Tag: Anthony Pettis

2022 PFL Playoffs 1 results: Stevie Ray defeats Anthony Pettis again, advances to lightweight finals

Stevie Ray beat Anthony Pettis again, and now has a shot at the $1 million prize in the lightweight finals.

[autotag]Stevie Ray[/autotag] proved his regular season victory over former UFC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis was no fluke.

In the feature bout on the main card of 2022 PFL Playoffs 1, Ray (25-10) faced Pettis (25-14) for the second-straight time following their first meeting at 2022 PFL 5. However, this bout had much higher stakes with a trip to the lightweight finals and a shot at $1 million prize.

Unlike their first meeting, there would be no submission finish, but Ray banked enough control time and submission threats on the mat to secure two rounds on the judges’ scorecards, earning three 29-28 scores in the unanimous decision victory.

Pettis found himself in serious trouble in the closing moments of the opening round. While the first few minutes of the fight saw both fighters exchanging strikes on the feet, things changed quickly when Ray secured a solid takedown. Ray transitioned to a beautiful north/south choke and put the squeeze on Pettis. Despite the pressure appearing to be tight, Pettis found his way out and managed to put together a few strikes on the feet before the round concluded.

Ray didn’t spend too much time on the feet in the second round. He once again got another takedown on Pettis and found his way to the back of the former UFC champ. Ray locked in the body triangle, a similar position to the first fight between these two, and began looking for submissions. Pettis managed to break the body triangle, but only just seconds before the round ended.

Early in the third round, Pettis let his hands and his feet go early, landing some nice strikes on his opponent. Ray attempted to clinch and bring the fight to the ground, but was unsuccessful. Pettis kept the fight on the feet and they continued to trade strikes. With about 90 seconds remaining, Ray clinched again and found his way to the back of Pettis while standing. They would separate with short time remaining. Pettis got in a few more good strikes in the closing seconds, but he needed a finish and it would not come.

The judges turned in identical scores and now Ray advances to the finals where he will face Olivier Aubin-Mercier, who defeated Alexander Martinez earlier on the main card via unanimous decision.

Results of 2022 PFL Playoffs 1 include:

  • Anthony Pettis vs. Stevie Ray – welterweight semifinal
  • Omari Akhmedov def. Josh Silveira via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) – light heavyweight semifinal
  • Olivier Aubin-Mercier def. Alexander Martinez via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-26, 30-26) – welterweight semifinal
  • Rob Wilkinson def. Delan Monte via knockout (knee) – Round 1, 1:37 – light heavyweight semifinal
  • Itso Babulaidze def. Mahmoud Sebie via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 4:30
  • Marthin Hamlet def. Cory Hendricks via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28) – 2023 light heavyweight qualifier

[vertical-gallery id=2568947]

2022 PFL Playoffs 1 predictions: Can Stevie Ray upset Anthony Pettis again?

Check out our staff members’ picks for the PFL Playoffs 1 card in New York, featuring lightweight and light heavyweight semifinal fights.

