Tag: clay collard

Video: Highlights of Clay Collard’s insane Fight of the Year contender win vs. Shane Burgos

Watch the highlights of Clay Collard’s insane war against Shane Burgos in the main event of 2023 PFL Playoffs 3.

[autotag]Clay Collard[/autotag] and [autotag]Shane Burgos[/autotag] delivered this week, easily, one of the best fights of the year.

The two lightweights went toe-to-toe for 15 minutes in a semifinal bout that headlined Wednesday’s 2023 PFL Playoffs 3. In the end, Collard (25-10) defeated Burgos (16-6) by unanimous decision, which read 29-28 across all three judges’ scorecards.

It was an epic fight that had both fighters in trouble multiple times, and is arguably now the best fight in PFL history.

You can watch the replay of the highlights in the video above.

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Collard entered the lightweight playoffs as the No. 1 seed after picking up a unanimous decision win over Yamato Nishikawa and a second-round stoppage of Stevie Ray in his regular season bouts. With the result, he now advanced to the finals, where he will face Olivier Aubin-Mercier, who recorded a second-round TKO stoppage against Bruno Miranda in the co-main event of the card.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for 2023 PFL Playoffs 3.

Clay Collard def. Shane Burgos at 2023 PFL Playoffs 3: Best photos

Check out these photos from Clay Collard vs. Shane Burgos, a lightweight semifinal bout at 2023 PFL Playoffs 3 in New York.

Check out these photos from [autotag]Clay Collard[/autotag]’s victory over Shane Burgos in a lightweight semifinal bout at 2023 PFL Playoffs 3 at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York. (Photos courtesy of Cooper Neill, PFL MMA)

2023 PFL Playoffs 3 official results: Clay Collard wins instant classic semifinal bout vs. Shane Burgos

Check out the full results of 2023 PFL Playoffs 3, including which lightweights and welterweights advanced to the 2023 PFL Championships.

2023 PFL Playoffs 3 took place Wednesday and MMA Junkie provided live and official results throughout the entire card.

The event featured welterweight and lightweight playoff bouts at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York. The main card aired live on ESPN at 9 p.m. ET following prelims on ESPN+ beginning at 6:30 p.m. ET.

In the featured contest, [autotag]Clay Collard[/autotag] (25-10) took on [autotag]Shane Burgos[/autotag] (16-6) in a Fight of the Year contender lightweight semifinal bout. It was a brutal contest with high-volume striking, but in the end, Collard earned unanimous 29-28 scores from the official judges.

Fists were flying early and often in the first round, living up to the expectation of an exciting matchup. Collard’s volume was higher, mixing up punches to the body and head with sharp combinations. Burgos landed well early and added some nice kicks, but as the round wore on, Collard put a stamp on the round by hurting Burgos with shots to the chin.

Collard continued to march forward with accurate punches early in the second, causing blood to flow from Burgos’ face. Keeping his opponent honest, Burgos fired back with damaging inside leg kicks. Collard continued to pepper out jabs, but was knocked off his feet by a hard leg kick from Burgos. The momentum only lasted seconds, as Collard returned to his feet and landed a hard left hook to send Burgos to the mat. Collard followed him to the ground for more strikes, but the finish wouldn’t come as Burgos worked his way back up. The round closed with more striking exchanges on the feet.

The striking exchanges continued at a high clip in the final round. Burgos added punches to the body along with kicks, as Collard worked fast punches and showed excellent head movement. A hard inside leg kick prompted Collard to shoot for a takedown, but Burgos stuffed it and shook his fingers at his opponent. They returned to the center to trade more strikes, but the inside kicks from Burgos really bothered Collard. After a clinch against the cage, it was back to fighting in the phone booth in the center of the cage. More inside leg kicks affected Collard’s movement, but he kept firing as they traded blows until the final horn.

The judges saw the fight unanimously for Collard, earning his first PFL finals appearance.

Collard entered the lightweight playoffs as the No. 1 seed after picking up a unanimous decision win over Yamato Nishikawa and a second-round stoppage of Stevie Ray in his regular season bouts. He now advances to the finals where he will face [autotag]Olivier Aubin-Mercier[/autotag], who recorded a second-round TKO stoppage against Bruno Miranda in the co-main event.

In the welterweight semifinal bouts, [autotag]Sadibou Sy[/autotag] defeated Carlos Leal by split decision, and [autotag]Magomed Magomedkerimov[/autotag] turned away Solomon Renfro to advance to the finals.

