Professional Fighters League closed out their regular season with six knockouts in nine fights. PFL 6 on July 1 at Overtime Elite Arena in Atlanta showcased the women’s lightweight and men’s welterweight divisions.
Two-time PFL champion, Kayla Harrison remains undefeated after a dominant main event win over Kaitlin Young. This win cliched her a spot in the 2022 PFL playoffs and she will fight in London in hopes of getting a third PFL title.
Harrison showcased her strong grappling with a huge takedown. She said in her post-fight press conference that the takedown even hurt her, so she knew it had to hurt Young. Harrison got the technical knockout at 2:35 of round 1. Harrison’s grappling skills are usually on display in her fights, as she is a two-time Olympic gold medalist in Judo. Young took the fight on short notice after Harrison’s original opponent withdrew.
In her post-fight press conference, Harrison said “I love Atlanta. I’m a big fan…Atlanta has a special place in my heart.”
In the co-main event, Sadibou Sy got the win over Rory MacDonald by unanimous decision. The fight was very close as both fighters went back and forth seeming like they were in control. The biggest surprise of the fight was that Sy landed a takedown. MacDonald is notorious for his grappling skills and has nine wins by submission.
2019 and 2021 PFL welterweight champion Ray Cooper III dominated Brett Cooper with a 24 second TKO finish, making it the fastest fight of the night. As soon as the fight started Cooper III rushed his opponent and started landing punches. Cooper III only needed 16 punches to finish the fight. This aggression likely came from the fact that Cooper III found out he was eliminated from playoff contention right before he made the walk to the octagon.
Cooper III missing the playoffs was a result of Magomed Magomedkerimov’s TKO victory over Dilano Taylor. Taylor was an alternate for the PFL 6 card and took the fight on one day notice. Magomedkerimov, 2021 welterweight finalist and 2019 champion, and Cooper III will likely be alternates for the playoffs, based on their place in the standings.
Larissa Pacheco clinched #1 in the women’s lightweight division with her first-round win over Genah Fabian. This was Pacheco’s fourth straight first round knockout. She will face Ukraine’s Olena Kolesnyk in the semi-finals.
Undefeated Magomed Umalatov’s first round knockout of Jarrah Al-Silawi clinched him the #4 seed on the 2022 PFL playoffs. The fight started slow and the fans were booing, but as soon as Umalatov stunned Al-Silawi and landed two hooks to knock him out, the crowd was on their feet and cheering. He will face MacDonald in the semi-finals.
Martina Jindrova clinched the #3 spot in the playoffs with her win against Zamzagul Fayzallanova. Jindrova got the TKO at 4:04 of round 1 after a dominant striking performance. Jindrova will face the 2019 and 2021 PFL champion, Harrison in the semi-finals.
Carlos Leal clinched a playoff spot despite fighting at PFL 6. He was originally scheduled to fight, but his opponent, Nikolai Aleksakhin, did not weigh-in and forfeited the fight. The three points awarded to Leal were enough for him to make the playoffs, and he will face Sy in the semi-finals.
The night was capped off by Harrison celebrating her birthday, which is July 2, in the octagon with her family.
Full PFL 6 Results:
Harrison def. Young by round 1 TKO at 2:35
Sy def. MacDonald by Unanimous decision
Cooper III def. Cooper by round 1 TKO at 0:24
Magomedkerimov def. Taylor by round 2 TKO at 3:26
Pacheco def. Fabian by round 1 TKO at 2:39
Umalatov def. Al-Silawai by round 1 KO at 3:33
Mokhnatkina def. Montes by split decision
Jindrova def. Fayzallanova by round 1 TKO at 4:04
Kolesnyk def. Melo by unanimous decision
PFL’s next event is Friday, Aug. 5 in New York City and is the first playoff event. It will feature lightweight and light heavyweight playoff matchups.
For more information about PFL, visit their website
Feature Image by Cannon Crompton
