No. 3 seed Ray Cooper III advanced to the finals in the third installment of PFL playoffs when he picked up a unanimous decision victory over no. 2 seed and former UFC title challenger Rory Macdonald.
The first round started off with a long clinch exchange. MacDonald controlled Cooper against the cage for a significant amount of time despite a glaring lack of output from MacDonald. Cooper shot for a takedown and landed it impressively, following up on his ground control with strikes and a submission attempt to close out the first. 10-9 Cooper III.
Cooper went back to the wrestling well at the start of round two, successfully taking down the ‘Red King’ and maintaining ground control for three minutes before the referee stood the fight up. MacDonald and Cooper exchanged heavy shots on the feet before Cooper got Macdonald back on the ground and retained top control until the end of the second. 10-9 Cooper III.
Cooper III landed a big shot to start the third which forced MacDonald to shoot, but Cooper III regained control and continued his decisive success on top. The fight was again stood up but the ground control already compromised MacDonald’s chances at a victory in the round. 10-9 Cooper III.
The fight concluded with Cooper III outstriking MacDonald 101-28, with a majority of Cooper III’s strikes coming on the ground. When the judges’ scorecards were tallied, they read 30-27 unanimously with Cooper III coming out on top.
With this victory, Cooper III advanced to his third consecutive finals in the PLF playoffs, where he will face Magomed Magomedkerimov in a season one finals rematch for the welterweight title and a $1 million dollar prize.
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PFL 7 results: Magomed Magomedkerimov gets unanimous decision win in co-main event over Sadibou Sy
No. 4 seed in the PFL playoffs Magomed Magomedkerimov was victorious in The PFL 7 co-main event.
Magomedkerimov, PFL’s season one welterweight champion, defeated no. 5 seed Sadibou Sy by unanimous decision and punched himself a ticket to the welterweight finals of the PFL playoffs in the process.
Magomedkerimov dominated the first round. In fact, Sy landed a total of zero strikes. Magomedkerimov smothered Sy on the ground for almost the entirety of the first round. The Dagestani welterweight contender initiated offense with his ground control as well, throwing in submission attempts and landing 20 strikes to close out the first. 10-9 Magomedkerimov.
Sy put up a fight in the second round. The Swedish contender kept the fight on the feet for a much longer period of time compared to the first round, and landed good strikes, while the fight was on the feet. Magomedkerimov landed some big shots on the feet as well and his success in the striking department opened up an opportunity for a takedown attempt. When he latched on to Sy, it was reminiscent of his ground control of the first. 10-9 Magomedkerimov.
The fight stayed on the feet for a good bit in the third, and the striking sequence was similar to their exchanges in the second round as well. Sy was landing with his strikes sporadically, but Magomedkerimov’s striking rebuttals were powerful and his clinch control was decisive. 10-9 Magomedkerimov.
When Lilian Garcia announced the outcome, it was a unanimous decision victory for Magomedkerimov. As previously mentioned, the former PFL welterweight champion punched himself a ticket to PFL’s season three finals with this victory, where he will face Ray Cooper III for the welterweight title and a $1 million dollar prize.
PFL 7 Official Results
ESPN2 Card
- Ray Cooper III def. Rory MacDonald by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Magomed Magomedkerimov def. Sadibou Sy by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Raush Manfio def. Clay Collard by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Loik Radzhabov def. Alexander Martinez by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
ESPN+ Card
- Gleison Tibau def. Micah Terrill by Technical Submission (arm-triangle choke) at 2:18, R1
- Olivier Aubin-Mercier def. Darrell Horcher by unanimous decision (29-28, 30-26, 29-27)
- Brett Cooper def. Tyler Hill by KO (punches) at 2:32, R1
- Magomed Umalatov def. Leandro Silva by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Michael Lombardo def. Kyron Bowen by TKO (leg kicks) at 3:42, R1
- Elvin Espinoza def. Hopeton Stewart by Technical Submission (rear-naked choke) at 2:45, R1
PFL 7 results: Ray Cooper III takes unanimous decision victory over Rory Macdonald
