2023 PFL 4 Play-by-Play, Results & Round Scoring

Alexei Pergande (145.8) vs. Akeem Bashir (146)

Round 1

Come hell or high water, the PFL is carrying on its season with a number of cancellations and historic amount of drug test failures, with a landscape drastically different than it was mere months ago. Featherweights and light heavyweights will conclude their regular season stints tonight, in search of enough points to qualify for the four-man playoffs. Before those matches begin, the promotion is plugging in two “showcase” matches at 145 pounds, with the first between a young man that reached the league through the Challenger Series in Pergande (2-0, 2-0 PFL) and a 35-year-old company debutant without a lot of miles on him in Bashir (3-1, 0-0 PFL). Referee Blake Grice draws the first assignment of the night, and the fight begins with a touch of gloves. Bashir strikes with a leg kick, and Pergande immediately answers with a popping one-two. When Bashir attempts another kick, Pergande greets him with another one-two down the pipe. Pergande walks through a body kick to open up with his punches, and he shakes Bashir up with his strikes and knocks him back to the wall. Pergande closes the distance with a flying knee, and Bashir escapes out the side and resets. Bashir settles down and attacks with a body kick and several punches. Pergande retaliates with a vicious head kick that slams into Bashir’s head, transforming “The Dream” into a nightmare as he sends Bashir crashing to the canvas. Pergande leaps on top of the downed Bashir and pounds on him with ground strikes, and Bashir clings to his man and ties him up enough to gather his thoughts and protect himself from getting finished. Pergande’s pace slows down, as he measures his strikes, looping down with one or two big blows. Bashir sways to the side as he closes his guard, and Pergande drops down hammers that occasionally find their target. Pergande postures up and drills Bashir in the face with several powerful right hands, and he shifts to side control during the beating. Bashir explodes to his knees to stand back up, and Pergande follows him every step of the way and locks down a brabo choke. Pergande rolls his man all the way over, and he locks up the other arm in his own legs to prevent Bashir from escaping. As the choke is securely fastened, Pergande forces Bashir to surrender to the move, and Grice recognizes the tap and ends the fight. At 22 years of age, Pergande shows off his young but fast-developing skills with a first-round finish over a man that had not been stopped before. Pergande puts the promotion on notice that he may be one that could reach the 2024 tournament by styling on the local combatant.

The Official Result

Alexei Pergande def. Akeem Bashir R1 3:40 via Submission (Brabo Choke)

Abigail Montes (145.8) vs. Brandy Hester (145)

Round 1

Since joining the promotion in 2021, it has been nothing but close fights and split decisions for Mexico’s Montes (3-2, 1-2 PFL). The 2022 season did not go her way, and this year, down a weight class at 145 pounds, she is on the outside looking in as this is a non-tournament matchup. She takes on American Top Team Atlanta’s Hester (0-0, 0-0 PFL), who will be making her debut in the sport. The action kicks off with a glove touch, as a clean-shaven referee Kevin MacDonald watches on. The two start with a wide berth, and clack their shins together to engage. Montes goes for another low kick, and Hester respond with a one-two. Hester, the longer fighter, reaches her opponent with lunging right or left hands. Montes works her way in with a chopping kick, and Hester is there to reach her on the way in. Hester intercepts her foe with a sharp left hand, and she chains several punches into it to drive Montes to the wall. Hester lets her opponent off the hook and moves back to the center of the cage, where she prepares her counters in the form of a check left hook. When she overextends on a punch, Montes lifts her up and throws her to the mat. As Hester scrambles when she hits the floor, Montes leaps on top of her and takes her back, while sliding one hook in. Hester fights the hands to prevent the full back take, but as she gets smothered by her foe, she finds herself flattened out. Montes steps over to full mount, and she batters Hester with ground-and-pound. Hester looks to turn back over, and she does not slow the onslaught of punches from the Mexican fighter. Montes keeps on beating down Hester with unanswered fists, again turning her over to her stomach and flattening her out once and for all. With Montes showing no signs of slowing down, MacDonald has no choice but to step in and call a halt to the match, with Hester not intelligently defending herself and just taking damage. This win for the woman nicknamed “Brave” is her first via strikes since 2021, and it is the first time she has gotten someone out of there in the first round. It’s anyone’s guess as to what next year’s women’s tournament(s) will hold, or if Montes has done enough to get a second look, but it sure didn’t hurt her chances.

