Tag: Brendan Loughnane

Brendan Loughnane, Lance Palmer among fighters set for 2022 PFL 2 card on April 28

PFL has announced the featherweight and heavyweight matchups for their second regular season show.

PFL has announced the featherweight and heavyweight matchups for its second regular season show.

2022 PFL 2 takes place April 28 at Esports Arena in Arlington, Texas and streams on ESPN+ and ESPN, promotion officials announced Tuesday.

The event will be headlined by reigning heavyweight tournament winner [autotag]Bruno Cappelozza[/autotag] (14-5), who meets England’s [autotag]Stuart Austin[/autotag] (15-7). In the co-headliner, breakout star [autotag]Brendan Loughnane[/autotag] (21-4) will take on Japan’s [autotag]Ryoji Kudo[/autotag] (10-2-1).

The ESPN+ prelims will feature a matchup between former back-to-back featherweight tournament winner [autotag]Lance Palmer[/autotag] (22-5) and 2021 PFL finalist [autotag]Chris Wade[/autotag] (20-7). Due to injury, reigning PFL featherweight champion Movlid Khaybulaev will not participate in the 2022 PFL season.

The 2022 PFL 2 lineup includes:

  • Bruno Cappelozza vs. Stuart Austin
  • Brendan Loughnane vs. Ryoji Kudo
  • Ante Delija vs. Matheus Scheffel
  • Renan Ferreira vs. Jamelle Jones
  • Lance Palmer vs. Chris Wade
  • Bubba Jenkins vs. Jo Sungbin
  • Denis Goltsov vs. Sam Kei
  • Ali Isaev vs. Klidson Abreu
  • Sheymon Moraes vs. Boston Salmon
  • Alejandro Flores vs. Saba Bolaghi

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2021 PFL Playoffs 3 results: Movlid Khaybulaev outpoints Brendan Loughnane, advances to final

Movlid Khaybulaev defeats Brendan Loughnane at 2021 PFL Playoffs 3, punching his ticket to the featherweight final.

HOLLYWOOD, Fla. – [autotag]Movlid Khaybulaev[/autotag] is one fight away from winning $1 million.

The 30-year-old outpointed [autotag]Brendan Loughnane[/autotag] in the main event of 2021 PFL Playoffs 3. Khaybulaev (18-0-1) took home a split decision victory, winning 30-27, 28-29, and 29-28 on the judges’ scorecards. Khaybulaev is now set to take on Chris Wade, who defeated Bubba Jenkins in the co-main event of the card, at the 2021 PFL Finals on Oct. 27.

The 2021 PFL Playoffs 3 took place at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. The main card aired on ESPN 2 and ESPN+ with the prelims exclusively on ESPN+.

It was a fairly clean and dominant win for Khaybulaev despite the split decision.

In the first round, Khaybulaev completely dominated. He took down Loughnane (21-3) early in the fight and kept him on the ground for the entirety of the round. Loughnane did a good job at avoiding heavy ground-and-pound but was unable to get up or set up any attacks off his back.

The second had more stand-up action. It was a fairly even affair, but halfway through the round, Khaybulaev was once again able to get the fight to the ground. He controlled Loughnane until the bell rang.

The third and final round got briefly shaky for Khaybulaev. The Englishman was able to keep the fight on the feet and even tagged and rocked Khaybulaev with an overhand right. Khaybulaev was on the back foot recovering from the shot and managed to avoid further shots by Loughnane. Khaybulaev took the fight to the ground with about a minute remaining and kept it there.

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With the result, Khaybulaev remains unbeaten in his professional MMA career. The Dagestan fighter defeated Lazar Stojadinovic, Lance Palmer, and now Loughnane to get to the 2021 PFL featherweight final.

Meanwhile, Loughnane saw a seven-fight winning streak. He entered the semifinal bout with wins over Sheymon Moraes and Tyler Diamond. His last defeat prior to the Khaybulaev loss was back in 2017 in a split decision loss to UFC veteran Pat Healy.

Full results of 2021 PFL Playoffs 3 include:

  • Movlid Khaybulaev def. Brendan Loughnane via split decision (30-27, 28-29, 29-28)
  • Chris Wade def. Bubba Jenkins via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
  • Antonio Carlos Junior def. Emiliano Sordi via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
  • Marthin Hamlet def. Cezar Ferreira via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 0:13
  • Sheymon Moraes def. Lazar Stojadinovic via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 4:45
  • Chris Camozzi def. Cory Hendricks via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
  • Anthony Dizy def. Jesse Stirn via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
  • Bobby Moffett def. Jason Knight via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
  • Alejandro Flores def. Carl Deaton via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
  • Brandon Jenkins def. Jacob Kilburn via knockout (flying knee) – Round 1, 2:56

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2021 PFL Playoffs 3 live and official results

Follow along with live and official results of 2021 PFL Playoffs 3 featuring Brendan Loughnane vs. Movlid Khaybulaev in the main event.

HOLLYWOOD, Fla. – 2021 PFL Playoffs 3 takes place at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino on Friday and you can follow along with live and official results on MMA Junkie.

The main card airs on ESPN 2 and ESPN+ at 10 p.m. ET following prelims exclusively on ESPN+ starting at 7 p.m. ET.

The final week of the PFL Playoffs will determine the finalists for the featherweight and light heavyweight seasons.

