Video: Kayla Harrison, Genah Fabian face off ahead of 2021 PFL Playoffs 2

Check out the 2021 PFL Playoffs 2 pre-fight faceoffs that followed Tuesday’s press conference.

2021 PFL Playoffs 2 is set to take place on Thursday, and the main card fighters including [autotag]Kayla Harrison[/autotag] and [autotag]Genah Fabian[/autotag] came face-to-face on Tuesday.

In the main event, Harrison (10-0) will face Fabian (4-1) for a place in the finals of the lightweight division where a $1 million prize awaits the winner.

Following Tuesday’s press conference, the main card fighters stared each other down for the first time.

2021 PFL Playoffs 2 takes place on Thursday, Aug. 19 at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Fla. The main card airs on ESPN at 9 p.m. ET following prelims on ESPN+.

Check out the faceoffs in the video above.

The 2021 PFL Playoffs 2 lineup includes:

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

  • Kayla Harrison vs. Genah Fabian – women’s lightweight semifinal
  • Bruno Cappelozza vs. Jamelle Jones – heavyweight semifinal
  • Larissa Pacheco vs. Taylor Guardado – women’s lightweight semifinal
  • Denis Goltsov vs. Ante Delija – heavyweight semifinal

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, 6 p.m. ET)

  • Stuart Austin vs. Renan Ferreira
  • Marina Mokhnatkina vs. Kaitlin Young
  • Muhammed DeReese vs. Carl Seumanutafa
  • Zamzagul Fayzallanova vs. Mariana Morais
  • Amanda Leve vs. Cynthia Vescan

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Kayla Harrison vs. Genah Fabian headlines 2021 PFL Playoffs 2

The lineup for the PFL’s second 2021 playoff event is set, and one of the sport’s biggest female stars will headline.

The lineup for the PFL’s second 2021 playoff event is set, and one of the sport’s biggest female stars will headline.

[autotag]Kayla Harrison[/autotag] (10-0), the promotion’s 2019 women’s lightweight champion and a two-time Olympic gold medalist in judo, will headline 2021 PFL Playoffs 2 in a semifinal fight against [autotag]Genah Fabian[/autotag] (4-1).

PFL officials announced the full lineup for the card Tuesday. The event features semifinals at women’s lightweight and heavyweight on the main card, plus additional fights on the prelims. 2021 PFL Playoffs 2 takes place Aug. 19, a Thursday, at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Fla. The main card airs on ESPN and streams on ESPN+ following prelims on ESPN+.

“PFL’s second playoff event will feature an incredible and action-packed card that only the PFL can deliver to the 550 million MMA fans worldwide,” PFL CEO Peter Murray stated. “These athletes are putting it all on the line to secure a spot in the PFL championship. Nothing in sports compares to the intensity of a must-win scenario, and each of these fights are must-win.”

Harrison is the No. 2 seed behind top seed [autotag]Larissa Pacheco[/autotag] (15-4), who fights No. 4 [autotag]Taylor Guardado[/autotag] (2-1) at the event. Harrison and Pacheco each had 12 points in the regular season from two first-round finishes, but Pacheco got the top seed based on a lower overall cage time.

At heavyweight, top seed [autotag]Bruno Cappelozza[/autotag] (12-5) takes on No. 4 [autotag]Jamelle Jones[/autotag] (12-6) in the co-main event, and No. 2 seed [autotag]Denis Goltsov[/autotag] (27-6) meets No. 3 [autotag]Ante Delija[/autotag] (18-4).

2021 PFL Playoffs 2 is the second of three events for the promotion in a 15-day stretch. The third playoff event takes place Aug. 27 with fights at featherweight and light heavyweight. The finalists will be set for the 2021 PFL title bouts, which will take place later this year. Each winner in six divisions becomes champion and earns $1 million.