The Official Result

Abigail Montes def. Brandy Hester R1 3:06 via TKO (Punches)

Taylor Johnson (205.2) vs. Andrew Sanchez (205.6)

Round 1

Look, if you had one shot or one opportunity to seize everything you ever wanted in one moment, would you capture it, or just let it slip? Johnson’s (9-3, 2-0 PFL) palms are sweaty, knees weak, arms are heavy. There’s no mom’s spaghetti here for ex-UFC mainstay in Sanchez (13-7, 1-2 PFL) either, and on the surface, they look calm and ready. Referee Keith Peterson better not lose himself in the music, the nonsense. The 205ers own it, and they better never let it go, and they only get one shot to touch gloves, and they do not miss their chance to do so. Sanchez, hands by his waist, kicks outward and misses by a few feet. Sanchez tries low kick, and it slaps off the knee. Sanchez is prepared with a counter when he draws Johnson towards him, with a pair of crisp punches coming out. Both fighters test the other with feints and big moves, while committing on little more than a few low kicks. Sanchez dances from the outside and rushes in for a single-leg takedown effort, and Johnson pushes him away and slings a head kick at him. The two clinch up briefly, with Johnson snapping the head back from a few punches and a solid knee. Sanchez is no worse for wear as he slaps another kick low. The two crash together, with Johnson aiming another few knees to the both this time, and Sanchez drives him back to the fence. Sanchez starts grinding it out with heavy chest pressure, and he hunts for a body lock to a trip. Johnson defends well but is still stuck against the fencing, and they trade knees from up close. Sanchez wears on his man with his full body weight and several more knees to the chest and midsection, and he succeeds to throw Johnson to the mat. Sanchez lands in side control from the body lock, and he smothers Johnson down with his chest while Johnson tries to buck out of the position. Sanchez moves himself to half guard to keep Johnson pinned, and he looks to step over to mount but is halted from doing for the time being. Peterson asks them to keep working, as the fight has slowed down significantly, and Johnson turns to his knees. Sanchez lays into him with several right hands, and Johnson explodes to his knees and upright. Johnson gets upright and illegally knees Sanchez in the chin, with both of Sanchez’ knees down, and Johnson apologizes while Peterson calls time and brings in the doctor. While Sanchez is recovering, Peterson goes to the commission cageside to confirm that it would be a disqualification should the fight not continue. Luckily, Sanchez is able to get up and is ready to fight after about a two-minute break, and Peterson deducts one point from Johnson. With 15 seconds left, the fight resumes, and Johnson apologizes again. Sanchez tosses out a one-two to the body as Johnson aims a body kick, and the round ends.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-8 Sanchez
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-8 Sanchez
Edwin Ayala scores the round: 10-8 Sanchez

Round 2

The two bump fists, and Johnson strikes with a body kick. Sanchez responds with a takedown, and he bowls Johnson over. Johnson welcomes this as he somersaults all the way through and hunts for a leglock. Sanchez defends it well enough to shove Johnson to his back, and Sanchez looks to establish top position to do work. Johnson scoots his way to the wall, and he sits up but cannot quite stand before Sanchez sucks his legs out again. Johnson gets to a knee and stands, but Sanchez is grinding hard on him and turns a body lock into a double-leg takedown. Johnson stuffs it and keeps his guard high when Sanchez bails on it and throws hammers. Johnson gathers his thoughts and returns to the center of the cage, and the two trade big right hands. Single strikes are thrown from both competitors as they still seek to find their range, and Sanchez chains a few punches together after an uppercut while dodging a knee. Sanchez’ strikes have open up a cut on the left eye of his foe, and blood leaks down the side of his face but not in the eyeline. Johnson ignores this and bears down on his man to load up on a big right hand and a step-in knee to the body. Johnson cracks his foe with a left and a right, and Sanchez is staggered but recovers quickly. Johnson lets him reset and leaps in with a left hand, and Sanchez takes it on the chin and fires back with a pair of hooks. Johnson snaps the head back with a jab, and Johnson walks his foe down and stifles a takedown attempt. “Tombstone” lashes out with a front kick to the torso and a solid right hand, and Sanchez is only able to reply with a jab to the body. Johnson walks through a jab to blast Sanchez behind the ear with a looping right hand, and Sanchez’ knees wobble but he doesn’t slow down. Sanchez leaps into action with seconds to spare with a kick, and the kick catches Johnson but does not hurt him. As Sanchez falls to the ground from landing, the round comes to a close.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Johnson
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Johnson
Edwin Ayala scores the round: 10-9 Johnson

Round 3

The two touch gloves to begin, and Sanchez immediately shoots for a takedown. Johnson falls to his seat, but is quick to stand before Sanchez can engage with him. Johnson backs to the cage and swings power punches, and he backs Sanchez off but does not hurt him. Sanchez fakes a level change, and Johnson defends it with a standing guillotine until Sanchez abandons it and returns to striking range. Johnson marches after his opponent with a step-in knee, and he is the one to go after a takedown when he drives Sanchez to the wire. Sanchez turns him around and begins to force Johnson to carry his weight, and Johnson tugs his fingers on the fence every so often but cannot escape. Sanchez lifts his opponent up in the air but cannot ground him, as Johnson keeps his balance just enough to stay on his feet. Johnson breaks away with two minutes to spare in the fight, and he comes out swinging. Sanchez slips all of the strikes and keeps his jab stretched out in front of himself. Johnson responds with a good left and he walks through a body kick to fire off a right. Johnson loops two right hands around the guard, and he crashes into the wall when they split from the clinch. Sanchez times his opponent with a solid right hand, and he is still relatively light on his feet. Johnson explodes into action with a right hand that staggers Sanchez, and Sanchez grabs him and turns him towards the fencing. Johnson turns about and stops getting taken down, but Sanchez holds onto him until five seconds remain. Sanchez breaks with a spinning back kick, and he blocks a head kick. Johnson falls to his back at the very end, and this close one could very well end in a draw due to the point deduction in Round 1. That would virtually eliminate both fighters from playoff contention, as one point would not be enough to reach the next round unless disaster strikes in the remaining light heavyweight contests tonight.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Johnson (28-28)
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Johnson (28-28)
Edwin Ayala scores the round: 10-9 Johnson (28-28)