Pettis
vs.
Ray		 Akhmeddov
vs.
Silveira		 Aubin-Mercier
vs.
Martinez		 Wilkinson
vs.
Monte
MMA Junkie readers’
consensus picks
127-74		 pettis2022
Pettis
(60%)		 silveira2022
Silveira
(59%)		 aubinmercier2022
Aubin-Mercier
(88%)		 wilkinson2022
Wilkinson
(74%)
Ken Hathaway
@kenshathaway
136-70
trophy copy 2018 Champion		 ray2022
Ray		 akhmedov2022
Akhmedov		 aubinmercier2022
Aubin-Mercier		 wilkinson2022
Wilkinson
Mike Bohn
@MikeBohn
132-74
trophy copy 2014 Champion		 pettis2022
Pettis		 silveira2022
Silveira		 aubinmercier2022
Aubin-Mercier		 wilkinson2022
Wilkinson
Abbey Subhan
@kammakaze
132-74		 ray2022
Ray		 akhmedov2022
Akhmedov		 aubinmercier2022
Aubin-Mercier		 wilkinson2022
Wilkinson
Matthew Wells
@MrMWells
128-78		 pettis2022
Pettis		 silveira2022
Silveira		 aubinmercier2022
Aubin-Mercier		 wilkinson2022
Wilkinson
Simon Samano
@SJSamano
127-79		 pettis2022
Pettis		 akhmedov2022
Akhmedov		 aubinmercier2022
Aubin-Mercier		 wilkinson2022
Wilkinson
Matt Erickson
@MMAjunkieMatt
126-80		 pettis2022
Pettis		 silveira2022
Silveira		 aubinmercier2022
Aubin-Mercier		 wilkinson2022
Wilkinson
Farah Hannoun
@Farah_Hannoun
125-81		 pettis2022
Pettis		 akhmedov2022
Akhmedov		 aubinmercier2022
Aubin-Mercier		 wilkinson2022
Wilkinson
Nolan King
@mma_kings
123-83		 ray2022
Ray		 akhmedov2022
Akhmedov		 martinez2022
Martinez		 wilkinson2022
Wilkinson
Brian Garcia
@thegoze
121-85
trophy copy 2017 Champion		 pettis2022
Pettis		 akhmedov2022
Akhmedov		 aubinmercier2022
Aubin-Mercier		 wilkinson2022
Wilkinson
George Garcia
@MMAjunkieGeorge
114-92		 pettis2022
Pettis		 silveira2022
Silveira		 martinez2022
Martinez		 wilkinson2022
Wilkinson
Danny Segura
@dannyseguratv
101-105		 pettis2022
Pettis		 akhmedov2022
Akhmedov		 aubinmercier2022
Aubin-Mercier		 wilkinson2022
Wilkinson

The PFL returns this week for the first of three sets of playoff semifinals, starting with lightweights and light heavyweights.

The 2022 PFL Playoffs 1 event takes place Friday at Hulu Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York. The main card airs on ESPN and streams on ESPN+ following prelims on ESPN+ and ahead of post-lim qualifiers on ESPN+.

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

In the main event, No. 1 lightweight seed [autotag]Anthony Pettis[/autotag] (25-13) takes on [autotag]Stevie Ray[/autotag] (24-10) in a rematch from the regular season. Ray upset Pettis in their first meeting with a second-round submmission. The fight nearly is a pick’em. Pettis is -115 at Tipico Sportsbook; the comeback on Ray is -110. Our 11 editors, writers, radio hosts and videographers largely are siding with Pettis to move on to the final. They have him with a big 8-3 picks lead.

At light heavyweight, No. 2 [autotag]Omari Akhmedov[/autotag] (23-7-1) meets late replacement [autotag]Josh Silveira[/autotag] (9-0). Silveira was an alternate and not in the playoffs until Antonio Carlos Jr. pulled out. Silveira is a -220 favorite, but it’s Akhmedov with a 7-4 lead in the picks from our staff members.

In the other lightweight semifinal, [autotag]Olivier Aubin-Mercier[/autotag] (15-5) is a -240 favorite against [autotag]Alexander Martinez[/autotag] (10-2) and he has a big 9-2 picks advantage.

And to open the main card, our only unanimous pick is in the other light heavyweight semifinal. [autotag]Rob Wilkinson[/autotag] (15-2) is this week’s biggest playoff favorite at -340 against [autotag]Delan Monte[/autotag] (9-2), and he’s got an 11-0 picks shutout.

In the MMA Junkie reader consensus picks, Pettis (60 percent), Silveira (59 percent), Aubin-Mercier (88 percent) and Wilkinson (74 percent) are the choices.

Check out all the picks above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for 2022 PFL Playoffs 1.