The 2021 PFL Playoffs 2 lineup includes:

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

  • Kayla Harrison vs. Genah Fabian – women’s lightweight semifinal
  • Bruno Cappelozza vs. Jamelle Jones – heavyweight semifinal
  • Larissa Pacheco vs. Taylor Guardado – women’s lightweight semifinal
  • Denis Goltsov vs. Ante Delija – heavyweight semifinal

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, 6 p.m. ET)

  • Stuart Austin vs. Renan Ferreira
  • Marina Mokhnatkina vs. Kaitlin Young
  • Muhammed DeReese vs. Carl Seumanutafa
  • Zamzagul Fayzallanova vs. Mariana Morais
  • Amanda Leve vs. Cynthia Vescan

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Invicta FC: Phoenix Series 3 results: Julija Stoliarenko wins 135 title in open-scoring bloodbath with Lisa Verzosa

In a fight that turned into arguably the bloodiest in the promotion’s history, Julija Stoliarenko became Invicta’s new bantamweight champ.

In a fight that turned into arguably the bloodiest in the promotion’s history, [autotag]Julija Stoliarenko[/autotag] took a split decision from [autotag]Lisa Verzosa[/autotag] to become Invicta FC’s new bantamweight champion.

Stoliarenko (9-3-1) took a split decision at Invicta FC: Phoenix Series 3 from Verzosa (5-1), who was dealt her first pro loss – and also given two massive cuts on the forehead and under her left eye that bled profusely starting in the third round. Despite those cuts and what seemed to be a mostly dominant performance from the new champion, Verzosa won 49-46 from one judge. Stoliarenko had two other cards 48-46 and 49-46 to win the vacant belt.

The victory may have set up a future title fight with Taneisha Tennant, who won Invicta’s one-night bantamweight tournament earlier in the event at Memorial Hall in Kansas City, Kan. The card streamed on UFC Fight Pass.

Verzosa and Stoliarenko came out firing with punches and kicks. The fight spilled the canvas, then quickly moved back to the feet. There, Stoliarenko landed hard kicks and punches and kept Verzosa stuck mostly counter-punching. With two minutes left, the two started firing at each other again. When the fight went to the canvas again, Stoliarenko grabbed Verzosa’s arm for a submission attempt, but Verzosa worked out of it and finished the round on top.

But Verzosa rallied in the second and took the round to even things up. It was the first time the open scoring seemed to have an effect on things.

In the third, Verzosa was drilled with a massive elbow that opened up a huge cut on her forehead. Her face quickly became a bloody horror show, and Stoliarenko went after it big time. She landed hard right before the end of the round, and the cageside doctor took a look in between rounds and let it go on. Somehow, Verzosa smiled in between rounds even though the vertical cut on her forehead looked like she’d been hit with an axe.

Lisa Verzosa

Stoliarenko went after the cut right away in the fourth, and the cut opened up quickly. Stoliarenko threw jabs and elbows, then went high with a kick. Stoliarenko was bloodied up, herself, but from her nose. The canvas was covered with blood, and it got a little bloodier each time Stoliarenko landed on Verzosa’s head.

The scores were a little all over the place after four rounds, though. Despite looking like something from a horror movie, Verzosa was up 39-37 on one of the cards. Stoliarenko was up 39-37 on one and 39-36 on another.

Verzosa seemed to push hard in the fifth, likely because she had been told she was down on two of the judges’ cards. She was covered in her own blood. Stoliarenko was covered in Verzosa’s blood thanks to a second massive cut under the left eye. But already, Stoliarenko had done enough to secure a win as long as she didn’t get finished.

Tennant shuts down Guardado’s comeback story

[autotag]Taylor Guardado[/autotag] had a Cinderella story working for her, but ultimately came up short against [autotag]Taneisha Tennant[/autotag].

Guardado, once a top MMA prospect whose only amateur loss came to Ronda Rousey, returned to fighting after nearly nine years away – and she did so in Invicta’s single-night bantamweight tournament. She reached the final, but Tennant was too much and took a unanimous decision.

Their fight also was notable because it featured open scoring – which meant Guardado’s corner knew after each of the first two rounds that she was down on the cards.

To reach the final, Guardado had a one-round unanimous decision win over [autotag]Claire Guthrie[/autotag] and a one-round split decision win over [autotag]Serena DeJesus[/autotag]. Tennant topped [autotag]Brittney Victoria[/autotag] and [autotag]Hope Chase[/autotag] by unanimous decision to reach the final.

