Professional Fighters League's return to UBS Arena in Long
Island, New York, was punctuated by a majestic performance in the
main event.
The
PFL New York headliner saw current 155-pound titleholder
Usman
Nurmagomedov (22-0, 1 NC; 4-0 PFL) defend his championship
against Archie
Colgan (13-1, 2-1 PFL). After a feeling-out couple of minutes
in the center of the cage, Nurmagomedov connected with a head kick
on his opponent's temple before following up with a big left hand
that dropped Colgan. Shortly after the American managed to
recompose himself and get back to his feet, Nurmagomedov followed
up with more uppercuts that sent “King†to his knees. Smelling
blood, the Dagestani landed more punches before referee Keith
Peterson waved it off at the 3:42 mark of Round 1. In his
post-fight interview, Nurmagomedov was noncommittal about his
future in the promotion, since Friday's fight was the last on his
current contract.
In the co-main event, Dakota
Ditcheva (16-0, 11-0 PFL) made a successful return from a
year-long injury hiatus, taking on former Bellator
MMA title challenger Denise
Kielholtz (9-6, 1-1 PFL). “Dangerous†showed no cage rust,
combining clean, sharp striking with effective takedowns, putting
any concerns about the injured hand to rest. Ditcheva made the most
of her reach, attacking from range with front kicks to the head and
midsection, while Kielholtz answered with a few spinning attacks
but overall posed little threat. The pace slowed in the third
frame, drawing scattered boos as Ditcheva went the distance for the
third time in her otherwise finish-heavy career. When the dust
settled, all three judges scored it 30-27 for Ditcheva.
In a 157-pound catchweight tilt, Amru
Magomedov (10-0, 2-0 PFL) kept his record unblemished by
overcoming Angel
Alvarez (11-3, 1-1 PFL). Magomedov attacked with a variety of
strikes out of the gate, but his kicks proved to be his most lethal
weapon. After “Salsa King,†who failed to make the contracted
155-pound weight limit the day before, crumpled from the damage,
Magomedov
poured it on until referee Dan Miragliotta stepped in at 4:28 of
Round 2.
An elite
middleweight clash headlines PFL Charlotte: Tune on Friday, Aug. 7
at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN.
The main card opener saw former Ares Fighting Championship
205-pound kingpin Moustapha
Diakhate (6-0-1, 1-0 PFL) make a statement in his promotional
debut, crushing last-minute replacement Darryl
King Walker (2-1, 0-1 PFL). “Black Black” hunted his opponent
down with strikes from the opening bell before
taking the fight to the canvas and finishing “The Sacred Beastâ€
from mount at 2:35 into the opening stanza.
In the featured fight on the preliminary card, Lazaro
Dayron (11-0-1, 3-0-1 PFL) relied on his crisp striking and
well-timed takedowns to outpoint former interim Bellator MMA
135-pound titleholder Raufeon
Stots (21-5, 1-3 PFL) at the end of a close contest, with two
judges scoring 29-28 in favor of “El Cazador†and one 29-28 for
“Supaâ€; earlier, Sean Gauci
(12-1, 2-0 PFL) dominated Allan
Begosso (10-5-1, 0-2 PFL) to secure a unanimous decision
(30-27, 30-27, 30-27) at the end of a bantamweight bout; in their
175-pound catchweight Omar El
Dafrawy (16-6, 6-1 PFL) outstruck Jonathan
Piersma (12-4, 1 NC; 0-1 PFL) en route to a unanimous decision
(30-27, 29-28, 30-27); Tatiana
Postarnakova (6-0, 2-0 PFL) eked out a narrow split decision
(29-28, 29-28, 28-29) as she spoiled the promotional debut of
Ultimate Fighting Championship vet Montana
De La Rosa (13-10-1, 0-1 PFL) in their women's flyweight tilt;
in the 155-pound opener, Levan
Khabalaev (6-0, 1-0 PFL) folded Chamy Delva
(7-2, 0-1 PFL) with
a couple of knees to the body followed by a series of punches at
1:44 of Round 1.
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