Tag: Magomed Magomedkerimov

2021 PFL Championship ceremonial weigh-ins live video stream (5 p.m. ET)

Check out the fighters stepping on the scale and their faceoffs at the 2021 PFL Championship ceremonial weigh-ins.

The 2021 PFL Championship ceremonial weigh-ins take place Tuesday, and you can watch a live video stream right here on MMA Junkie beginning at 5 p.m. ET (2 p.m. PT).

The ceremonial weigh-ins are being held at Hard Rock Live in Hollywood, Fla. The same venue hosts Wednesday’s event, with a main card that airs on ESPN2 and streams on ESPN+ after prelims on ESPN+.

The 2021 PFL Championship event features 10 fights, including all six divisional finals for a $1 million grand prize. In the main event, undefeated [autotag]Kayla Harrison[/autotag] meets [autotag]Taylor Guardado[/autotag] for the women’s lightweight title. And in the co-headliner, [autotag]Magomed Magomedkerimov[/autotag] and [autotag]Ray Cooper III[/autotag] will rematch for the welterweight title.

You can watch the full ceremonial weigh-ins and fighter faceoffs in the video above.

Below is the full 2021 PFL Championship lineup:

MAIN CARD (ESPN2, ESPN+, 8 p.m. ET)

  • Kayla Harrison vs. Taylor Guardado – women’s lightweight final
  • Ray Cooper III vs. Magomed Magomedkerimov – welterweight final
  • Abigail Montes vs. Claressa Shields
  • Bruno Cappelozza vs. Ante Delija – heavyweight final
  • Movlid Khaybulaev vs. Chris Wade – featherweight final

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, 4:30 p.m. ET)

  • Antonio Carlos Junior vs. Marthin Hamlet – light heavyweight final
  • Omari Akhmedov vs. Jordan Young
  • Raush Manfio vs. Loik Radzhabov –lightweight final
  • Don Madge vs. Nathan Williams
  • Julia Budd vs. Kaitlin Young

Video: Watch 2021 PFL Championship press conference at 5 p.m. ET

Hear from all the 2021 PFL Championship finalists at the pre-fight press conference.

HOLLYWOOD, Fla. – The PFL’s 2021 season is almost over as its championship finale is set to go down next month.

The event takes place on Oct. 27 at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. It features six championship fights, plus three non-title bouts.

You can watch the pre-event news conference for the 2021 PFL Championship on MMA Junkie today at 5 p.m. ET.

Expected to take part are PFL president Ray Sefo, as well as [autotag]Claressa Shields[/autotag], [autotag]Abigail Montes[/autotag], [autotag]Kayla Harrison[/autotag], [autotag]Taylor Guardado[/autotag], [autotag]Ray Cooper III[/autotag], [autotag]Magomed Magomedkerimov[/autotag], [autotag]Movlid Khaybulaev[/autotag], [autotag]Chris Wade[/autotag], [autotag]Marthin Hamlet[/autotag], [autotag]Antonio Carlos Jr.[/autotag],  [autotag]Ante Delija[/autotag], [autotag]Bruno Cappelozza[/autotag], [autotag]Raush Manfio[/autotag], and [autotag]Loik Radzhabov[/autotag].

Watch the pre-fight press conference live stream in the video above.

Magomed Magomedkerimov happy he gets Ray Cooper III rematch in PFL welterweight final

Magomed Magomedkerimov owns a PFL finals win over Ray Cooper and will be looking to repeat this year.

HOLLYWOOD, Fla. – For the second time in three seasons, [autotag]Magomed Magomedkerimov[/autotag] will fight Ray Cooper III in the PFL welterweight final.

Their rematch was set Friday night after Cooper, the reigning 2019 PFL welterweight champion, won a lopsided unanimous decision against former Bellator champ and UFC title challenger Rory MacDonald in the main event of 2021 PFL Playoffs 1. Just before that in the co-main event, Magomedkerimov took care of business with his own lopsided unanimous decision win over Sadibou Sy.

Magomedkerimov (29-5) and Cooper (23-7-1) previously met in the 2018 PFL welterweight final, with Magomedkerimov winning by second-round submission to claim the title and $1 million prize.

Now they’ll run it back three years later, and Magomedkerimov at least has seen a difference in Cooper between then and now – but he still likes the matchup.

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“I see the style changed a little bit,” Magomedkerimov told MMA Junkie through a Russian translator. “He used to box more. Now I see he has some wrestling going on. It’s a good thing for him, but it’s actually a good thing for me.”

After a 2020 season lost because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Magomedkerimov is happy to have made it back to the final.

“It’s quite a journey, and it takes several steps,” he said. “Most of the steps are behind. The most important one is ahead of me. I’m very happy, yes. I’m relieved. Time to relax a little bit right now, and we’re gonna regroup and be ready.”

You can watch Magomedkerimov’s full interview in the video above.

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Ray Cooper III expected to dominate Rory MacDonald, turns focus to PFL finals rematch vs. Magomed Magomedkerimov

Ray Cooper III turns his focus to a rematch with Magomed Magomedkerimov after defeating Rory MacDonald in the PFL semifinals.

HOLLYWOOD, Fla. – The MMA community may have been surprised at the outcome of Friday’s 2021 PFL Playoffs 1 main event, but [autotag]Ray Cooper III[/autotag] was not.

Cooper (23-7-1 MMA, 10-2-1 PFL) was matched up against [autotag]Rory MacDonald[/autotag] in what promised to be a tough fight for both welterweight competitors who hoped to punch their ticket to the PFL finals to face [autotag]Magomed Magomedkerimov[/autotag].

However, at the conclusion of the fight, there was no doubt that Cooper did enough to win the fight, in fact, the only question was if a judge gave MacDonald a single round.

“(It was) Nothing I didn’t expect, I knew this was going to happen,” Cooper told MMA Junkie. “Nothing but respect for Rory. He’s a great competitor, awesome fighter.”

Perhaps the key to success on Friday evening was Cooper’s approach to the fight, as he didn’t allow the stage, the moment, or the opponent to get to him all week long. He simply approached the fight with the same mentality as he always does in a tournament format.

“He’s just another guy,” Cooper said. “He’s in my way of my main goal. This is a tournament style. This is not, ‘Oh, you’re fighting a big guy this fight, that’s your biggest fight.’ No, you have to focus on the fights after that too, but you still gotta be focused on the fight in front of you and that’s what I did. I focused on him, I got past it, and now I’m focused on the main, main goal, and that’s winning the championship.”

All three judges scored the contest 30-27 in favor of Cooper over MacDonald, giving him a clean sweep on the cards and advancing him to the finals to face Magomedkerimov, who defeated Sadibou Sy via unanimous decision on Friday.

Cooper will have a chance at revenge against Magomedkerimov, who defeated him in the 2018 tournament championship via second-round guillotine choke.

“I’m getting my rematch,” Cooper said. “It’s a totally different fight now, the way I’m gonna approach it, the way Magomed’s gonna approach it – we both know how we fight, but that last fight we fought, I was a little bit immature during the fight, but now, I know what he’s gonna do already. It’s no secret what he does. He’s gonna wrestle. Period. I’m ready.”

The 2021 PFL Playoff finals will take place Oct. 27 at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Fla.

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Video: Watch the 2021 PFL Playoffs 1 post-fight press conference

Hear from PFL president Ray Sefo and winners from Friday’s 2021 PFL Playoffs 1 at the post-fight press conference.

The PFL’s 2021 playoffs got underway on Friday with 2021 PFL Playoffs 1 at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Fla.

Following the event, you can watch the post-event press conference on MMA Junkie to hear from the competitors of the event.

Expected to take part in the press conference are PFL president Ray Sefo, as well as winners from the event including [autotag]Ray Cooper III[/autotag], [autotag]Magomed Magomedkerimov[/autotag], [autotag]Raush Manfio[/autotag], and [autotag]Loik Radzhabov[/autotag].

Watch the post-fight press conference in the video above.

 

2021 PFL Playoffs 1 live and official results

Check out the official results from the first PFL playoff event of 2021, which was headlined by Ray Cooper III vs. Rory MacDonald.

2021 PFL Playoffs 1 took place Friday, and MMA Junkie provided live and official results.

The event, which featured the welterweight and lightweight playoffs, took place at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Fla. The main card aired on ESPN2 and streamed on ESPN+ following prelims on ESPN+.

In the main event, 2019 PFL champion Ray Cooper III (22-7-1) took on former Bellator champ Rory MacDonald (22-7-1) in a 170-pound semifinal matchup. The other welterweight semifinal was contested in the co-main event, as [autotag]Sadibou Sy[/autotag] (9-5-2) fought [autotag]Magomed Magomedkerimov[/autotag] (28-5).

The full official 2021 PFL Playoffs 1 results include:

MAIN CARD ( ESPN+ and ESPN 2)

  • Ray Cooper III def. Rory MacDonald via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) – welterweight semifinal
  • Magomed Magomedkerimov def. Sadibou Sy via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) – welterweight semifinal
  • Raush Manfio def. Clay Collard via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) – lightweight semifinal
  • Loik Radzhabov def. Alexander Martinez via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) – lightweight semifinal

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+)

  • Gleison Tibau def. Micah Terrill via submission (arm triangle) – Round 1, 2:18
  • Olivier Aubin-Mercier def. Darrell Horcher via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-26, 29-27)
  • Brett Cooper def. Tyler Hill via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 2:32
  • Magomed Umalatov def. Leandro Silva via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
  • Michael Lombardo def. Kyron Bowen via TKO (leg kicks) – Round 1, 3:42
  • Elvin Espinoza def. Hopeton Stewart via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 2:45

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2021 PFL Playoffs 1 weigh-in results, live video stream

Watch the 2021 PFL Playoffs 1 weigh-ins from Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Florida.

HOLLYWOOD, Fla. – MMA Junkie is on  thescene at Thursday’s 2021 PFL Playoffs 1 weigh-ins.

The weigh-ins take place at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. The same venue hosts Friday’s event, which has a main card on ESPN 2 following prelims on ESPN+.

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In the main event, former Bellator welterweight champion and UFC contender [autotag]Rory MacDonald[/autotag] (22–7–1) takes on 2019 PFL welterweight champ [autotag]Ray Cooper III[/autotag] (22–7–1) in a semifinal bout of the playoffs.

The other welterweight semifinal will be contested in the co-main event, as [autotag]Sadibou Sy[/autotag] (9-5-2) fights [autotag]Magomed Magomedkerimov[/autotag] (28-5).

Below are the full weigh-in results for Friday’s 2021 PFL Playoffs 1.

MAIN CARD ( ESPN+ and ESPN 2, 9:00 p.m. ET)

  • Rory MacDonald (170.75) vs. Ray Cooper III (169.75)
  • Sadibou Sy (169.25) vs. Magomed Magomedkerimov (171)
  • Clay Collard (155.75) vs. Raush Manfio (156)
  • Loik Radzhabov (156) vs. Alexander Martinez (155.5)

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, 5:30 p.m. ET)

  • Micah Terrill (170.75) vs. Gleison Tibau (171)
  • Darrell Horcher (159.25)* vs. Olivier Aubin-Mercier (155.5)
  • Tyler Hill (171) vs. Brett Cooper (169.75)
  • Magomed Umalatov (171) vs. Leandro Silva (172.5)*
  • Kyron Bowen (170.75) vs. Michael Lombardo (171)
  • Elvin Espinoza (155.25) vs. Hopeton Stewart (154.75)

*Horcher and Silva missed weight and were fined a percentage of their purses. Both bouts will proceed as scheduled.

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2021 PFL Playoffs 1 predictions: Ray Cooper III or Rory MacDonald in semis?

Check out our staff members’ picks for the 2021 PFL Playoffs at welterweight and lightweight.