Tennant tried to work inside leg kicks early in the opening round, but a minute in found herself taking a look at a Guardado takedown attempt with a single leg. Tennant’s height and reach seemed to work for her early. Midway through, Tennant landed a snapping kick, but Guardado stayed on her feet and landed a counter right hand. With a minute left in the round, the two traded punches and Guardado went after a takedown. Tennant got away with a mild cage grab to stay on her feet, then sprawled out of the position and ended the round on top. Thanks to the open scoring, it was known between rounds Tennant was up 10-9 on all three judges’ scorecards.

Guardado lost her mouthpiece a minute into the second round, but kept throwing punches. Tennant’s jab was on point, though, and kept Guardado from being able to put a ton together. Once again, Tennant picked up 10-9 scores from all three judges – though the round seemed closer than the first.

The third round was much of the same for Tennant, who never let Guardado get going in what was her pro MMA debut. Her first two fights in the tournament actually count as exhibition bouts since they only were scheduled for one round.

With the tournament win, Tennant said she hopes for a title shot later this year.

Open scoring kicks off with easy decision

The first fight to feature open scoring was perhaps a little anticlimactic, even if it was historic. [autotag]Kay Hansen[/autotag] dominated [autotag]Liana Pirosin[/autotag] for a unanimous decision. She took a pair of 30-27s and a 30-26. After the first two rounds, commission officials stood behind each fighter’s corner, outside the cage, and held a tablet device up that showed the round score from the three judges. With the tablet behind the fighters’ backs, it was incumbent on their corners to decide whether or not to tell their fighters the scores.

It probably wouldn’t have mattered much. Hansen dominated Pirosin on the canvas in the first round for a clear 10-9 from all three judges. It was have been surprising to hear either fighter thought the scoring would be any different. The second round was much of the same, though Hansen picked up a 10-8 from one judge in that round.

Afterward, Hansen advocated to continue the open scoring experiment, saying she wants to know if she’s up or down because it might influence how she’d fight.

In the semifinals, Guardado took a split decision in a one-round fight against DeJesus. And Tennant outworked Chase for a unanimous decision.

The opening quarterfinal round of tournament fights, like the semifinals, were set to be just one round each. And all four bouts went five minutes and resulted in 10-9 across-the-board unanimous decisions.

DeJesus topped [autotag]Kerri Kenneson[/autotag], Guardado took Guthrie out of the tourney, Chase dominated [autotag]Julia Ottolino[/autotag], and Tennant outworked Victoria.

The card also featured a pair of tournament alternate fights, also a round a piece. [autotag]Kelly Clayton[/autotag] submitted [autotag]Florina Moeller[/autotag] with a rear-naked choke with just nine seconds left in their bout. And [autotag]Mitzi Merry[/autotag] took a unanimous decision from [autotag]Morgan Hickam[/autotag]. But neither fighter was needed later in the tourney.

Invicta FC: Phoenix Series 3 results:

  • Julija Stoliarenko def. Lisa Verzosa via split decision (46-49, 48-46, 49-46) – to win vacant bantamweight title
  • Taylor Guardado vs. Taneisha Tennant – bantamweight tournament final
  • Kay Hansen def. Liana Pirosin via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)
  • Taneisha Tennant def. Hope Chase via unanimous decision (10-9, 10-9, 10-9) – bantamweight tournament semifinal
  • Taylor Guardado def. Serena DeJesus via split decision – bantamweight tournament semifinal
  • Mitzi Merry def. Morgan Hickam via unanimous decision (10-9, 10-9, 10-9) – bantamweight tournament reserve bout
  • Kelly Clayton def. Florina Moeller via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 4:51 – bantamweight tournament reserve bout
  • Taneisha Tennant def. Brittney Victoria via unanimous decision (10-9, 10-9, 10-9) – bantamweight tournament quarterfinal
  • Hope Chase def. Julia Ottolino via unanimous decision (10-9, 10-9, 10-9) – bantamweight tournament quarterfinal
  • Taylor Guardado def. Claire Guthrie via unanimous decision (10-9, 10-9, 10-9) – bantamweight tournament quarterfinal
  • Serena DeJesus def. Kerri Kenneson via unanimous decision (10-9, 10-9, 10-9) – bantamweight tournament quarterfinal

After eight-year hiatus, former teenage prodigy Taylor Guardado ready to shine at Invicta Phoenix Series 3

Former teenage amateur standout Taylor Guardado is ready to kickstart her pro career, almost nine years after her last fight.

