Tag: Stevie Ray

2022 PFL Playoffs 1 predictions: Can Stevie Ray upset Anthony Pettis again?

Check out our staff members’ picks for the PFL Playoffs 1 card in New York, featuring lightweight and light heavyweight semifinal fights.

Pettis
vs.
Ray		 Akhmeddov
vs.
Silveira		 Aubin-Mercier
vs.
Martinez		 Wilkinson
vs.
Monte
MMA Junkie readers’
consensus picks
127-74		 pettis2022
Pettis
(60%)		 silveira2022
Silveira
(59%)		 aubinmercier2022
Aubin-Mercier
(88%)		 wilkinson2022
Wilkinson
(74%)
Ken Hathaway
@kenshathaway
136-70
trophy copy 2018 Champion		 ray2022
Ray		 akhmedov2022
Akhmedov		 aubinmercier2022
Aubin-Mercier		 wilkinson2022
Wilkinson
Mike Bohn
@MikeBohn
132-74
trophy copy 2014 Champion		 pettis2022
Pettis		 silveira2022
Silveira		 aubinmercier2022
Aubin-Mercier		 wilkinson2022
Wilkinson
Abbey Subhan
@kammakaze
132-74		 ray2022
Ray		 akhmedov2022
Akhmedov		 aubinmercier2022
Aubin-Mercier		 wilkinson2022
Wilkinson
Matthew Wells
@MrMWells
128-78		 pettis2022
Pettis		 silveira2022
Silveira		 aubinmercier2022
Aubin-Mercier		 wilkinson2022
Wilkinson
Simon Samano
@SJSamano
127-79		 pettis2022
Pettis		 akhmedov2022
Akhmedov		 aubinmercier2022
Aubin-Mercier		 wilkinson2022
Wilkinson
Matt Erickson
@MMAjunkieMatt
126-80		 pettis2022
Pettis		 silveira2022
Silveira		 aubinmercier2022
Aubin-Mercier		 wilkinson2022
Wilkinson
Farah Hannoun
@Farah_Hannoun
125-81		 pettis2022
Pettis		 akhmedov2022
Akhmedov		 aubinmercier2022
Aubin-Mercier		 wilkinson2022
Wilkinson
Nolan King
@mma_kings
123-83		 ray2022
Ray		 akhmedov2022
Akhmedov		 martinez2022
Martinez		 wilkinson2022
Wilkinson
Brian Garcia
@thegoze
121-85
trophy copy 2017 Champion		 pettis2022
Pettis		 akhmedov2022
Akhmedov		 aubinmercier2022
Aubin-Mercier		 wilkinson2022
Wilkinson
George Garcia
@MMAjunkieGeorge
114-92		 pettis2022
Pettis		 silveira2022
Silveira		 martinez2022
Martinez		 wilkinson2022
Wilkinson
Danny Segura
@dannyseguratv
101-105		 pettis2022
Pettis		 akhmedov2022
Akhmedov		 aubinmercier2022
Aubin-Mercier		 wilkinson2022
Wilkinson

The PFL returns this week for the first of three sets of playoff semifinals, starting with lightweights and light heavyweights.

The 2022 PFL Playoffs 1 event takes place Friday at Hulu Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York. The main card airs on ESPN and streams on ESPN+ following prelims on ESPN+ and ahead of post-lim qualifiers on ESPN+.

(Click here to open a PDF of the staff picks grid in a separate window.)

In the main event, No. 1 lightweight seed [autotag]Anthony Pettis[/autotag] (25-13) takes on [autotag]Stevie Ray[/autotag] (24-10) in a rematch from the regular season. Ray upset Pettis in their first meeting with a second-round submmission. The fight nearly is a pick’em. Pettis is -115 at Tipico Sportsbook; the comeback on Ray is -110. Our 11 editors, writers, radio hosts and videographers largely are siding with Pettis to move on to the final. They have him with a big 8-3 picks lead.

At light heavyweight, No. 2 [autotag]Omari Akhmedov[/autotag] (23-7-1) meets late replacement [autotag]Josh Silveira[/autotag] (9-0). Silveira was an alternate and not in the playoffs until Antonio Carlos Jr. pulled out. Silveira is a -220 favorite, but it’s Akhmedov with a 7-4 lead in the picks from our staff members.

In the other lightweight semifinal, [autotag]Olivier Aubin-Mercier[/autotag] (15-5) is a -240 favorite against [autotag]Alexander Martinez[/autotag] (10-2) and he has a big 9-2 picks advantage.