Cooper III
vs.
MacDonald		 Magomedkerimov
vs.
Sy		 Collard
vs.
Manfio		 Martinez
vs.
Radzhabov
MMA Junkie readers’
consensus picks
2021: 120-72		 macdonald2021
MacDonald
(62%)		 magomedkerimov2021
Magomedkerimov
(90%)		 collard2021
Collard
(77%)		 martinez2021
Martinez
(57%)
John Morgan
@MMAjunkieJohn
2021: 119-73		 cooper2021
Cooper		 magomedkerimov2021
Magomedkerimov		 collard2021
Collard		 radzhabov2021
Radzhabov
Simon Samano
@SJSamano
2021: 118-74		 macdonald2021
MacDonald		 magomedkerimov2021
Magomedkerimov		 collard2021
Collard		 radzhabov2021
Radzhabov
Ken Hathaway
@kenshathaway
2021: 118-74
trophy copy 2018 Champion		 cooper2021
Cooper		 magomedkerimov2021
Magomedkerimov		 collard2021
Collard		 martinez2021
Martinez
Dan Tom
@DanTomMMA
2021: 115-77
trophy copy 2020 Champion		 cooper2021
Cooper		 magomedkerimov2021
Magomedkerimov		 collard2021
Collard		 radzhabov2021
Radzhabov
Mike Bohn
@MikeBohnMMA
2021: 114-78
trophy copy 2014 Champion		 macdonald2021
MacDonald		 magomedkerimov2021
Magomedkerimov		 collard2021
Collard		 martinez2021
Martinez
Nolan King
@mma_kings
2021: 114-78		 macdonald2021
MacDonald		 magomedkerimov2021
Magomedkerimov		 collard2021
Collard		 radzhabov2021
Radzhabov
Matt Erickson
@MMAjunkieMatt
2021: 113-79		 macdonald2021
MacDonald		 magomedkerimov2021
Magomedkerimov		 collard2021
Collard		 radzhabov2021
Radzhabov
Farah Hannoun
@Farah_Hannoun
2021: 112-80		 macdonald2021
MacDonald		 magomedkerimov2021
Magomedkerimov		 collard2021
Collard		 radzhabov2021
Radzhabov
Danny Segura
@dannyseguratv
2021: 112-80		 macdonald2021
MacDonald		 magomedkerimov2021
Magomedkerimov		 collard2021
Collard		 radzhabov2021
Radzhabov
George Garcia
@MMAjunkieGeorge
2021: 112-80		 cooper2021
Cooper		 magomedkerimov2021
Magomedkerimov		 collard2021
Collard		 martinez2021
Martinez
Brian Garcia
@thegoze
2021: 110-82
trophy copy 2017 Champion		 macdonald2021
MacDonald		 magomedkerimov2021
Magomedkerimov		 collard2021
Collard		 martinez2021
Martinez
Abbey Subhan
@kammakaze
2021: 108-84		 macdonald2021
MacDonald		 magomedkerimov2021
Magomedkerimov		 collard2021
Collard		 radzhabov2021
Radzhabov
Matthew Wells
@MrMWells
2021: 43-33		 macdonald2021
MacDonald		 magomedkerimov2021
Magomedkerimov		 collard2021
Collard		 martinez2021
Martinez

The PFL returns this week with the first of three straight weeks of semifinal fights.

2021 PFL Playoffs 1 takes place Friday at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Fla. 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, 2019 welterweight season winner [autotag]Ray Cooper III[/autotag] (22-7-1) takes on [autotag]Rory MacDonald[/autotag] (22-7-1). The winner will advance to the final for a shot at $1 million and the 2021 title. MacDonald, one of the promotion’s most high-profile offseason signees, has a 9-4 picks edge from our 13 editors, writers, radio hosts and videographers.

In the other welterweight semifinal, 2018 season winner [autotag]Magomed Magomedkerimov[/autotag] (28-5) takes on [autotag]Sadibou Sy[/autotag] (9-5-2). Magomedkerimov, who beat Cooper in 2018 to win the crown, is one of two unanimous picks from our staff members.

