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Check out these photos from Isaiah Pinson vs. Denzel Freeman at 2023 PFL 5 in Atlanta.
Check out these photos from[autotag] Isaiah Pinson[/autotag]’s victory over Denzel Freeman at 2023 PFL 5 at Overtime Elite Arena in Atlanta. (Photos courtesy of Cooper Neill, PFL MMA)
Denzel Freeman is the latest addition to the PFL heavyweight division after earning a contract for a 27-second finish.
The PFL’s Challenger Series returned for the eighth week of 2023, with some athletes gunning for a second shot at a PFL contract that could either serve as a developmental deal or earn them a spot directing into the regular season to compete for its $1 million prize.
2023 PFL Challenger Series 8 took place Friday at Universal Studios in Orlando, Fla., and aired live on fubo Sports Network. The “Second Chance” event featured four bouts at various weight classes: lightweight, welterweight, heavyweight and women’s featherweight. The fighters in the final two bouts of the evening competed for the second time during this year’s Challenger Series.
Ali Omar (5-2) got the evening started with a gritty split decision win over Sanon Sadeck (3-2). In the second bout, Denzel Freeman (4-0) made quick work of Raiden Kovacs (0-1), finishing the fight in just 27 seconds after a brutal head kick led to the stoppage. Evelyn Martins (4-0) outstruck Jackie Cataline (3-2) to win a unanimous decision. In the feature bout, Kendly St. Louis (9-4) shut out Paulo Henrique (14-7) on the scorecards to win a one-sided unanimous decision.
The four winners were narrowed down to Freeman and Martins , with their PFL regular season hopes in the hands of voters.
The celebrity panel this week consisted of former UFC champion Randy Couture, two-time PFL champion Kayla Harrison, and award-winning recording artist and part owner of PFL, Wiz Khalifa. The panel, along with the fans, chose Freeman as the heavyweight contract winner. He will now compete in the upcoming regular season, where he will test his skills against PFL’s largest fighters.
Freeman is undefeated through four fights in his professional career. Friday’s bout was his first appearance inside the cage since 2021, where he recorded a 47-second finish of Duane Crespo at Titan FC 70.
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Official results for 2023 PFL Challenger Series 8 include:
Bruno Assis becomes the new Titan FC middleweight champion at Friday’s event in Miami, Fla.
[autotag]Bruno Assis[/autotag] is the new Titan FC middleweight champion.
The Brazilian won the promotion’s 185-pound title, defeating [autotag]Shane O’Shea[/autotag] in the main event of Friday’s Titan FC 70 card in Miami, Fla. Assis (11-5) submitted O’Shea (4-2) with a triangle choke at the 2:22 mark of round 1.
Assis, who trains out of American Top Team, had to face adversity before taking home the belt.
The 29-year-old got clipped and dropped with a jab and straight right early in the first round. From there, O’Shea looked for the finish, but Assis did a good job at tying up and surviving the early storm. Assis was able to get a takedown from a judo throw and from there he was able to lock up a triangle choke and roll to his back. Soon after O’Shea was forced to tap, giving the win to Assis.
Put a bow on it, the main event is wrapped up after a submission in the main event! #TitanFC70 pic.twitter.com/LH9KZH4lke
— UFC FIGHT PASS (@UFCFightPass) July 3, 2021
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With the result, Assis is now on a two-fight winning streak and 2-2 in his last four outings.
Additionally on the card, former IBJJF world champion [autotag]Talita Alencar[/autotag] made her professional debut. She submitted Staci Vegas with a rear-naked choke in the first round of their strawweight contest.
It's over! The Unicorn only needs one round for the submission pic.twitter.com/zfBdh9H4wK
— UFC FIGHT PASS (@UFCFightPass) July 3, 2021
Complete main card results for Titan FC 70 included:
