The second half of the Professional Fighters League (PFL) Regular Season began on Friday with a sensational night of action at PFL 4. This was the first of three events taking place at Overtime Elite Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. The ten-fight event featured bouts in the Lightweight and Light Heavyweight divisions, with seven fighters clinching spots in the 2022 PFL Playoffs.
The night’s main event saw a highly-anticipated match between 2021 Lightweight standouts “Cassius” Clay Collard and Alexander Martinez. The action packed bout went the distance, with Martinez earning a victory via split-decision, and the final berth in the 2022 PFL Lightweight Playoffs.
In the evening’s co-main event, 2021 PFL Light Heavyweight champion Antonio Carlos Jr. squared off with PFL Challenger Series winner Bruce Souto. Carlos Jr. defeated Souto by unanimous decision after three rounds. Carlos Jr. returns to the PFL Playoffs looking to win his second straight Light Heavyweight title.The result also secured the final Light Heavyweight Playoff position for Delan Monte.
“Tonight we saw the second half of the 2022 PFL Regular Season kick off on ESPN at OTE Arena in Atlanta with the Playoffs in sight for our world class athletes,” said PFL CEO Peter Murray. “The PFL’s unique season format continues to disrupt traditional MMA giving our fans around the globe the best action and making every fight a must win.”
“It was great to be back for the second half of the 2022 PFL Regular Season,” said PFL President of Fighter Operations Ray Sefo. “The stakes for these fighters are high with 2022 PFL Playoff positions on the line. As always our fighters showed heart and determination, congratulations to all the athletes that earned Playoff opportunities.”
Further action saw 2021 PFL Lightweight champion Raush Manfio take on “the Canadian gangster”, Olivier Aubin-Mercier. Aubin-Mercier took the fight to Manfio, handing the reigning Lightweight champion his first loss in the PFL via unanimous decision, while keeping his undefeated PFL record intact. The victory clinched Aubin-Mercier’s first PFL Playoff appearance and took him one step closer to the $1 million prize.
To begin the main card on ESPN, Jeremy Stephens and Myles Price took to the SmartCage in an effort to advance to the PFL Playoffs. The hard fought contest went the three-round distance, with Stephens earning the victory via split-decision, and the result placed Anthony Pettis in the 2022 PFL Lightweight Playoffs.
Rounding out the undercard, Omari Akhmedov faced off against Teodoras Aukstuolis in a Light Heavyweight affair. Akhmedov continued his winning ways, and punched his ticket to the PFL Playoffs after defeating Aukstuolis by 2nd round technical submission. Akhmedov pushed his career record to 23-7-1 with his 7th overall career submission.
Two-time PFL Lightweight champion Natan Schulte was dominant against Marcin Held, earning a unanimous decision victory. Schulte was awarded 3 points in the Lightweight division and got revenge on Held, who defeated him in the 2021 season, a defeat that ended his 10-fight unbeaten streak.
Delan Monte walked away with a massive upset against 2019 Light Heavyweight champion Emiliano Sordi via 1st round TKO. The result earned Monte a quick six points and bumped his career record to 9-2. The Monte win coupled with the Sordi loss put 2021 Light Heavyweight champion Antonio Carlos Jr. back in the Playoffs.
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Light Heavyweight Robert Wilkinson continued his impressive start to the season, defeating Viktor Pesta by 1st round TKO, earning 6 points in the division and clinched a spot in the 2022 PFL Playoffs. The Tasmanian delivered his 7th career knockout and improved his career record to 15-2-0.
In the first Light Heavyweight contest of the night, Josh Silveira wasted no time in his PFL debut, defeating Marthin Hamlet via 1st round TKO to earn 6 points in the standings. Silveira, the son of prominent MMA coach Conan Silveira of American Top Team, earned his 3rd career knockout and remains undefeated at 9-0. The result eliminated Hamlet from Playoff contention.
To kick the action off on ESPN+, Nate Jennerman defeated Jacob Childers via 2nd round submission in a Lightweight showcase bout. Jennerman earned his 12th career submission and moved his career record to 16-5.
The PFL returns to Overtime Elite Arena next Friday, June 24 as the league’s Heavyweights and Featherweights make their final push to advance to the 2022 PFL Playoffs. 2021 PFL Heavyweight champion Bruno Cappelozza will look to earn another finish and solidify a spot amongst the top 4 in the division. Meanwhile, the Featherweight division is wide open with four spots up for grabs to advance to the 2022 Playoffs.
Light Heavyweight Division Standings
x – clinched
e – eliminated
Lightweight Division Standings
PFL 4 Results: Seven fighters clinch playoff spots
