Tag: 2022 PFL 5

MMA Junkie’s 2022 Submission of the Year: Islam Makhachev def. Charles Oliveira

Islam Makhachev finishing the most decorated grappler in UFC history secured him lightweight gold and MMA Junkie’s Submission of the Year for 2022.

With another action-packed year of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie takes a look at the best submissions from January to December 2022.

As voted on by our entire staff, here are the top 10 and winner of MMA Junkie’s Submission of the Year.

Honorable mentions

Georgia overturns PFL result after Klidson Abreu fails drug test for fight vs. Renan Ferreira

A result from the 2022 PFL heavyweight regular season has been overturned.

A result from the 2022 PFL heavyweight regular season has been overturned.

The Georgia Athletic and Entertainment Commission, the regulatory body which oversaw 2022 PFL 5 in Atlanta, officially concluded at a recent commission meeting the result of the June 24 bout between [autotag]Klidson Abreu[/autotag] and [autotag]Renan Ferreira[/autotag] will be deemed a no contest.

Initially scored a unanimous decision win for Abreu, the result was switched after Abreu failed a drug test. MMA Junkie confirmed the news via acquisition of a commission document.

While the document sent from commission director Matt Woodruff to Ferreira and his team acknowledges the failed test, it does not specify the substance. MMA Fighting reports the substance was a prescribed medication for a leg laceration.

Abreu’s record reverts to 16-4, while Ferreira is now 9-3.

Only one card remains in the 2022 PFL playoffs – its championships. Abreu didn’t make the playoffs and hasn’t competed since June 24. Meanwhile, Ferreira was eliminated in the opening round of the playoffs by Ante Delija via first-round TKO.

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2022 PFL salaries from Atlanta: Anthony Pettis tops disclosed payouts despite loss; Kayla Harrison second

This marks the first time that PFL salaries have been revealed in 2022.

The back half of the 2022 PFL regular season recently took place in Atlanta with three cards in three weeks at Overtime Elite Arena.

Each card spotlighted two specific divisions. PFL 4 took place June 17 and featured men’s lightweights and light heavyweights. One week later, PFL 5 featured featherweights and heavyweights. Last Friday, PFL 6 consisted of welterweights and women’s lightweights.

On Wednesday, MMA Junkie acquired a list of disclosed show and win purses from the Georgia Athletic and Entertainment Commission, the regulatory body that oversaw the events.

Former UFC lightweight champion [autotag]Anthony Pettis[/autotag] ($750,000) led all paydays despite a submission loss to [autotag]Stevie Ray[/autotag]. Two-time PFL season winner [autotag]Kayla Harrison[/autotag] ($500,00) was second on the list, followed by former UFC title challenger and Bellator welterweight champion [autotag]Rory MacDonald[/autotag] ($250,000).

[autotag]Jeremy Stephens[/autotag], [autotag]Lance Palmer[/autotag], [autotag]Brendan Loughnane[/autotag], [autotag]Omari Akhmedov[/autotag], and [autotag]Magomed Magomedkerimov[/autotag] also received six-figure disclosed payouts.

It’s important to note that the figures given do not reflect potential “locker room” bonuses, streaming points, or promotional sponsorship payments.

Scroll below to see the complete payouts for the most recent three PFL events.

Anthony Pettis: ‘Dumb mistake’ led to Stevie Ray loss, seeks revenge in PFL playoff rematch

Anthony Pettis admits a critical error led to his Submission of the Year candidate loss to Stevie Ray in PFL.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Anthony Pettis[/autotag] admits a critical error led to his Submission of the Year candidate loss to [autotag]Stevie Ray[/autotag] at 2022 PFL 5.

Pettis (25-13), a former UFC and WEC champion, was largely having his way with Ray (24-10) on the feet during their PFL lightweight regular season bout. Then the action spilled to the ground, and “Showtime” got caught in a modified body triangle that forced him to tap out in a rather stunning outcome.

“I made a dumb mistake,” Pettis told MMA Junkie and other reporters at Sunday’s UFC Fight Pass Invitational 2 event. “I initiated that takedown sequence and I caught him in a single leg, but his knee was between my legs, and instead of fighting for the under hooks, I let him whizzer me hard and take my back. In my head, I’m like, ‘I’m going to spin around and get on top like I always do.’ … I’ve just never been in that position. He has the body triangle, kind of modified, though, it was more around my hips and kind of my knee area.

“So when I went for the turn, I made it worse on myself I kind of turned on my spine. Then he went over my head and put so much pressure on my rib. Then in that format, I knew I was fighting again Aug. 5, so I’m like, ‘Bro, if this pops then I’m pretty much done.”

The upside for Pettis is that, despite the loss, he was still locked into the No. 1 seed in the PFL lightweight standings due to a first-round win in his regular-season opener. With Ray sliding into the No. 4 seed, an immediate rematch will happen between the two on Aug. 5.

That gives Pettis an opportunity to avenge the loss just six weeks after it happened.

“I love it,” Pettis said. “I love this PFL format, no lie. It’s probably the hardest format in combat sports because I’ve just got to keep making weight and fighting every two months. This one I’ve got six weeks between fights. I love the format, I get the rematch and also still have the possibility of being the champion.”