Check out the official results, details and highlight clips from each bout below.

UFC veterans in MMA and bareknuckle boxing action Aug. 23-27

Check out which veterans of the UFC are competing in combat sports across the globe this weekend.

This week, the UFC travels to Singapore for UFC Fight Night 225.

The event at Singapore Indoor Stadium features a featherweight clash between former champion [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag] and “The Korean Zombie” [autotag]Chan Sung Jung[/autotag].

Elsewhere, many other combat sports events are taking place that feature a number of familiar names that have competed under the UFC banner.

Check out which veterans of the global MMA leader are competing in MMA and bareknuckle boxing this week from Aug. 23-27.

Check out the names and details about their bouts below.

Upcoming event information from Tapology.

2023 PFL 6 fighter pay: Shane Burgos pockets six-figure purse after move from UFC

Check out the disclosed 2023 PFL 6 fighter pays, including what Shane Burgos is making after jumping over from the UFC.

PFL returned to Atlanta this past Thursday for the third of three shows in three consecutive weeks at Overtime Elite Arena.

2023 PFL 6 featured final regular season bouts at lightweight and welterweight, as well as three showcase fights. In the main event, 2022 PFL lightweight champion [autotag]Olivier Aubin-Mercier[/autotag] knocked out Dana White’s Contender Series alum [autotag]Anthony Romero[/autotag].

Other names on the card included former UFC fighters [autotag]Shane Burgos[/autotag] and [autotag]Clay Collard[/autotag], as well as past PFL championship winners [autotag]Raush Manfio[/autotag], [autotag]Natan Schulte[/autotag], [autotag]Sadibou Sy[/autotag] and [autotag]Magomed Magomedkerimov[/autotag].

MMA Junkie acquired a list of the 24 fighters’ disclosed payouts Monday from the Georgia Athletic and Entertainment Commission. The amounts do not include bonuses, sponsorships or any other discretionary payments.

Five fighters topped the list at $100,000, while all other fighters received five-figure or four-figure payouts. Among them was Burgos, who left the UFC as a free agent to sign with the PFL. Friday, Burgos pocketed a six-figure flat purse against [autotag]Yamato Nishikawa[/autotag].

Scroll below to see the disclosed pay for each 2023 PFL 6 fighter.

PFL tosses Natan Schulte from playoffs, suspends Raush Manfio after bout ‘did not meet the standards’

A fight between close friends Natan Schulte and Raush Manfio has resulted in both fighters suspended and one removed from the playoffs.

[autotag]Natan Schulte[/autotag] won’t be in the 2023 PFL playoffs after all.

Less than 12 hours after Schulte (25-5-1) defeated [autotag]Raush Manfio[/autotag] (17-5) via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) at 2023 PFL 6 and clinched a playoff spot in the process, the promotion announced his removal from the postseason and both fighters’ suspensions for the remainder of the season.

“Last night Natan Schulte and Raush Manfio did not meet the standards which all PFL fighters agree to uphold in competition,” a PFL press release Saturday said. “All fighters in their PFL Fight Agreements agree to use their ‘best efforts … skills and abilities as a professional athlete to compete … and defeat any opponent.’”

The bout in question took place Friday at Overtime Elite Arena in Atlanta on the event’s preliminary card. For the majority of three rounds, Schulte and Manfio were hesitant to engage. The two are close friends and training partners.

“It was very clear that Natan and Raush did not meet that contractual standard in yesterday’s bout,” the promotion said. “PFL immediately suspended both fighters from the season and deemed the fight to have 0 points for purposes of League standings. PFL takes this action in recognition of its responsibility to all PFL fighters and all PFL fans.”

As a result, [autotag]Shane Burgos[/autotag] (16-4) will slide into a playoff slot and take on [autotag]Clay Collard[/autotag] (23-10), who previously clinched the No. 1 seed. [autotag]Olivier Aubin-Mercier[/autotag] (19-5) and [autotag]Bruno Miranda[/autotag] (16-3) man the other side of the four-man playoff bracket.

The unusual nature of Friday’s fight gained much attention from fans and even other PFL lightweights prior to the announcement Saturday,

2022 PFL lightweight champion Aubin-Mercier, who defeated Anthony Romero in the card’s main event, questioned if the promotion should have two fighters from the same gym compete in the same weight division.

“It was really weird,” Aubin-Mercier said (via BestFightPicks). “I have to be very clear. I understand 100 percent if I was going to fight my best friend. … It would be a fight like this. But at the same time, it’s unfair to anybody else. I think it showed PFL. When I said I wanted PFL to be better, I think it showed maybe we shouldn’t put two people of the same gym in the same category. This stuff can happen.

