PFL in South Florida

Hollywood, FL: The much anticipated Professional Fighters League Championships took place Wednesday night at The Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, FL. The annual event pitted PFL’s version of the two best fighters in each of six weight classes against one another for the coveted belts, titles, and $1M cash prizes. Due to the pandemic, PFL did not hold a tournament last year. So, after two years of waiting, the big night was finally upon us.

Six fighters rose to the occasion and were able to call themselves champions by the end of the night. As they held their hands up in victory, the were donned with beautiful new belts and oversized cardboard checks, which had been completed with their names and an amount of $1M written as payable to them.

Between the preliminary card and the main card, those in attendance were treated to a performance by music sensation, Wiz Khalifa, who got the crowd jumping. Several well-known combat sports icons were in attendance, including: Randy Couture, Junior Dos Santos, Gilbert Burns, Herbert Burns, Jorge Masvidal, Rashad Evans, Paige VanZant, André Dirrell, Anthony Dirrell, and more! The seating arrangements were well-organized and the setup was phenomenal. The event was on time and appeared to go off without a hitch.

In a prelude to the co-main event, two-time gold medal Olympic Champion, Claressa Shields, took on Abby Montes. Shields, a unified, three division boxing world champion, made only her second appearance as a professional MMA fighter. In her debut, Claressa showed she can not only strike with the best of them but has also picked up a pretty mean ground game, as she finished with a submission. Things did not pan out that way for her Wednesday night, however, as she ended up on the losing end of a split decision. Montes was able to hold and lock in and not allow Shields to get her footing and distance. It was very smart fighting by Abby as she now moves her professional MMA record to 3-0.

In the co-main event, Magomed Magomedkerimov took on Ray Cooper III. Magomedkerimov came in riding a 13-fight winning streak and an overall professional record of 29-5. Cooper had a 5-fight win streak of his own with an overall record of 23-7-1. These guys fought previously back in December 2018 with Magomedkerimov beating Cooper by way of a guillotine choke. Early in this fight, Magomed showed some of his excellent striking skills and was landing cleanly against Cooper, taking the first round. Cooper then found a way to overcome and took Magomedkerimov down in the second round, en route to taking that round. Cooper continued to find a way to overpower Magomedkerimov in the third round, with a lot of that power stemming from his legs. And then it happened. While Magomed was repeatedly finding his opponent with his striking ability, out of the blue came Cooper with a pair of perfectly placed head shots. Magomedkerimov went down, and Cooper jumped on him with some ground and pound until the referee stepped in and stopped the action. Cooper got the win and the $1M prize money for the second competition in a row.

In the main event, Kayla Harrison took on Taylor Guardado for the Women’s Lightweight Championship. Guardado, the newcomer, had a tall order, as she gave up height, reach, and experience in only her fifth professional MMA bout. On the other hand, Harrison, the 2019 champion, was rocking an undefeated 11-0 record coming in. From the onset, it was apparent that Guardado was in over her head, as Harrison landed everything except the kitchen sink standing up and on the ground. It was only a matter of time before it was over. That end came @ 4:00 into Round 2 in the form of an armbar. Congratulations to Kayla Harrison on her back-to-back championships and her second $1M payday.

All in all, it was a solid night of fighting in front of a very animated and involved crowd of blended fans from all over the world and all walks of life. Whether their fighter won or not, they were all treated to an amazing event. History was made and fortunes were earned. It was great to see an event of this magnitude make its way to South Florida. Hopefully, PFL will consider the location for next year’s tournament finals once again. Only time will tell if it will return and who will be back in it again next season.

-Mike Feinberg / TFN Reporter