[pickup_prop id=”26102″]

Spinning Back Clique: Regained titles for Nunes, Moreno at UFC 277, PFL playoffs, more

“Spinning Back Clique,” MMA Junkie’s weekly show, discusses Amanda Nunes and Brandon Moreno’s title wins at UFC 277 and 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.

Our panel of Matthew Wells, Brian “Goze” Garcia and Danny Segura discuss five topics with host “Gorgeous” George Garcia.

  • [autotag]Amanda Nunes[/autotag] dominated Julianna Peña to recapture the women’s bantamweight title in the UFC 277 main event – though Peña got off plenty of offense, too. After seeing the second fight, was Peña’s first win over Nunes, a submission at UFC 269, merely a fluke? Do we need to see a third title fight between them? And if so, how soon?
  • [autotag]Brandon Moreno[/autotag] won the interim flyweight title at UFC 277. Afterward, champ [autotag]Deiveson Figueiredo[/autotag], who is on the shelf a while longer, was brought into the cage for a faceoff and confrontation with Moreno. It was very civil and both fighters showed good sportsmanship, but UFC president Dana White said he had second thoughts about it because it took some shine away from Moreno. So are we fans of those immediate post-fight moments, or should they go away?
  • [autotag]Sergei Pavlovich[/autotag] picked up arguably the biggest win of his career when he took out former heavyweight title challenger Derrick Lewis at UFC 277. He did it in less than a minute, and though there was controversy around how quickly referee Dan Miragliotta stopped the fight, there’s no denying Pavlovich put some fast offense on Lewis and put him on the canvas with his fists. At 16-1 with 13 finishes, and 11 in the first round, who should Pavlovich fight next on his ascension up the UFC’s heavyweight ladder – and what’s his ceiling?
  • Amanda Nunes recaptured the UFC women’s bantamweight title and now is a dual champion again. But what’s going on with her featherweight belt? There doesn’t seem to be an obviously next challenger for that title – at leats not one in the UFC with Kayla Harrison in the PFL and Cris Cyborg in Bellator. Should the UFC keep 145 around for the women, or should they put it on the shelf?
  • The PFL’s playoffs start up this week with semifinal fights in the lightweight and light heavyweight divisions. The highest profile fight features former UFC and WEC champ [autotag]Anthony Pettis[/autotag], who meets [autotag]Stevie Ray[/autotag] in a rematch after Ray upset Pettis in their second regular season fight. Who do we like in this first set of playoff bouts in New York?

“Spinning Back Clique” is released each Tuesday on MMA Junkie’s YouTube channel. You can watch the full episode in the video above.

[listicle id=2566647]

[listicle id=2566653]

[vertical-gallery id=2566831]

[vertical-gallery id=2566829]

MMA Junkie Radio #3281: Guests Anthony Pettis and Joey Diaz, UFC 277 preview

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


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

On Episode 3,281, the guys welcome in guests [autotag]Anthony Pettis[/autotag] and comedian Joey Diaz. They also look ahead to Saturday’s UFC in Dallas and discuss the latest MMA news. 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.

Anthony Pettis vs. Stevie Ray rematch headlines PFL’s playoff-opening card in New York

The lineup is set for the PFL’s first set of playoff fights next month in New York.

The lineup is set for the PFL’s first set of playoff fights next month in New York.

[autotag]Anthony Pettis[/autotag] (25-13) remained the top lightweight seed despite an upset loss to [autotag]Stevie Ray[/autotag] (24-10) two weeks ago. Ray’s win made him the No. 4 seed – which set up a rematch with Pettis in the four-man playoff field.

On the other side of the lightweight playoff bracket, No. 2 seed [autotag]Olivier Aubin-Mercier[/autotag] (15-5) takes on No. 3 [autotag]Alexander Martinez[/autotag] (10-2). The winners of those two fights will meet in the $1 million lightweight season final in October.