And to open the main card, our only unanimous pick is in the other light heavyweight semifinal. [autotag]Rob Wilkinson[/autotag] (15-2) is this week’s biggest playoff favorite at -340 against [autotag]Delan Monte[/autotag] (9-2), and he’s got an 11-0 picks shutout.

In the MMA Junkie reader consensus picks, Pettis (60 percent), Silveira (59 percent), Aubin-Mercier (88 percent) and Wilkinson (74 percent) are the choices.

Check out all the picks above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for 2022 PFL Playoffs 1.

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Spinning Back Clique: Regained titles for Nunes, Moreno at UFC 277, PFL playoffs, more

“Spinning Back Clique,” MMA Junkie’s weekly show, discusses Amanda Nunes and Brandon Moreno’s title wins at UFC 277 and more.

Check out this week’s “Spinning Back Clique,” MMA Junkie’s weekly show that takes a spin through the biggest topics in mixed martial arts.

Our panel of Matthew Wells, Brian “Goze” Garcia and Danny Segura discuss five topics with host “Gorgeous” George Garcia.

  • [autotag]Amanda Nunes[/autotag] dominated Julianna Peña to recapture the women’s bantamweight title in the UFC 277 main event – though Peña got off plenty of offense, too. After seeing the second fight, was Peña’s first win over Nunes, a submission at UFC 269, merely a fluke? Do we need to see a third title fight between them? And if so, how soon?
  • [autotag]Brandon Moreno[/autotag] won the interim flyweight title at UFC 277. Afterward, champ [autotag]Deiveson Figueiredo[/autotag], who is on the shelf a while longer, was brought into the cage for a faceoff and confrontation with Moreno. It was very civil and both fighters showed good sportsmanship, but UFC president Dana White said he had second thoughts about it because it took some shine away from Moreno. So are we fans of those immediate post-fight moments, or should they go away?
  • [autotag]Sergei Pavlovich[/autotag] picked up arguably the biggest win of his career when he took out former heavyweight title challenger Derrick Lewis at UFC 277. He did it in less than a minute, and though there was controversy around how quickly referee Dan Miragliotta stopped the fight, there’s no denying Pavlovich put some fast offense on Lewis and put him on the canvas with his fists. At 16-1 with 13 finishes, and 11 in the first round, who should Pavlovich fight next on his ascension up the UFC’s heavyweight ladder – and what’s his ceiling?
  • Amanda Nunes recaptured the UFC women’s bantamweight title and now is a dual champion again. But what’s going on with her featherweight belt? There doesn’t seem to be an obviously next challenger for that title – at leats not one in the UFC with Kayla Harrison in the PFL and Cris Cyborg in Bellator. Should the UFC keep 145 around for the women, or should they put it on the shelf?
  • The PFL’s playoffs start up this week with semifinal fights in the lightweight and light heavyweight divisions. The highest profile fight features former UFC and WEC champ [autotag]Anthony Pettis[/autotag], who meets [autotag]Stevie Ray[/autotag] in a rematch after Ray upset Pettis in their second regular season fight. Who do we like in this first set of playoff bouts in New York?

“Spinning Back Clique” is released each Tuesday on MMA Junkie’s YouTube channel. You can watch the full episode in the video above.

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Anthony Pettis vs. Stevie Ray rematch headlines PFL’s playoff-opening card in New York

The lineup is set for the PFL’s first set of playoff fights next month in New York.

The lineup is set for the PFL’s first set of playoff fights next month in New York.

[autotag]Anthony Pettis[/autotag] (25-13) remained the top lightweight seed despite an upset loss to [autotag]Stevie Ray[/autotag] (24-10) two weeks ago. Ray’s win made him the No. 4 seed – which set up a rematch with Pettis in the four-man playoff field.

On the other side of the lightweight playoff bracket, No. 2 seed [autotag]Olivier Aubin-Mercier[/autotag] (15-5) takes on No. 3 [autotag]Alexander Martinez[/autotag] (10-2). The winners of those two fights will meet in the $1 million lightweight season final in October.

In the light heavyweight playoffs, there’s been a significant shakeup. No. 3 seed [autotag]Antonio Carlos Jr.[/autotag] (15-5) is out of his fight against American Top Team teammate and No. 2 seed [autotag]Omari Akhmedov[/autotag] (23-7-1), the PFL announced Friday. Stepping in for Junior is another one of Akhmedov’s teammates at American Top Team, [autotag]Josh Silveira[/autotag] (9-0), who finished the regular season in fifth place and was an alternate.