In addition to an in-fight lapse of judgement, Pettis said he brought the wrong mentality into the cage with Ray for their initial meeting. He said overthought the scheduling between the regular season and playoffs, and as a result did not fight as freely as he should’ve. He paid the consequences for it, but promised he won’t make the same mistake twice.

“I’ve never had a rematch and I’ve never had a fight where I couldn’t get hurt,” Pettis said. “I went into the last fight thinking, ‘Just don’t get hurt and get the win.’ That’s just the wrong mindset to have in this sport. You can’t go out there and play anything safe. I just got to go out there and try to kill him. I was whooping his ass striking. … I initiated a dumb takedown. It was kind of an amateur move on my half.”

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MMA Junkie Radio #3272: UFC on ESPN 38, Bellator 282 and PFL 5 recaps

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


Monday’s edition of MMA Junkie Radio with “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” is here.

On Episode 3,272, the fellas look back at this past weekend’s slate of events: UFC on ESPN 38, Bellator 282 and PFL Week 5. They discuss the scoring in the UFC main event, new Bellator middleweight champion Johnny Eblen, the upcoming Stevie Ray-Anthony Pettis PFL rematch and more. 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.

Stevie Ray def. Anthony Pettis at PFL 2022, Week 5: Best photos

Check out the best photos from Stevie Ray’s submission win over Anthony Pettis at PFL 2022, Week 5.

Check out the best photos from [autotag]Stevie Ray[/autotag]’s submission win over [autotag]Anthony Pettis[/autotag] at PFL 2022, Week 5 on Friday at Overtime Elite Arena in Atlanta. (Photos courtesy of PFL)

2022 PFL 5 video: Stevie Ray taps Anthony Pettis with insane submission, sets up immediate rematch

Stevie Ray put away Anthony Pettis with a Submission of the Year candidate at 2022 PFL 5.

[autotag]Stevie Ray[/autotag] pulled off the biggest win of his career at 2022 PFL 5 when he forced [autotag]Anthony Pettis[/autotag] to tap out to an incredible submission.

After Pettis (25-13) looked super slick in the early fight, Ray (24-10) turned the tables in the second round and pulled off a Submission of the Year candidate in what was ruled as a modified body lock.

2022 PFL 5 took place at Overtime Elite Arena in Atlanta. The lightweight regular season bout was the co-main event of the card.

Pettis opened the fight with an axe kick and a flying knee in the opening sequences of the fight. He looked slick with his strikes in the opening minutes, and fended off Ray’s takedown and clinch attempts. Ray started to find more success as the round wore on, but Pettis stayed dynamic, nearly landing a late tornado kick.

The confidence of Pettis showed in the early moments of the second round. He landed a nice question mark kick and started to significantly up his landing rate as he picked the advancing Ray apart with kicks and slick punches. Ray countered with a big moment, though, because he reversed a Pettis takedown and took the back to land some hard punches before working for a choke. Pettis nearly scrambled free, but that’s when Ray locked in a very unusual body triangle from an awkward angle and twisted the torso of his opponent for the stunning finish at the 2:57 mark of Round 2.

With the win, Ray secured the No. 4 seed in the lightweight bracket. Pettis remains No. 1 despite the loss, and now the pair will have an immediate rematch in the opening round of the playoffs.

Check out the complete 155-pound bracket below.

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2022 PFL 5 results: Chris Wade crushes Kyle Bochniak, secures top playoff seed

Chris Wade delivered a statement performance at 2022 PFL 5 to land the top seed in the featherweight standings going into the playoffs.

[autotag]Chris Wade[/autotag] delivered a statement performance at 2022 PFL 5 to land the top seed in the featherweight standings going into the playoffs.

Wade (22-7) faced fellow UFC veteran [autotag]Kyle Bochniak[/autotag] (11-7) on Friday’s card at Overtime Elite Arena in Atlanta, and he needed less than one round to land a grazing head kick and ground-and-pound that netted him six points and the No. 1 seed at 155 pounds.

Check out the replay of Wade’s handiwork in the highlight below (via Twitter):

With the win, Wade is set to fight No. 4 seed Brendan Loughnane in the first round of the playoffs later this year.

Check out the full bracket below.

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2022 PFL 5 results: UFC veteran Juan Adams TKOs Sam Kei but misses playoffs

Juan Adams made a splash in his PFL debut Friday when he rallied to finish Sam Kei.

[autotag]Juan Adams[/autotag] made a splash in his PFL debut Friday when he rallied to finish Sam Kei.

Adams (10-4), who joined the the heavyweight season as a replacement fighter, picked up five points in the standings at 2022 PFL 5 with a second-round TKO of Kei (8-6) at Overtime Elite Arena in Atlanta.

It was a back-and-forth fight before Adams climbed into mount and got the stoppage with short punches. Despite the performance, Adams falls short of a playoff berth because he did not win fast enough climb into the top four of the standings.

Nevertheless, it’s a solid win on his record. Check out the replay of the stoppage blow (via Twitter):

After parting ways with the UFC on a three-fight losing skid in February 2020, Adams has thrived outside the octagon. He’s 5-1 in his past six fights, and his effort in his PFL debut might be enough to receive an invite into the 2023 season.