In the light heavyweight playoffs, there’s been a significant shakeup. No. 3 seed [autotag]Antonio Carlos Jr.[/autotag] (15-5) is out of his fight against American Top Team teammate and No. 2 seed [autotag]Omari Akhmedov[/autotag] (23-7-1), the PFL announced Friday. Stepping in for Junior is another one of Akhmedov’s teammates at American Top Team, [autotag]Josh Silveira[/autotag] (9-0), who finished the regular season in fifth place and was an alternate.

Top light heavyweight seed [autotag]Rob Wilkinson[/autotag] (15-2) will take on No. 4 [autotag]Delan Monte[/autotag] (9-2) on the other half of the bracket.

The PFL’s first set of playoff fights take place Aug. 5 at Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York. The four-fight main card of playoff matchups airs on ESPN. A two-fight set of prelims and four fights after the main card stream on ESPN+.

The playoffs continue later in August with welterweights and heavyweights on tap Aug. 13 in Cardiff, Wales, and women’s lightweights and featherweights set for Aug. 20 in London.

The PFL 2022 Playoffs 1 card includes:

POSTLIMINARY CARD (ESPN+)

  • [autotag]Marthin Hamlet[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Cory Hendricks[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Adam Keresh[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Marcelo Nunes[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Ricardo Jimenez[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Brahyan Zurcher[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Elvin Espinosa[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Corey Jackson[/autotag]

MAIN CARD (ESPN)

  • No. 1 Anthony Pettis vs. No. 4 Stevie Ray – lightweight semifinal
  • No. 2 Omari Akhmedov vs. No. 5 Josh Silveira – light heavyweight semifinal
  • No. 2 Olivier Aubin-Mercier vs. N. 3 Alexander Martinez – lightweight semifinal
  • No. 1 Robert Wilkinson vs. No. 4 Delan Monte – light heavyweight semifinal

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+)

  • [autotag]Elvis Lebron[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Alexei Pergande[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Lucas Barbosa[/autotag] vs. TBA

[listicle id=2560454]

[vertical-gallery id=2556699]

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.”

[vertical-gallery id=2556699]

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.

[vertical-gallery id=2556394]

PFL’s Anthony Pettis prefers traditional boxing over bare-knuckle, but isn’t ruling out either as a crossover

“I’d lean more towards a real boxing fight before bare knuckle, but I wouldn’t rule it out.”

If [autotag]Anthony Pettis[/autotag] were to venture out of the MMA world, it would be to box.

Pettis (25-12), a former WEC and UFC lightweight champion, already cemented his legacy as a mixed martial artist. With that, however, he’s chasing another title in PFL and still has the love and drive to compete.

With plenty of MMA fighters transitioning to bare-knuckle boxing, “Showtime” would consider it, but prefers to lace up the boxing gloves first.

“I wouldn’t just go out there and try to like start from the beginning and work my way up to a title shot in bare knuckle,” Pettis told MMA Junkie Radio. “I’d like to really box. I think I’ve been spending a lot of time in the boxing gym. I didn’t get to show my boxing skills in my last fight, but hopefully with Stevie Ray I get to show what I’ve been working on with my hands. But yeah, I’d lean more towards a real boxing fight before bare knuckle, but I wouldn’t rule it out. I love fighting. This is what I was born to do, I’m an entertaining fighter and fans love to watch me fight.”

He continued, “I already spar 8-10 rounds boxing right now, and I changed my training style towards more of a boxer-striker. I think earlier in my career I was really trying to catch up on the jiu-jitsu and wrestling portion of mixed martial arts.”

Pettis is already guaranteed a spot in the PFL playoffs this season after notching six points in a first-round submission of Myles Price. Friday, he meets Stevie Ray (23-10) at 2022 PFL 5, which takes place at Overtime Elite Arena in Atlanta. The main card airs on ESPN/ESPN+ following prelims on ESPN+.

[vertical-gallery id=393511]

[listicle id=2555379]