Top light heavyweight seed [autotag]Rob Wilkinson[/autotag] (15-2) will take on No. 4 [autotag]Delan Monte[/autotag] (9-2) on the other half of the bracket.

The PFL’s first set of playoff fights take place Aug. 5 at Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York. The four-fight main card of playoff matchups airs on ESPN. A two-fight set of prelims and four fights after the main card stream on ESPN+.

The playoffs continue later in August with welterweights and heavyweights on tap Aug. 13 in Cardiff, Wales, and women’s lightweights and featherweights set for Aug. 20 in London.

The PFL 2022 Playoffs 1 card includes:

POSTLIMINARY CARD (ESPN+)

  • [autotag]Marthin Hamlet[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Cory Hendricks[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Adam Keresh[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Marcelo Nunes[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Ricardo Jimenez[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Brahyan Zurcher[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Elvin Espinosa[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Corey Jackson[/autotag]

MAIN CARD (ESPN)

  • No. 1 Anthony Pettis vs. No. 4 Stevie Ray – lightweight semifinal
  • No. 2 Omari Akhmedov vs. No. 5 Josh Silveira – light heavyweight semifinal
  • No. 2 Olivier Aubin-Mercier vs. N. 3 Alexander Martinez – lightweight semifinal
  • No. 1 Robert Wilkinson vs. No. 4 Delan Monte – light heavyweight semifinal

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+)

  • [autotag]Elvis Lebron[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Alexei Pergande[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Lucas Barbosa[/autotag] vs. TBA

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2022 PFL salaries from Atlanta: Anthony Pettis tops disclosed payouts despite loss; Kayla Harrison second

This marks the first time that PFL salaries have been revealed in 2022.

The back half of the 2022 PFL regular season recently took place in Atlanta with three cards in three weeks at Overtime Elite Arena.

Each card spotlighted two specific divisions. PFL 4 took place June 17 and featured men’s lightweights and light heavyweights. One week later, PFL 5 featured featherweights and heavyweights. Last Friday, PFL 6 consisted of welterweights and women’s lightweights.

On Wednesday, MMA Junkie acquired a list of disclosed show and win purses from the Georgia Athletic and Entertainment Commission, the regulatory body that oversaw the events.

Former UFC lightweight champion [autotag]Anthony Pettis[/autotag] ($750,000) led all paydays despite a submission loss to [autotag]Stevie Ray[/autotag]. Two-time PFL season winner [autotag]Kayla Harrison[/autotag] ($500,00) was second on the list, followed by former UFC title challenger and Bellator welterweight champion [autotag]Rory MacDonald[/autotag] ($250,000).

[autotag]Jeremy Stephens[/autotag], [autotag]Lance Palmer[/autotag], [autotag]Brendan Loughnane[/autotag], [autotag]Omari Akhmedov[/autotag], and [autotag]Magomed Magomedkerimov[/autotag] also received six-figure disclosed payouts.

It’s important to note that the figures given do not reflect potential “locker room” bonuses, streaming points, or promotional sponsorship payments.

Scroll below to see the complete payouts for the most recent three PFL events.

Anthony Pettis: ‘Dumb mistake’ led to Stevie Ray loss, seeks revenge in PFL playoff rematch

Anthony Pettis admits a critical error led to his Submission of the Year candidate loss to Stevie Ray in PFL.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Anthony Pettis[/autotag] admits a critical error led to his Submission of the Year candidate loss to [autotag]Stevie Ray[/autotag] at 2022 PFL 5.

Pettis (25-13), a former UFC and WEC champion, was largely having his way with Ray (24-10) on the feet during their PFL lightweight regular season bout. Then the action spilled to the ground, and “Showtime” got caught in a modified body triangle that forced him to tap out in a rather stunning outcome.

“I made a dumb mistake,” Pettis told MMA Junkie and other reporters at Sunday’s UFC Fight Pass Invitational 2 event. “I initiated that takedown sequence and I caught him in a single leg, but his knee was between my legs, and instead of fighting for the under hooks, I let him whizzer me hard and take my back. In my head, I’m like, ‘I’m going to spin around and get on top like I always do.’ … I’ve just never been in that position. He has the body triangle, kind of modified, though, it was more around my hips and kind of my knee area.

“So when I went for the turn, I made it worse on myself I kind of turned on my spine. Then he went over my head and put so much pressure on my rib. Then in that format, I knew I was fighting again Aug. 5, so I’m like, ‘Bro, if this pops then I’m pretty much done.”