The Official Result

Andrew Sanchez def. Taylor Johnson via Split Decision (29-27, 27-29, 29-27)

Impa Kasanganay (204) vs. Tim Caron (205)

Round 1

Just like the last matchup, this fight is also a single shot for either Kasanganay (12-3, 2-0 PFL) or Caron (13-5, 1 NC; 0-0 PFL) to get upwards of six points and reach playoff contention. With just four fighters holding points thus far, it is still very much an open field. The 205-pound affair opens up as they touch ‘em up, with referee Blake Grice standing by. Kasanganay starts out incredibly aggressively, knowing he wants to capitalize on this lone appearance, and he starts slugging it out immediately. Driving Caron across the wall with his heavy blows, Kasanganay suddenly changes levels in pursuit of a double. Caron keeps himself on his feet with his back to the wall, and the two jockey for position against the fencing. The crowd grows restless, until Kasanganay manages to scoop his foe up and throw him to the floor. Kasanganay lands in the open guard of his foe, with Caron trying to implement a butterfly hook to sweep or kick his man off of him. Kasanganay uses heavy top pressure to eliminate any chance of that, and he rips a right hand to the body and one to the head. When Kasanganay moves to half guard, Caron explodes to his seat, but not energetically enough to get back up. Kasanganay drags him right back down and searches for an arm-triangle choke. Caron grits it out and manages to free his head enough, and maintains the right angle between his body and the wall to prevent Kasanganay from getting the proper leverage. Kasanganay settles for grinding top position, mashing down with chest-to-chest before sitting up briefly to hammer Caron with a few right hands. Kasanganay postures up and blasts Caron in the face with a few more hefty strikes, until Caron drags him back down into his guard. Kasanganay sits up with 10 seconds to spare to drop down a strike or two, and Caron clings to him until the bell rings.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Kasanganay
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Kasanganay
Edwin Ayala scores the round: 10-9 Kasanganay

Round 2

When Caron offers a glove touch, Kasanganay runs past it and nails Caron with two huge hooks. With Caron on his heels, Kasanganay charges and hits a takedown, planting the New Hampshire native on his back within seconds of the round beginning. Caron does close his guard, but this only lets Kasanganay stand up for a second to rail him with ground-and-pound. Caron pulls him close, and Kasanganay steps easily into half guard. Kasanganay resides in this smothering but not dominant position, methodically bludgeoning Caron with his fists. Kasanganay works the body and head indiscriminately, freeing one arm at a time to drop it down on his foe’s torso or face. As Kasanganay is getting work done from above, he hops over to side control, and he considers an arm-triangle choke but elects to try to jump into guard. Caron times this well enough to pull Kasanganay to the half guard again, but it does not take long for Kasanganay to shift to the full mount. Caron turns to his side as Kasanganay sets up the arm-triangle, and this defends him from both the mount position and a choke. Kasanganay pins down Caron’s right arm and smashes him in the face with his shoulder, and he sits up and pops Caron with right hands. Kasanganay speedily hops over to the other side and locks down the arm-triangle when Caron is paying attention to the strikes, and this time, it’s a wrap. Caron tries to fight it for a second or two before realizing this will put him to sleep, and he taps out. Kasanganay jumps to his feet, happy as a clam, and he dances around and hugs it out with Caron – who is in surprisingly good spirits – after the fight has concluded. This gives Kasanganay five points for the finish, which puts him in third place currently at light heavyweight with three more bouts left in the division.