Nearly nine years since her last fight, former amateur standout [autotag]Taylor Guardado[/autotag] is turning pro and looking to make an instant impact.

Competing under her maiden name of Taylor Stratford, Guardado was once considered one of the hottest rising prospects in female amateur MMA. Starting her career as a teenager, she amassed a 9-1 amateur record with wins over the likes of future big-show fighters Raquel Pennington, Amanda Bell and Ashlee Evans-Smith, and her only defeat came against a certain rising star named Ronda Rousey.

Now 28 and a mother to a 2-year-old son, Guardado says it’s time to enter the fray once again, this time as a professional, as she leaps straight into Invicta Fighting Championships’ eight-woman, one-night bantamweight tournament, Phoenix Series 3, in Kansas City, Kan. The event streamed lives on March 6 on UFC Fight Pass.

Mixing with future stars

Chatting to MMA Junkie from the mats of Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas, Guardado looked back at her amateur career, when she was considered to be a potential star of the future, and revealed how her lone defeat to the biggest name in the sport built a friendship that helped give her perspective on her own career path.

“When I started, it wasn’t really a very popular thing for women back in 2009; it was still getting started, so when I got into it, I knew I wanted to do it in the long run,” she told MMA Junkie. “Meeting Ronda Rousey – meeting anyone I fought, like Raquel Pennington, Ashlee Evans-Smith – it’s been fun. Now I took a little time off, some of it my own choice, some of it because I had to, but now it’s a good time to get back, and I feel great.”

That lone defeat to Rousey brought the pair together, and Guardado’s reaction to being finished by the future Strikeforce and UFC champion’s trademark armbar earned her instant respect from the former Olympian.

“Literally, she liked that I got angry after my loss to her,” she explained. “I threw a straight temper tantrum after my loss. I was in the back, I was pissed off because I hadn’t lost before, but also because I didn’t tap to that armbar. She came up to me and was like, ‘I respect that mentality that you don’t want to lose.’ We exchanged numbers on Facebook and ended up staying close for a little while.”

That relationship saw Guardado offer to help Rousey get out of a contractual issue by agreeing to step in to take one of Rousey’s fights in order to let her move on to Strikeforce. While Rousey was a woman in a hurry to get to the top, Guardado, four years Rousey’s junior, knew she had more time on her side.

“I just remember seeing how far she was going with it and I was like, ‘I can do that, too,” she said. “‘It may not be right now, but I know I can do that. I’m still young.'”

A change of plans

Under different circumstances, Guardado could easily be a seasoned, experienced professional fighter with multiple fights in a big organization by now. But her career took a different path to those of her high-profile opponents from her amateur days.

Things seemed all set for an eventual transition to the pros but, after falling out with her coach in Reno, Guardado looked around for a new gym and eventually landed in Vegas, where she met her husband and, soon after, had a baby. At that point, her immediate priorities had changed, but her desire to train never diminished and, crucially, she never closed the door on her fighting career.

“I never really stopped training, that was kind of a big thing; I just never really looked for a fight, to be honest,” she said. “I don’t think I ever put a limit as far as my time goes. I’m still young – I’m still in my 20s, you know? But it was just a matter of when I could really commit to it and really take the time out and find really good coaching and feel comfortable with where I’m at and get my focus back.”

Now that focus is well and truly back. With her son often joining her and her husband in their home gym to hit pads – “It’s super cute!” – Guardado has found her home on the mats of Xtreme Couture and is preparing to dive straight in at the deep end, with the possibility of three fights in one night, some nine years after her last competitive appearance inside the cage.