 

MMA Junkie reached out Saturday to the George Athletic and Entertainment Commission (GAEC), which oversaw the event. The story will be updated to reflect comment if/when it is received.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for PFL 2023, Week 6.

2023 PFL 6 video: Clay Collard swarms Stevie Ray for playoff-clinching TKO

Clay Collard turned in an impressive performance against Stevie Ray in Atlanta, getting the stoppage he needed to clinch a playoff spot.

[autotag]Clay Collard[/autotag] is heading to the 2023 PFL playoffs thanks to his crisp striking.

At 2023 PFL 6 at Overtime Elite Arena in Atlanta, Collard (23-10) escaped the grappling attempts of Stevie Ray (25-13) to secure his spot in the playoffs. Collard’s striking became too much for Ray to handle in the second round, leading to a stoppage at 1:04.

Ray needed a finish in the first round to clinch a spot in the playoffs, whereas Collard needed a finish in any round to lock in his. Ray came out on fire in the grappling game, and quickly took Collard’s back. Remaining calm, Collard worked free and confidently got to work in the striking department while trying his best to turn away the ground game of his opponent.

In the second round, Collard’s punching stunned Ray, and the swarm was on. Ray dropped to the ground and attempted to grab a leglock, but Collard was wise to it and kept raining down hard punches until the referee stopped the fight.

Check out video of the finish below (via Twitter):

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Collard won both of his 2023 regular season bouts. At 2023 PFL 3, he won a unanimous decision over Yamato Nishikawa to earn three points in the lightweight standings. Paired with his five-point stoppage of Ray, Collard clinched his spot in the 2023 playoffs.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for PFL 2023, Week 6.

UFC veterans in MMA and bareknuckle boxing action June 23-25

Check out which veterans of the UFC are in combat sports action across the globe this weekend.

This week, the UFC returns to Jacksonville, Fla. for UFC on ABC 5.

The event at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena features a featherweight main event between [autotag]Josh Emmett[/autotag] and [autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag].

Elsewhere, many other combat sports events are taking place that feature a number of familiar names that have competed under the UFC banner.

This week, there are a total of 16 veterans of the global MMA leader competing in MMA and bareknuckle boxing this week from June 23-25.

Check out the names and details about their bouts below.

Upcoming event information from Tapology.

Clay Collard doesn’t fully agree with PFL season points system: ‘Two wins should outweigh a knockout’

Does Clay Collard have a point about this potential flaw in the PFL regular season scoring system?

[autotag]Clay Collard[/autotag] is very much enjoying what the PFL brings to MMA, but that doesn’t mean he thinks the system is perfect.

The veteran lightweight fighter is all for the unique season format and points system that comes with fighting under the PFL banner, contrary to the traditional matchmaking model for most promotions. Yet, despite the politics being somewhat stripped out of the PFL, Collard doesn’t fully agree with the allocation of points throughout the season.

“I think two wins should outweigh a knockout just because it’s win-win (vs.) win-loss,” Collard told MMA Junkie Radio. “In my opinion, two wins should outweigh the one win, because anybody can get lucky and catch somebody. It takes more to win (twice), you know. That I kind of have a question with.

“Other than that, I do like the point system. I like that there are no politics. The only problem people and I have to watch out for is the judges.”

It doesn’t happen often, but if there’s a tie at the end of a PFL season, the fighter that qualifies is determined by head-to-head – meaning if one has lost to the other previously in the season. And if they haven’t, the fighter with the most finishes goes through, something Collard doesn’t agree with.

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Collard (22-10) returns to the cage this Friday at 2023 PFL 6 at Overtime Elite Arena in Atlanta. He takes on Stevie Ray (25-12). The main card of the PFL event airs on ESPN following prelims on ESPN+.

Ray currently has zero points after losing his first bout of the season. The Scottish fighter needs a first-round finish if he wants to keep stay alive to potentially qualify for the playoffs.

Collard, who has three points, is well aware of the position his opponent finds himself in, but he isn’t intimidated by the urgency Ray should bring.

“Zero points, so he’s definitely going to be coming at me,” Collard said. “I’m a durable guy. I’m hard to finish. I’m hard to put away. I think my skill set is better than his. We’re looking for the finish, we’re looking for the six points, and I’m not really worried about that, you know. He’s locked in that cage with me.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for PFL 2023, Week 6.