The Official Result

Impa Kasanganay def. Tim Caron R2 3:52 via Submission (Arm-Triangle Choke)

Chris Wade (145.4) vs. Ryoji Kudo (145.6)

Round 1

Of the five featherweight matchups on the billing tonight, this will be the only one between two competitors without points, practically assuring that one man will enter the leaderboard when the dust settles. Wade (22-9, 10-7 PFL), who has gotten to the playoffs in all four of the previous seasons, has the next 15 minutes or less to ensure he goes five for five. Standing in his way will be Japan’s Kudo (11-5-1, 1-3 PFL), who has struggled during his promotional tenure, with just a single knockout bookended by a trio of deflating losses to top talents. The referee for this pairing will be Kevin MacDonald, and there is no interest in a glove touch as Wade wants to get right after it. Wade does just that, charging forward with a punch before changing levels, and Kudo is able to discourage him from doing this with a knee to the body. When the two engage in a clinch, Kudo pops the aggressive Wade with a right hand to shake him up badly. Wade drops down in pursuit of a desperation single-leg takedown, and Kudo sprawls effectively while Wade’s forehead leaks from a new cut. Wade backs away, and he charges in for another takedown. Kudo stonewalls him thanks to the fence behind him, and the two jockey for position in the clinch. Wade searches for a body lock into a trip, but the Japanese fighter is wise to it and defends the various setups to knee Wade in the chest and drill him with a few punches when he gets a modicum of space. Wade rushes forward again, and Kudo gets his arm hooked in an awkward way when Wade drags them both to their knees. Kudo wriggles out of this shoulder lock of sorts so that he can get his fists and knees going, and he drives one such knee right into Wade’s face. Kudo staves off another attempt to ground him and backs Wade up with a combination. Kudo throws too hard in a few of his punches, allowing Wade to drag him to his knees. Wade suddenly changes things up by grabbing a power guillotine choke, and he secures his arm under the chin and completes the choke. In full control, Wade cranks on the high-elbow front choke with all his might, and Kudo refuses to give in. Wade rolls his foe over, and as Kudo’s arm falls to his side lifelessly, MacDonald recognizes that the Japanese fighter has fallen unconscious instead of surrendering, and he pulls them apart and waves off the match. This is a huge performance for Wade, who is now in possession of six points by landing his first submission since 2018 – also a guillotine. For the time being, Wade is in first place at featherweight, but there is still plenty more action to come tonight.

The Official Result

Chris Wade def. Ryoji Kudo R1 4:15 via Technical Submission (Guillotine Choke)

Ty Flores (211.2: Missed Weight) vs. Dan Spohn (206)

Round 1

In previous seasons, Flores (12-4, 1-0 PFL) would have taken a huge hit for missing weight, as he would have lost a point and also been ineligible to earn any should he win. This season, the rules have changed, and despite a 5.2-pound weight miss, he only loses a single point and can pick up a maximum of five against Spohn (19-8-1, 2-3-1 PFL). This de facto 212-pound catchweight affair – rounding up – will be overseen by referee Keith Peterson, and the competitors do not start off with nonsense and touch gloves to open. Spohn begins the dance with three or four leg kicks, and Flores returns with one before surging into action. Spohn winds up with a few punches and knocks the mouthpiece out of Flores’ mouth. Peterson replaces it, and when Flores is back engaged, he lifts Spohn up and slings him to the ground. Flores stacks Spohn up in an effort to break open the closed guard around his waist, and he starts dropping down punches. Spohn considers sitting up and walking up with the fence behind him, but Flores sucks his hips back out and keeps him grounded. Spohn hangs on tightly to Flores, and he hooks Flores’ left arm beneath his armpit for a potential sneaky shoulder lock. Flores sits up to free himself, and Spohn cannot stop the next several strikes from landing to his body and face. Flores stays busy with effective and powerful blows, and he nullifies Spohn’s offense in the process by moving to half guard. Flores remains active from above, and Spohn tries to turn to a side but is thwarted every time he attempts to escape. Flores belts Spohn in the face repeatedly when Spohn turns to his side, and he drags Spohn down flat again. Flores rides out the remainder of the round with a punch or two, and the bell sounds.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Flores
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Flores
Edwin Ayala scores the round: 10-9 Flores

Round 2

The fighters decide to touch gloves again at the beginning of the round, and Flores does not take long before going after a takedown. When Spohn is ready to greet him with a few punches, Flores pursues it 10 seconds in and lands it at about the 20-second mark. The crowd boos his approach, as it did not appreciate the grinding round that preceded this one. Flores lands in half guard, and Spohn turns to his side. This only opens him up to several brutal right hands that beam him in the temple, and Spohn decides to take his head off the firing line and lays on his back. Flores jams him up against the corner between the fence and the floor, and he drives down several punches and gets away with an elbow or two as he flails with his right arm. Flores drives down sledgehammers that are hammerfists when Spohn looks to sit up, and he methodically pounds on his man without giving Spohn much time or space to breathe. Flores considers an arm-triangle from where he resides, but abandons it to keep punching. The blows have opened a cut on Spohn’s right eye, and perhaps seeing the sight of his own blood prompts him into action. Spohn fights to his knees and finds himself in submission danger, as Flores holds on with a choke and knees Spohn in the chest several times. When Flores settles own on the choke, Spohn stands up to break it up. Flores pursues another takedown, and Spohn drops down an elbow and immediately apologizes to Peterson when remembering all elbows are verboten in this organization. Flores succeeds in depositing Spohn to the floor again, and he smacks Spohn several more times until the grueling round ends. Due to the second round concluding for these two fighters, a few combatants clinch places in the playoffs.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Flores
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Flores
Edwin Ayala scores the round: 10-9 Flores

