Abraham Bably Nets Professional Fighters League Deal on PFL Challenger Series 3

Manchester Top Team export Abraham Bably landed a Professional Fighters League contract during Week 3 of the PFL Challenger Series, as he brutalized, embarrassed and ultimately put away Hassan Graham with punches in the first round of their heavyweight showcase on Friday at Universal Studios in Orlando. Graham (1-1, 0-1 PFL) succumbed to blows 3:56 into Round 1.

The unbeaten Bably (3-0, 2-0 PFL) seized the reins at the start and never let go. He delivered a takedown with an inside trip, progressed to the back and eventually climbed to full mount. From there, Bably cut loose with punches, increasing the ferocity and frequency of his shots with each passing moment. Graham turned away from contact and surrendered his back in one final defensive move but found no refuge there.

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Meanwhile, Louie Sutherland cut down Dana White’s Contender Series alum Alton Meeks with a knee strike and follow-up punches in the second round of their heavyweight affair. The 29-year-old Sutherland (5-1, 1-1 PFL) brought it to a close 85 seconds into Round 2.

Meeks (4-2, 0-1 PFL) struck for multiple takedowns inside the first round, applying modest control and intermittent ground-and-pound. However, Sutherland had turned the tide by the end of the period, as he connected with a series of knees and winging hooks. Meeks emerged for the middle stanza a diminished force, fatigue having taken hold. Sutherland cracked him with a knee to the face, gave chase when he retreated to the mat and finished it with a burst of hammerfists.

Elsewhere, Kings MMA’s Danilo Marques put Ras Hylton to sleep with a rear-naked choke in the second round of their heavyweight clash. Hylton (9-7, 0-1 PFL) lost his grip on reality 2:33 into Round 2, his three-fight winning streak having run its course.

Marques (13-4, 1-0 PFL) kept his 6-foot-6 counterpart at bay with single-leg takedowns, body kicks and overhand rights. A surge saw the Brazilian nearly slam the door with punches at the end of the first round. Hylton was docked a point at the start of the middle stanza due to an accidental groin strike, and his situation only deteriorated from there. Marques secured another single-leg takedown, climbed to the back and snuck his arms into place for the choke.

Finally, promising promotional newcomer Isaiah Pinson crowded and outstruck the heavily favored Vitor Resende, as he laid claim to a unanimous decision over the 6-foot-9 American Top Team rep in their three-round heavyweight encounter. All three members of the cageside judiciary struck scorecards for Pinson (2-0, 1-0 PFL): 29-28, 30-27 and 29-28.

Resende (4-1, 0-1 PFL) failed to manage distance properly. Pinson, who earned All-America honors as an offensive lineman for The Citadel before he transitioned to mixed martial arts, pressed forward with no regard for the Brazilian’s standup skills and attacked him with flurries to the body and head. Outside of a body kick late in the second round and a takedown early in the third, Resende was ineffective. Pinson steered clear of any real danger, continuing to let the punches and kicks flow until the final bell.