Our other unanimous pick on the main card is in the lightweight semifinal fight between [autotag]Clay Collard[/autotag] (20-8) and [autotag]Raush Manfio[/autotag] (13-3). Collard upset Anthony Pettis in his first fight of the regular season and he’s got a 13-0 picks lead over Manfio – who beat Pettis, as well, to get to the playoffs.

And to open the main card, [autotag]Alex Martinez[/autotag] (8-1) meets [autotag]Loik Radzhabov[/autotag] (14-3-1) in the other lightweight semifinal fight. That’s our most contentious fight – Radzhabov has an 8-5 picks lead.

In the MMA Junkie reader consensus picks, MacDonald (62 percent), Magomedkerimov (90 percent), Collard (77 percent) and Martinez (57 percent) are the choices.

Check out all the picks above.

Video: Rory MacDonald, Ray Cooper III have intense staredown at 2021 PFL Playoffs press conference

Watch all the eight main card staredowns from Wednesday’s 2021 PFL Playoffs 1 press conference.

HOLLYWOOD, Fla. – All eight fighters competing on the main card of Friday’s 2021 PFL Playoffs 1 event had a chance to size each other up.

On Wednesday at the 2021 PFL Playoffs 1 press conference, [autotag]Rory MacDonald[/autotag] and[autotag] Ray Cooper III[/autotag] (22–7–1) faced off in a short, but intense staredown ahead of their main event bout. The two form part of one-half of the semifinals of the welterweight tournament.

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Additionally, other matchups were featured in the faceoffs in [autotag]Sadibou Sy[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Magomed Magomedkerimov[/autotag], [autotag]Clay Collard[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Raush Manfio[/autotag], and [autotag]Loik Radzhabov[/autotag] vs. A[autotag]lexander Martinez[/autotag].

Check out their eventful faceoff in the video above.

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2021 PFL Playoffs 1 sees four matchups altered, one fight added

Four matchups have been altered for the 2021 PFL Playoffs 1 event on Aug. 13.

The first playoff event for PFL in 2021 has undergone various changes.

Four of the current matchups have been altered, and one fight has been added to the Aug. 13 event at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Fla. PFL officials informed MMA Junkie of the changes on Wednesday.

[autotag]Joao Zeferino[/autotag], who was set to take on [autotag]Magomed Magomedkerimov[/autotag] in the welterweight co-main event, is out due to injury and has been replaced by No. 5 seed [autotag]Sadibou Sy[/autotag].

With Sy stepping in as an alternate, veteran [autotag]Gleison Tibau[/autotag] now faces replacement [autotag]Curtis Millender[/autotag].

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Former PFL champion [autotag]Natan Schulte[/autotag] also was forced to withdraw for undisclosed reasons. His opponent, [autotag]Olivier Aubin Mercier[/autotag], will now face fellow former UFC fighter [autotag]Darrell Horcher[/autotag] in a lightweight matchup.

[autotag]Nikolai Aleksakhin[/autotag] is out of his scheduled bout against [autotag]Brett Cooper[/autotag] for undisclosed reasons. Cooper now takes on PFL newcomer [autotag]Tyler Hill[/autotag].

Additionally, a new lightweight matchup has been added to the card, as [autotag]Elvin Espinoza[/autotag] puts his undefeated record up against [autotag]Hopeton Stewart[/autotag].

The main card for 2021 PFL Playoffs 1 airs on ESPN 2 and the prelims on ESPN+.

With the changes, here is the updated lineup:

MAIN CARD (ESPN2, ESPN+, 9 p.m. ET)

  • Ray Cooper III vs. Rory MacDonald
  • Magomed Magomedkerimov vs. Sadibou Sy
  • Clay Collard vs. Raush Manfio
  • Alex Martinez vs. Loik Radzhabov

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, 5:30 p.m. ET)

  • Olivier Aubin-Mercier vs. Darrell Horcher
  • Curtis Millender vs. Gleison Tibau
  • Brett Cooper vs. Tyler Hill
  • Micah Terrill vs. Magomed Umalatov
  • Kyron Bowen vs. Michael Lombardo
  • Elvin Espinoza vs. Hopeton Stewart

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