Round 3

There is a glove touch from the light heavyweights, and Spohn opens up with punches when seeing Flores is going to try to take him down. Spohn drills Flores with several punches and lines up knees that rock Flores badly. Spohn unloads with Flores’ back against the wall, and when Flores looks to escape, Spohn mixes in a spinning back fist. Spohn unloads on a surviving Flores with frantic fists, and a desperate and damaged Flores pursues a desperate double-leg takedown. Spohn defends thanks to a kimura, and he lets Flores stand back up so he can knee him in the face. Flores looks to give him one back, but Spohn is the more active fighter with knees and uppercuts aplenty. Flores drops to his knees as he goes after another takedown, and he lifts the fighter that made weight up and sets him down on his back. Flores is fatigued and hurt from the damage he absorbed the last two minutes, and he instead tries to clear his head rather than do much offensively. Peterson asks him to work, and Spohn elects to take matters into his own hands and powers himself up to a knee. Flores gloms onto his man with all his weight, and he reverses his angle to drag Spohn to his seat again. Flores pulls his foe’s legs down with 90 seconds to go, and Spohn appears disappointed and deflated. Spohn still posts off his arm and gets to a single knee, and Flores welcomes this by getting a hook in and searching for a one-armed rear-naked choke. “Big Medicine” sneaks the other hook in on the other side and starts softening Spohn up before looking for the choke again. Flores uses a brute force maneuver to crank the face instead of actually going for a choke, and when that does not work, he concludes the round with an oddly angled rear-naked choke that does not bother Spohn. The round ends, and a thrilled Kasanganay is displayed backstage, as the fighter that missed weight in Flores will likely get the decision, and therefore would only earn two points to total five – and with the five-point Kasanganay finish earlier, Kasanganay wins that tiebreaker.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Spohn (29-28 Flores)
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Spohn (29-28 Flores)
Edwin Ayala scores the round: 10-9 Flores (30-27 Flores)

The Official Result

Ty Flores def. Dan Spohn via Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)

Marlon Moraes (145.6) vs. Gabriel Braga (144.4)

Round 1

Capping off the prelims is featherweight affair between former bantamweight kingpin Moraes (23-12-1, 11-2 PFL) and the unbeaten Braga (10-0, 2-0 PFL) in what looks to be a “passing of the torch” matchup between the 35-year-old and the 25-year-old. Moraes once strung together 11 straight wins with the organization, but since returning last year, he has been knocked out twice. Whether the third appearance in the PFL and not WSOF will be the charm or not, referee Blake Grice will be there to keep things on the up-and-up. The countrymen tap their gloves together before getting after it, and Braga searches for his range early with prodding front kicks. Moraes is out of the way and keeps moving on the outer edge, and he swats down a head kick. Braga keeps poking with kicks, and Moraes sits down on a big body kick. Braga responds with a leg kick and one to the body, and he stands a little too tall and gets cracked from Moraes with a left hook. Braga stumbles back and gathers his thoughts, and Moraes doubles up a jab into a right hand that is defended. Braga settles back down to toss out kicks to the lead leg, and Moraes leaps into action with several punches. Moraes lines up a left hand, and he hops back from a pair of low kicks sweeping his way. The third from Braga finds the mark, and Moraes is on him with a punch before backing away to measure his distance. Braga keeps working on the lead leg, and Moraes fires one back that makes Braga turn all the way around. Braga stabs the midsection with his toes, and Moraes loads up on a head kick that shakes Braga up. Braga once more displays solid recoverability, and he stings Moraes with a one-two. Moraes reels and walks into a thudding leg kick that draws a limp. As Moraes looks for his footing, the unbeaten fighter winds up with a right hand that blazes right down Broadway and strips Moraes’ footing away completely. Moraes crumples to his side, his chin figuratively shattered and his nose bloodied, and Braga is not about to let him off the hook. Braga leaps above his downed foe and clobbers him with finalizing hammerfists, and Moraes is not moving or defending at this point. Grice sees this and calls a halt to the fight, as Moraes is done like dinner. The first-round finish for Braga allows him to claim six points and pass Chris Wade on the leaderboard of the weight class for a total of nine. In the meantime, the storied veteran has now lost seven fights in a row, all by knockout. “Magic,” who realizes his best days are behind him and his durability is no longer able to pass muster, removes his gloves and embraces his coaches while in tears. Moraes receives the microphone first, where he thanks everyone and says he gave his heart for this sport, and announces his retirement.