In the main event, [autotag]Brendan Loughnane[/autotag] (21-3) takes on undefeated [autotag]Movlid Khaybulaev[/autotag] (17-0-1) in a semifinal matchup of the 145-pound season. The other semifinal bout takes place in the co-main event, as former UFC fighter [autotag]Chris Wade[/autotag] (19-6) takes on [autotag]Bubba Jenkins[/autotag] (16-4).

The semifinals of the PFL light heavyweight season take place on the main card with [autotag]Antonio Carlos Junior[/autotag] (11-5) taking on 2019 PFL champion Emiliano Sordi (23-8-1), and [autotag]Cezar Ferreira[/autotag] (14-9) facing [autotag]Marthin Hamlet[/autotag] (7-2).

The full 2021 PFL Playoffs 3 results are below:

Main Card (ESPN2, ESPN+, 10 p.m. ET)

  • Brendan Loughnane vs. Movlid Khaybulaev
  • Chris Wade vs. Bubba Jenkins
  • Antonio Carlos Junior  vs. Emiliano Sordi
  • Cezar Ferreira vs. Marthin Hamlet

Preliminary card (ESPN+)

  • Sheymon Moraes vs. Lazar Stojadinovic
  • Chris Camozzi vs. Cory Hendricks
  • Anthony Dizy  vs. Jesse Stirn
  • Jason Knight vs. Bobby Moffett
  • Alejandro Flores vs. Carl Deaton III
  • Brandon Jenkins vs. Jacob Kilburn

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Video: 2021 PFL Playoffs 3 cermonial weigh-ins (5 p.m. ET)

Watch the 2021 PFL Playoffs 3 weigh-ins live at 5:00 p.m. ET.

HOLLYWOOD, Fla. – The last week of the 2021 PFL playoffs is underway, and you catch the weigh-ins for the event on MMA Junkie.

All 20 competitors are set to step on the scale to make the required limit for their respective bouts at Thursday’s 2021 PFL Playoffs 3 weigh-ins at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino.

In the main event, Brendan Loughnane takes on undefeated Movlid Khaybulaev in a semifinal matchup of the featherweight season. The other bout of the 145-pounds season goes down in the co-main event, as former UFC fighter Chris Wade takes on Bubba Jenkins.

Additionally, the semifinals of the PFL light heavyweight season go down on the main card with Antonio Carlos Junior taking on 2019 PFL champion Emiliano Sordi, and Cezar Ferreira facing Marthin Hamlet.

Watch the live weigh-ins in the video above.

Main Card (ESPN2, ESPN+, 10 p.m. ET)

  • Brendan Loughnane vs. Movlid Khaybulaev
  • Chris Wade vs. Bubba Jenkins
  • Antonio Carlos Junior vs. Emiliano Sordi
  • Cezar Ferreira vs. Marthin Hamlet

Preliminary card (ESPN+, 6:30 p.m. ET)

  • Sheymon Moraes vs. Lazar Stojadinovic
  • Chris Camozzi vs. Cory Hendricks
  • Anthony Dizy vs. Jesse Stirn
  • Jason Knight vs. Bobby Moffett
  • Alejandro Flores vs. Carl Deaton III
  • Brandon Jenkins vs. Jacob Kilburn

2021 PFL playoffs: Rory MacDonald, Kayla Harrison get semifinal bookings

Check out the full lineups for the 2021 PFL playoff events, which kick off in August.

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The next chapter in the 2021 PFL season kicks off in August with playoff action.

After the conclusion of its regular season events in June, the promotion took a brief hiatus to allow the athletes on the roster to recover and focus on the next step, which centers around securing a place in the championship round for an opportunity at $1 million.

The Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Fla., will play host to the playoff round, with events set for Aug. 13, Aug. 19 and Aug. 27 that air on ESPN or ESPN2 as well as stream on ESPN+.

“No sports league can match the thrilling action Professional Fighters League will deliver this August as the final four fighters for each weight division will compete for a spot in the $1 million world championship bout,” said PFL CEO Peter Murray in a press release. “The only playoff format in the sport gives every fighter a chance. The more than 550 million MMA fans around the world are going to witness unmatched intensity during every fight in the PFL SmartCage.”

Check below for the lineup for the 2021 PFL Playoffs, where notables such as Rory MacDonald, Kayla Harrison and more are scheduled to compete.

Triple Take: Highlights and lowlights of the 2021 PFL regular season

Our Triple Take panel looks at the PFL’s six regular season events to examine the highs – and lows – on the way to the $1 million playoffs.

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The 2021 PFL regular season is in the books, and after taking a one year hiatus from live events due to the coronavirus pandemic, the promotion has rebounded and reasserted itself as a top player in MMA.

From putting on live events on ESPN2 to signing a number of key free agents to seeing some of those free agents getting upset in the cage, there have been many twists and turns in what arguably has been PFL’s breakout year.

With the playoffs and $1 million championship rounds up next, there’s more to come from PFL before the year is out. With six regular season events complete, we thought it was a good time to examine the good and the bad from PFL this year.

In the latest edition of MMA Junkie’s “Triple Take,” the panel of Mike Bohn, Farah Hannoun and Nolan King offer up their highlights and lowlights from the 2021 PFL regular season.

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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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 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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