The upside for Pettis is that, despite the loss, he was still locked into the No. 1 seed in the PFL lightweight standings due to a first-round win in his regular-season opener. With Ray sliding into the No. 4 seed, an immediate rematch will happen between the two on Aug. 5.

That gives Pettis an opportunity to avenge the loss just six weeks after it happened.

“I love it,” Pettis said. “I love this PFL format, no lie. It’s probably the hardest format in combat sports because I’ve just got to keep making weight and fighting every two months. This one I’ve got six weeks between fights. I love the format, I get the rematch and also still have the possibility of being the champion.”

In addition to an in-fight lapse of judgement, Pettis said he brought the wrong mentality into the cage with Ray for their initial meeting. He said overthought the scheduling between the regular season and playoffs, and as a result did not fight as freely as he should’ve. He paid the consequences for it, but promised he won’t make the same mistake twice.

“I’ve never had a rematch and I’ve never had a fight where I couldn’t get hurt,” Pettis said. “I went into the last fight thinking, ‘Just don’t get hurt and get the win.’ That’s just the wrong mindset to have in this sport. You can’t go out there and play anything safe. I just got to go out there and try to kill him. I was whooping his ass striking. … I initiated a dumb takedown. It was kind of an amateur move on my half.”

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Stevie Ray def. Anthony Pettis at PFL 2022, Week 5: Best photos

Check out the best photos from Stevie Ray’s submission win over Anthony Pettis at PFL 2022, Week 5.

Check out the best photos from [autotag]Stevie Ray[/autotag]’s submission win over [autotag]Anthony Pettis[/autotag] at PFL 2022, Week 5 on Friday at Overtime Elite Arena in Atlanta. (Photos courtesy of PFL)

2022 PFL 5 video: Stevie Ray taps Anthony Pettis with insane submission, sets up immediate rematch

Stevie Ray put away Anthony Pettis with a Submission of the Year candidate at 2022 PFL 5.

[autotag]Stevie Ray[/autotag] pulled off the biggest win of his career at 2022 PFL 5 when he forced [autotag]Anthony Pettis[/autotag] to tap out to an incredible submission.

After Pettis (25-13) looked super slick in the early fight, Ray (24-10) turned the tables in the second round and pulled off a Submission of the Year candidate in what was ruled as a modified body lock.

2022 PFL 5 took place at Overtime Elite Arena in Atlanta. The lightweight regular season bout was the co-main event of the card.

Pettis opened the fight with an axe kick and a flying knee in the opening sequences of the fight. He looked slick with his strikes in the opening minutes, and fended off Ray’s takedown and clinch attempts. Ray started to find more success as the round wore on, but Pettis stayed dynamic, nearly landing a late tornado kick.

The confidence of Pettis showed in the early moments of the second round. He landed a nice question mark kick and started to significantly up his landing rate as he picked the advancing Ray apart with kicks and slick punches. Ray countered with a big moment, though, because he reversed a Pettis takedown and took the back to land some hard punches before working for a choke. Pettis nearly scrambled free, but that’s when Ray locked in a very unusual body triangle from an awkward angle and twisted the torso of his opponent for the stunning finish at the 2:57 mark of Round 2.

With the win, Ray secured the No. 4 seed in the lightweight bracket. Pettis remains No. 1 despite the loss, and now the pair will have an immediate rematch in the opening round of the playoffs.

Check out the complete 155-pound bracket below.

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2022 PFL 1 weigh-in results: All 20 lightweights, light heavyweights on point to start season

Check out the weigh-in results of 2022 PFL 1 in Arlington, Texas.

Fighters competing in the 2022 PFL season opener stepped on the scale Tuesday to record their official weight for their bouts.

The 10-fight 2022 PFL 1 card takes place Wednesday at Esports Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The event airs on ESPN and ESPN+ at 9 p.m. ET following prelims on ESPN+ beginning at 5:30 p.m. ET.

The first week will see lightweights and light heavyweights compete as they aim to get a strong start to the new season. [autotag]Clay Collard[/autotag] (20-9) takes on [autotag]Jeremy Stephens[/autotag] (28-19) in the main event. The co-main will see 2021 PFL lightweight champion [autotag]Raush Manfio[/autotag] (15-3) against [autotag]Don Madge[/autotag] (10-3-1). Representing the light heavyweights in the feature bout, 2021 PFL champion [autotag]Antonio Carlos Junior[/autotag] (13-5) will face [autotag]Delan Monte[/autotag] (8-1).