The Official Result

Gabriel Braga def. Morales Moraes R1 3:02 via TKO (Punches)

Joshua Silveira (205.6) vs. Delan Monte (205.8)

Round 1

Leading up to this event, Silveira (10-1, 3-1 PFL) – who has now earned the nickname of “Coninha” or “Little Conan” in honor of his father, coach Conan Silveira – was one of two light heavyweights to procure a finish in the previous event and has already qualified for the playoffs. He collides with a man posting a 100% finish rate that has lost two in a row in Monte (9-4, 1-3 PFL), and it could be violent for as long as it lasts in this main card opener. The two opt to clap hands before swinging for the bleachers, and referee Kevin MacDonald needs be on his A-game here. Monte rifles off an early jab, and Silveira paws out his own right hand but gets jabbed once more. Silveira lines up two body kicks, and he goes up top with one to follow as Monte eats it like an acai bowl. Monte stays active with his jab as a bright flash of pink light hits the cage unexpectedly and does not disrupt the fighters. Monte walks Silveira down and measures him with his right hand, and he walks through three front kick to try to catch him. Monte finally catches up with him on the fourth with a jab, and he chains a one-two together as Silveira darts away. Silveira changes levels when Monte overswings, and he forces Monte onto his back as Monte’s foot torques underneath them both. As soon as they hit the ground, Monte is screaming in pain, and Silveira thinks twice about punching because Monte is in complete and utter agony from a sudden knee injury. MacDonald tends to the defeated Monte as the Brazilian wails from the damage to his knee. The medical staff rushes into the cage as Monte is yelling out with blood-curdling cries, and Silveira sits up and checks on Monte along with MacDonald due to the scary scene. After a long, uncomfortable stretch of Monte’s howls and a lot of confusion, Monte is tended to and his team lifts him up. On one leg, Monte is helped down the stairs without needing a stretcher, while Silveira is awarded six points for the technical knockout due to injury to claim the maximum number of regular season points (12).

The Official Result

Josh Silveira def. Delan Monte R1 1:30 via TKO (Knee Injury)

Bubba Jenkins (146) vs. Sung Bin Jo (145.8)

Round 1

Keeping things pushing, styles collide as the wrestling-heavy Jenkins (20-6, 6-2 PFL) meets the ultra-aggressive South Korean Jo (10-2, 0-1 PFL). The fight could take place anywhere, and referee Keith Peterson has laced up his running shoes to run past any nonsense and keep up with 15 minutes of grinding wrestling or 15 seconds of soaring offense. The fighters touch gloves before the action begins, and Jenkins is the immediate aggressor as he surges into action flailing his fists. Jo responds with a single right hand while Jenkins is advancing, and Jenkins changes levels to hit a double with relative ease. Jo posts off his right arm to keep himself from being put down completely, and Jenkins lets him up so that he can attempt a suplex. The Korean fighter prevents this as he gets to his feet, and Jenkins holds on from behind and manages to hit the suplex he was looking for. Jenkins sinks one hook in as Jo hand-fights with Jenkins at his back, and the subsequent scramble results in Jenkins getting in both hooks secured. “I’m a Bad Man” instantly latches on to a rear-naked choke, and he is under the chin and has Jo dead to rights. Jenkins crushes the windpipe and carotid artery with his textbook grip, and Jo’s arms slump to his side as he loses consciousness with his eyes open. Peterson sees this and intervenes, and an energized Jenkins races to his corner to celebrate his dominant six-point win. Jenkins has rightfully claimed a spot in the featherweight playoffs for his technical submission, and chants of “Bubba” rain down in the arena in Atlanta. With nine points and a quicker finish than Braga’s earlier tonight, Jenkins is now the current no. 1 seed at 145 pounds, with two more bouts in the division to go.

The Official Result

Bubba Jenkins def. Sung Bin Jo R1 1:25 via Technical Submission (Rear-Naked Choke)

Marthin Hamlet (205.8) vs. Sam Kei (206)

Round 1

In the last 205-pound pairing on the fight card, the promotion has elected to match Hamlet (11-4, 5-3 PFL) – who as of this morning was atop the standings – against the fighter with the quickest stoppage loss other than his past opponent in Kei (8-7, 0-2 PFL). As a result, betting lines ranging from -1200 to an astounding -1600 are attached to this bout. Whether the massive favorite wins or not, referee Blake Grice will be there for it. Anything can and often does happen in this wild sport of ours. The fighters greet one another with a glove touch, and Hamlet is quick to kick Kei upside the head right off the bat. Hamlet swarms Kei with punches until the two wind up in the clinch, and he looks to take Kei down and ends up taking Kei’s back standing in the process. Hamlet drags Kei down from behind, and he sneaks both hooks around in an instant. Hamlet starts hunting for a grip around the head of his opponent, and he settles for a face crank and leans back to complete it. Kei protects his neck and fights the grip from sliding under his chin, and Hamlet continues squeezing with alternating arms to make Hamlet miserable. Kei covers his face with his hands, and Hamlet decides to just squeeze down on those. There is nothing to that grip besides him burning his arms out, so he changes his mind and softens Kei up with a punch or two. Kei scoots himself down, as Hamlet is sitting up looking for the choke, and he explodes to spin around and work back to his feet. Hamlet gives chase and gets popped with an overhand right, and Kei is throwing nothing but power. Hamlet rips the body with a pair of kicks, and Kei jabs the chest in response. Hamlet tosses out a leg kick after a lull, and he keeps his guard high to block a counter overhand right. Kei pushes out a straight right to the body that knocks Hamlet back, and Kei whips a right hand around the guard to surprise the Norwegian. Kei concludes the round with a body kick.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Hamlet
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Hamlet
Edwin Ayala scores the round: 10-9 Hamlet