“I had a full-time career, it was salary-based, (an) amazing career making good money, then postpartum (depression) kicked in and I couldn’t function well,” she explained. “So I took some time off from work, and I started working out at a regular gym. Then I was like, ‘Hey, one day would you mind holding mitts for me?’ and (my husband) held mitts for me upstairs, and I was like, ‘Oh, I still want to do this.’ I reached out to a couple of coaches here and they were like, ‘Yeah, we’d love to have you in again,’ so I started going back to pro practices, and it’s just been non-stop since then.”

Back in the mix

Guardado has been in full-time professional training since April 2019, and will make her return at Invicta FC’s Phoenix Series 3, where she’ll look to win three fights in one night to win the tournament and kickstart her MMA career in eye-catching fashion. It’s a huge test for “No Mercy,” who said she can’t wait to get back into competitive action.

“It’s going to be a party,” she laughed. “We’ve been looking for a fight since August of last year, with everyone saying no or dropping out quickly when they found out my record, I guess. So we were like, ‘Well, if we’re going to do this, we’re going to have to just fight whoever says yes.’

“Then (Invicta president) Shannon Knapp reached out and she was like, ‘Hey, I have a tournament coming up. You’re going to have to fight three times in one night if you win each of your fights.’ And I was like, ‘I want to get into this. Let’s do it again! Why not now? Let’s make this my year!'”

After so long away from the cage, Guardado says her approach will be exactly the same as the one that took her to such impressive performances as a teenage prospect in the ammys. This time, however, she’s here to stay.

“I think the mentality just has to be to dominate and win, which is my mentality for all of my fights,” she said. “I might change a few things depending on who I’m fighting, but as far as (my) mentality for the tournament, it’s literally just to dominate and leave no questions.

“This is just the start. This is the beginning of a brutal and beautiful career that’s about to happen. People will definitely be knowing who I am, where I’m at and everything. So it’ll be cool. It’s a good time.”

Invicta FC Phoenix Series returns with bantamweight title fight, tournament

The vacant bantamweight title will be filled and a one-night tournament will go down on March 6.

Invicta FC’s Phoenix Series returns for its third installment on Friday, March 6, the company announced Wednesday.

The card at Memorial Hall in Kansas City, Kan., which will stream live on UFC Fight Pass, has a little something for everyone, with a headlining bout for the vacant Invicta FC bantamweight title in addition to a one-night, eight-woman elimination tournament.

The main event features 24-year-old phenom [autotag]Lisa Verzosa[/autotag] (5-0 MMA) against former “Ultimate Fighter” competitor [autotag]Julija Stoliarenko [/autotag](8-3-1).

Verzosa, who has earned four of her five career wins in Invicta, last defeated Kerri Kenneson at Invicta FC 38. Stoliarenko is on a four-fight win streak entering her Invicta debut. There’s no doubt what her favorite move is, as all eight of her career wins have been via first-round armbar.

The bantamweight belt was last held by Sarah Kaufman, who now competes for PFL.

The eight-women tournament, with matchups to be determined by blind draw prior to the show, will feature one five-minute round during the quarterfinals and semifinals, then the final will be held over three, five-minute rounds.

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The full list of competitors: [autotag]Kerri Kenneson[/autotag] (3-2 MMA), [autotag]Brittney Victoria[/autotag] (3-1 MMA), [autotag]Erin Harpe[/autotag] (2-0 MMA), T[autotag]aneisha Tennant[/autotag] (2-0 MMA), [autotag]Claire Guthrie[/autotag] (1-0 MMA), [autotag]Hope Chase[/autotag] (2-1 MMA), [autotag]Auttumn  Norton[/autotag] (1-1 MMA), and [autotag]Taylor Guardado[/autotag] (0-0 MMA).

Additionally, there are a pair of tournament alternate bouts in Mitzi Merry (2-1 MMA) vs. Morgan Hickam (1-2 MMA) and Serena DeJesus (1-1 MMA) vs. Julia Ottolino (1-0 MMA).

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