Tag: Sofiane Boukichou

Kayla Harrison starts quest for third PFL title in London – but not as the No. 1 seed

The lineup is set for the PFL’s third and final set of playoff fights next month in London.

The lineup is set for the PFL’s third and final set of playoff fights next month in London.

Two-time women’s lightweight season winner and No. 2 seed [autotag]Kayla Harrison[/autotag] (14-0) will headline the card against No. 3 [autotag]Martina Jindrova[/autotag] (6-2) in one of two semifinal fights in the division.

The other half of the bracket features No. 1 [autotag]Larisa Pacheco[/autotag] (17-4) vs. No. 4 [autotag]Olena Kolesnyk[/autotag] (7-4). Pacheco, who lost to Harrison in the 2019 final, finished both her regular season fights in the first round for 12 points to earn the top seed. Harrison and Jindrova finished the regular season with 9 points, while Kolesnyk had 6 for the fourth playoff spot.

The event also features the two semifinal playoff bouts at featherweight. No. 1 seed [autotag]Chris Wade[/autotag] (22-7) takes on No. 4 [autotag]Brendan Loughnane[/autotag] (22-7) and No. 2 [autotag]Ryoji Kudo[/autotag] (11-3-1) meets No. 3 [autotag]Bubba Jenkins[/autotag] (18-5).

The PFL’s third set of playoff fights take place Aug. 20 at Copper Box Arena in London. The four-fight main card of playoff matchups airs on ESPN. A four-fight set of prelims and four fights after the main card stream on ESPN+.

The playoffs open two weeks prior in New York with lightweights and light heavyweights. Then welterweights and heavyweights meet Aug. 13 in Cardiff, Wales.

“Heading to London is huge for the expansion of the league,” PFL president Ray Sefo stated. “We are bringing our brand of MMA to the U.K. and I’m sure they are going to be as excited as I am to see elite fighters like Kayla Harrison, Chris Wade and Brendan Loughnane compete with so much on the line.”

Harrison won the second of her two judo Olympic gold medals at the 2012 Games in London. Now she returns to the city a decade later.

In addition, the PFL announced the signing of muay Thai standout Dakota Ditcheva (5-0), a prized free agent from Manchester, England. The three-time muay Thai world champion is unbeaten early in her MMA career and is considered one of the sport’s top female prospects. Her mother, Lisa Howarth, was a world kickboxing champion.

“We are excited to add Dakota to the global PFL talent roster,” Sefo stated. “Dakota’s outstanding skill set and ability, along with her natural charisma, fit perfectly with the PFL brand of MMA. We believe the PFL is uniquely placed to take her journey forward on a global scale. Coming from a line of elite muay Thai practitioners, we have confidence in Dakota to go to the very top with the PFL and continue her family’s legacy.”

The PFL 2022 Playoffs 3 card includes:

POSTLIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, 5 p.m. ET)

  • [autotag]Dakota Ditcheva[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Hassna Gaber[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Abraham Bably[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Louie Sutherland[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Tayo Odunjo[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Magnus Onyeka[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Kenji Bortoluzzi[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Ali Taleb[/autotag]

MAIN CARD (ESPN, 3 p.m. ET)

  • No. 2 Kayla Harrison vs. No. 3 Martina Jindrova – women’s lightweight semifinal
  • No. 1 Chris Wade vs. No. 4 Brendan Loughnane – featherweight semifinal
  • No. 1 Larisa Pacheco vs. No. 4 Olena Kolesnyk – women’s lightweight semifinal
  • No. 2 Ryoji Kudo vs. No. 3 Bubba Jenkins – featherweight semifinal

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, 1 p.m. ET)

  • [autotag]Simeon Powell[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Nemanja Uveric[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Stuart Austin[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Sofiane Boukichou[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Marcin Held[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Myles Price[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Aleksandrs Chizovs[/autotag] vs. TBA

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Video: Huge Senegalese wrestler ‘Reug Reug’ sends opponent airborne in impressive debut

Oh my.

First impressions are important, especially in the sport of mixed martial arts.

This weekend, Senegalese wrestler [autotag]Oumar Kane[/autotag] made a statement in his professional MMA debut at ARES 1, which streamed on UFC Fight Pass.

Kane (1-0), better known as “Reug Reug,” had never competed in MMA before, but his skills seemed to translate well in his inaugural outing. Standing at a bulky 6-foot-4, Kane was agile and displayed good cardio for as long as the bout lasted.

Taking on a veteran of 10 fights in France’s [autotag]Sofiane, Kane tossed his fellow big man to the mat like a WWE-style bodyslam, which you can check out below:

When Boukichou threatened with a Kimura off of his back, Kane escaped in unorthodox, but effective fashion, lifting Boukichou off the ground and slamming 6-3, 233 pounder to the canvas to break the hold. Check this out:

A gritty opponent, Boukichou was able to make it out of the first round. However, his luck would run out in Round 2, when he was met by a bull-rushing Kane.

Not letting his opponent off the hook, Kane chased Boukichou around the cage until he finally was able to finish the Frenchman with punches at the 1:20 mark of the second.

The Blue Corner is MMA Junkie’s blog space. We don’t take it overly serious, and neither should you. If you come complaining to us that something you read here is not hard-hitting news, expect to have the previous sentence repeated in ALL CAPS.

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