Round 2

There is a fist bump to start off the engagement, and Kei blasts Hamlet in the face with two huge hooks. Hamlet gives it right back, and Kei gets stung as a result. Hamlet uses the moment to bully Kei to his knees, and Kei grabs the fence and is sternly warned for it. Hamlet smothers Kei and takes the back again, and he rolls Kei around to get away from the fence while snagging both hooks. Hamlet looks for a choke, and the two fighters sit up while they offensively and defensively tangle in this position. Hamlet locks up a body triangle to squeeze on Kei’s midsection, and Kei smacks Hamlet from behind his own head with odd-angled hammerfists. Like the last round, Kei slithers low and turns himself around, which allows him to stand back up. Hamlet follows, and he walks into a stiff leg kick. The two light heavyweights jab at the same time, and Kei shoots in for a takedown that fails miserably. Kei falls to his back when this does not work, and he turns to his stomach and lets Hamlet take his back in a bizarre sequence. Hamlet welcomes this by taking his back again and securing the hooks, and Kei holds onto Hamlet’s wrists to stop the choke from coming close to completion. Hamlet wraps up another body lock in this position, and he fishes for chokes that never come. The round ends in this position.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Hamlet
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Hamlet
Edwin Ayala scores the round: 10-9 Hamlet

Round 3

With no finish for Kei, Flores officially clinches a playoff spot and pounds a beer backstage. The fight reaches its final frame, and the two men open up with wide hooks. Kei stuffs a takedown and starts talking to Hamlet to lure him into a wild exchange with low defense. Hamlet does not oblige him, and he instead pecks at the Aussie with jabs. Kei digs a left hand to the body when Hamlet is jabbing him, and this does not change Hamlet’s cruising approach. The jabs do not have a ton of snap to them, but they succeed in disrupting Kei’s attack for the most part. This results in a slow, lethargic striking back-and-forth, as Kei’s only blows that land are responding jabs. Kei slips a jab and counters with a right, and he loops another around while Hamlet is careless. Kei whiffs on a one-two, and Hamlet cautiously jabs with nothing to follow. Hamlet misses the mark with a big left hook, having seemingly abandoned any strike with his right hand. A clinch leads to Hamlet pushing off and landing a left. Kei points at the floor to force a brawl, and Hamlet points at him and then does nothing else. Kei chases him around with a left hook, and he eats a jab on the way out. Hamlet pops him with a check left hook, but it is one-and-done as he circles away. Kei gets off a right hand to the chest, and Hamlet shoots for a takedown that is stonewalled. Kei backs him up and ducks into a jab, and Hamlet avoids contact for the remainder of the disappointing fight. With the likely, expected win, Hamlet officially clinches himself a playoff spot, but he did not gain many fans, especially by coasting the last third of the fight.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Hamlet (30-27 Hamlet)
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Hamlet (30-27 Hamlet)
Edwin Ayala scores the round: 10-9 Hamlet (30-27 Hamlet)

The Official Result

Marthin Hamlet def. Sam Kei via Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Movlid Khaybulaev (146) vs. Tyler Diamond (145.8)

Round 1

The victor in the 2021 season, Dagestan’s Khaybulaev (20-0-1, 1 NC; 6-0-1, 1 NC PFL) is back for another million-dollar prize. With three points on his ledger, he will take on Diamond (12-2, 1-1 PFL), who will be coming off a nearly two-year layoff. The co-main event will be joined in the cage by referee Kevin MacDonald, and the fight commences without anyone bothering to touch gloves first. Diamond leads off with a jab, and Khaybulaev responds with an overhand right and a knee when Diamond ducks the former. Diamond sticks a jab in the Russian’s face, and he intercepts Khaybulaev with another stiff jab. Khaybulaev clubs Diamond in the side of the head, and Diamond is staggered. In his excitement, Khaybulaev leaps in with a flying knee, and when that bounces off the guard, Khaybulaev backs off and tries another. Diamond protects himself from harm and rolls to the outside to take the center of the cage. Khaybulaev reaches him with an overhand right, and Diamond shakes it off and leaps forward with a straight left hand. Diamond goes to the body, and Khaybulaev counters with a flying knee that bounces off the guard. Khaybulaev splits the raised arms with a one-two, and he has opened a cut on the top of Diamond’s head in his hair. Diamond walks Khaybulaev around and backs him away with a looping one-two, and Khaybulaev responds in kind. Diamond walks through a big right hand and protects his midsection with a step-in knee before responding with his own jump knee. Khaybulaev brushes it aside and blocks a head kick. When Khaybulaev counters, he stings Diamond with a right hand, and Diamond responsively shoots in for a takedown. Khaybulaev sits him up as he stuffs it, and punches the body a few times before pursuing a front choke. Khaybulaev abandons it when Diamond slides his head out, and he thwarts an inside trip and looks to sweep Diamond’s feet to no avail. The two split up, and Diamond sticks Khaybulaev with a double jab. Diamond chops at the lead leg with a kick to spin the Russian all the way around, and he continues walking forward with his hands. Khaybulaev is quick to retaliate, but most blows miss the mark other than a left hand that opens a cut on the corner of Diamond’s eye. Diamond swings with a low kick, and Khaybulaev crashes towards him to blast Diamond square on the button with a flying knee. Diamond falls to his back, and Khaybulaev unleashes several vicious standing-to-ground punches as MacDonald is looking on very closely. Time expires just before Khaybulaev can get the finish, but Diamond is having a tough time getting back to his corner as he is badly rocked.

