is now on a two-fight losing streak.

The full official 2021 PFL Playoffs 1 results include:

  • Ray Cooper III def. Rory MacDonald via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) – welterweight semifinal
  • Magomed Magomedkerimov def. Sadibou Sy via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) – welterweight semifinal
  • Raush Manfio def. Clay Collard via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) – lightweight semifinal
  • Loik Radzhabov def. Alexander Martinez via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) – lightweight semifinal
  • Gleison Tibau def. Micah Terrill via submission (arm triangle) – Round 1, 2:18
  • Olivier Aubin-Mercier def. Darrell Horcher via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-26, 29-27)
  • Brett Cooper def. Tyler Hill via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 2:32
  • Magomed Umalatov def. Leandro Silva via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
  • Michael Lombardo def. Kyron Bowen via TKO (leg kicks) – Round 1, 3:42
  • Elvin Espinoza def. Hopeton Stewart via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 2:45

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2021 PFL Playoffs 1 live and official results

Check out the official results from the first PFL playoff event of 2021, which was headlined by Ray Cooper III vs. Rory MacDonald.

2021 PFL Playoffs 1 took place Friday, and MMA Junkie provided live and official results.

The event, which featured the welterweight and lightweight playoffs, took place at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Fla. The main card aired on ESPN2 and streamed on ESPN+ following prelims on ESPN+.

In the main event, 2019 PFL champion Ray Cooper III (22-7-1) took on former Bellator champ Rory MacDonald (22-7-1) in a 170-pound semifinal matchup. The other welterweight semifinal was contested in the co-main event, as [autotag]Sadibou Sy[/autotag] (9-5-2) fought [autotag]Magomed Magomedkerimov[/autotag] (28-5).

The full official 2021 PFL Playoffs 1 results include:

MAIN CARD ( ESPN+ and ESPN 2)

  • Ray Cooper III def. Rory MacDonald via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) – welterweight semifinal
  • Magomed Magomedkerimov def. Sadibou Sy via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) – welterweight semifinal
  • Raush Manfio def. Clay Collard via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) – lightweight semifinal
  • Loik Radzhabov def. Alexander Martinez via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) – lightweight semifinal

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+)

  • Gleison Tibau def. Micah Terrill via submission (arm triangle) – Round 1, 2:18
  • Olivier Aubin-Mercier def. Darrell Horcher via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-26, 29-27)
  • Brett Cooper def. Tyler Hill via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 2:32
  • Magomed Umalatov def. Leandro Silva via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
  • Michael Lombardo def. Kyron Bowen via TKO (leg kicks) – Round 1, 3:42
  • Elvin Espinoza def. Hopeton Stewart via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 2:45

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