All fighters competing on Wednesday made weight with no issues, kicking off the season with a smooth start on the scales.

The full 202 PFL 1 weigh-in results are below:

Main Card (ESPN, ESPN+, 9 p.m. ET)

  • Clay Collard (155) vs. Jeremy Stephens (156)
  • Raush Manfio (156) vs. Don Madge (155.75)
  • Antonio Carlos Junior (205.5) vs. Delan Monte (205)
  • Natan Schulte (156) vs. Olivier Aubin-Mercier (155.75)

Preliminary card (ESPN+, 5:30 p.m. ET)

  • Emiliano Sordi (205.5) vs. Cory Hendricks (205.75)
  • Alex Martinez (156) vs. Stevie Ray (155.5)
  • Marthin Hamlet (205.75) vs. Teodoras Aukstuolis (204.5)
  • Omari Akhmedov (204.25) vs. Viktor Pesta (205.5)
  • Rob Wilkinson (205) vs. Bruce Souto (204.5)
  • Simeon Powell (205.75) vs. Clinton Williams (204.5)

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Cage Warriors champ Jai Herbert replaces Stevie Ray, takes on Marc Diakiese at UFC London

Marc Diakiese gets new opponent for UFC London.

[autotag]Jai Herbert[/autotag] will get a shot at the big leagues.

Herbert (10-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC), the Cage Warriors lightweight champion, has stepped in to replace an injured [autotag]Stevie Ray[/autotag] (23-9 MMA, 7-4 UFC) to take on [autotag]Marc Diakiese[/autotag] (14-3 MMA, 5-3 UFC) in a lightweight bout at UFC on ESPN+ 29. MMA Junkie confirmed the booking with a person with knowledge of the matchup following an initial reported from Newsome.

UFC on ESPN+ 29 takes place March 21 at The O2 in London. The card streams on ESPN+.

Herbert won the vacant Cage Warriors lightweight belt this past summer when he stopped Jack Grant. Ag Cage Warriors 109 this past October, he defended it with a first-round finish of former UFC and Bellator fighter Cain Carrizosa. The 31-year-old is on a six-fight winning streak.

Diakiese, a former BAMMA lightweight champion, has back-to-back decision wins over Joseph Duffy and Lando Vannata. Prior to that, the 26-year-old was on a three-fight losing skid.

With the change, the UFC on ESPN+ 29 lineup now includes:

  • Tyron Woodley vs. Leon Edwards
  • Paul Craig vs. Ryan Spann
  • Gabriel Benitez vs. Lerone Murphy
  • Ashlee Evans-Smith vs. Molly McCann
  • John Phillips vs. Dusko Todorovic
  • Tom Aspinall vs. Raphael Pessoa
  • Darren Stewart vs. Marvin Vettori
  • Nicolas Dalby vs. Danny Roberts
  • Marc Diakiese vs. Jai Herbert
  • Makwan Amirkhani vs. Mike Grundy
  • Geraldo de Freitas vs. Jack Shore

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Marc Diakiese vs. Stevie Ray added to UFC on ESPN+ 29 in London

A lightweight battle of the Brits is the latest addition to UFC London.

A lightweight battle of the Brits is the latest addition to UFC on ESPN+ 29.

[autotag]Marc Diakiese[/autotag] will take on [autotag]Stevie Ray[/autotag] at the March event in London. UFC officials announced the fight booking Tuesday following an initial report from Daily Express.

The card takes place March 21 at O2 Arena in London and is expected to stream on ESPN+.

Diakiese (14-3 MMA, 5-3 UFC) has rebounded from a three-fight losing streak by scoring back-to-back unanimous decision wins over Joseph Duffy and Lando Vannata, respectively. He never has lost at home, as he is set to compete in England for the 12th time in his career.

Ray (23-9 MMA, 7-4 UFC) bounced back from his first-round knockout loss to Leonardo Santos in March with a majority decision over Michael Johnson in Singapore.

With the addition, the UFC on ESPN+ 29 card now includes:

  • Tyron Woodley vs. Leon Edwards
  • John Phillips vs. Dusko Todorovic
  • Darren Stewart vs. Marvin Vettori
  • Tom Aspinall vs. Raphael Pessoa
  • Ashlee Evans-Smith vs. Molly McCann
  • Nicolas Dalby vs. Danny Roberts
  • Paul Craig vs. Ryan Spann
  • Marc Diakiese vs. Stevie Ray
  • Gabriel Benitez vs. Lerone Murphy