Sherdog Scores

Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-8 Khaybulaev
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-8 Khaybulaev
Edwin Ayala scores the round: 10-8 Khaybulaev

Round 2

Diamond is able to keep fighting, but as soon as Round 2 begins, Khaybulaev leaps at his foe and secures a takedown while Diamond is still rattled. Diamond defends from his back with an odd-angled choke, and Khaybulaev practically ignores it to step over to half guard and start dropping down ground strikes. Khaybulaev does not land much of note in this position as Diamond keeps sitting up, and this is allowing Diamond to get his wits about him and his legs fully beneath him if he returns to his feet this round – a big if. Diamond threatens with a triangle choke as he raises his guard, and Khaybulaev tosses it aside and stacks him up to frustrate the American. Khaybulaev sets up an arm-triangle choke from the opposite site, and Diamond closes his guard around Khaybulaev’s waist to stop it from succeeding. Diamond utilizes butterfly hooks to try to push off, but the man from Dagestan is a man possessed at keeping him on his back. Khaybulaev slows down in top position, seemingly more interested in growing control time than causing damage. Diamond holds on in hopes of forcing a referee standup, and it does prompt MacDonald to ask for more action. Khaybulaev looks for an arm-triangle choke across the body, in half guard on one side and looking for the choke on the other. Khaybulaev tries to advance to full mount, and he realizes three-quarter mount is all he needs to lock the arm-triangle down and complete the maneuver. Diamond considers going out on his shield, but he does not want to be the third victim to a technical submission tonight so he surrenders with a tap. Khaybulaev has now ended a five-fight stretch of consecutive decisions landing the choke, as he claims his 21st victory without a defeat – as well as a draw and a no contest. The point total for the Dagestani featherweight is now eight, which places him in the playoffs as the third seed at best.

The Official Result

Movlid Khaybulaev def. Tyler Diamond R2 4:23 via Submission (Arm-Triangle Choke)

Brendan Loughnane (146) vs. Jesus Pinedo (146)

Round 1

We have finally reached the main event, which comes after midnight on the east coast on a Thursday night into Friday morning. 2022 champ Loughnane (26-4, 9-1 PFL), his playoff hopes hinging on a win, faces a fighter that dropped his promotional debut in Peru’s Pinedo (20-6-1, 0-1 PFL). Nearly equal knockout rates of 54% for the former and 55% for the latter mean that referee Keith Peterson could be in play while the judges and nonsense might not be part of the final equation. The headliner begins as the fighters half-heartedly touch ‘em up, and Pinedo is the eventual aggressor as he surges ahead with his fists flailing. Loughnane circles around and takes the center of the cage, and neither man lands an actual strike for the first 50 seconds. Pinedo backs Loughnane up and walks straight into a big right hand, and Pinedo laughs at him and asks for more. Loughnane does not oblige, so Pinedo walks him down with a one-two that staggers the Brit. The two crash together in a clinch, and before Loughnane can strike, the Peruvian unloads with a knee that complete separates Loughnane from his senses. Loughnane topples to the mat, barely still with it, and “El Mudo” leaps on top of his opponent and clubs him with several huge punches. Peterson dives in to save the wrecked Loughnane, and the titanic upset has officially been notched by Pinedo. In one fell swoop, Pinedo claims the no. 4 seed in the featherweight division, while knocking both Loughnane and Chris Wade out of the 2023 playoffs. With nine finishes tonight, the wild PFL 4 is officially in the books, and plenty of storylines will emerge from this event. The promotion will be back next week, Friday the 16th, for PFL 5 with heavyweights and women’s featherweights on tap. We will be here for it, and we hope you are too.

The Official Result

Jesus Pinedo def. Brendan Loughnane R1 1:34 via KO (Knee and Punches)