Alex Martinez Edges Clay Collard in PFL 4 Main Event

Professional Fighters League's fourth event of the 2022 regular season featured its lightweight and light heavyweight divisions prior to the upcoming playoffs. Atop the PFL 4 card was a lightweight showdown between Clay Collard and Alex Martinez, which wound up being an entertaining three-round affair worthy of top billing.

Showing off his boxing skills early, Collard (21-10, 1 NC) confidently advanced forward while throwing punches. Unable to initially deal with the pressure, Martinez (10-2, 1 NC) became susceptible to takedowns. "Cassius" Clay would drop Martinez with a well-timed hook early in Round 2 and would follow his opponent to the floor. This would wind up being a mistake as the Paraguayan fighter would take the back of Collard and threaten with a rear-naked choke. The third frame would see Collard finding success on the feet before being taken down by Martinez, who wasn't able to do much but ended the fight in top position.

After 15 minutes of action, the judges awarded Martinez a split decision victory with two out of three 29-28 scorecards being in his favor. With the victory, Martinez advances to the PFL playoffs.

MARTINEZ LOCKS IN A CHOKE!
COLLARD SURVIVES! THE CROWD IS ON THEIR FEET#2022PFL4 pic.twitter.com/1GsWfV42IZ

— PFL (@PFLMMA) June 18, 2022

The co-main event saw PFL 2021 light heavyweight champion Antonio Carlos Jr. clinch a playoff spot by defeating Bruce Souto. There was little urgency from Souto (15-5), who was eliminated from playoff contention mid-fight, and Carlos Jr. (15-5, 2 NC) easily controlled the fight whether it was on the feet or on the ground. "Cara de Sapato" would cap the performance with a takedown, which helped secure the Brazilian a unanimous decision victory with a trio of 30-27 scorecards. No. 2 ranked Carlos Jr. will face No. 3 seed Omari Akhmedov in the semifinals.

Former PFL lightweight champion Raush Manfio lost his first fight since 2018 after Olivier Aubin-Mercier took a clear, yet dull, decision win. Both strikers started off slow with Aubin-Mercier (15-5) disrupting the gameplay of Manfio (16-4) in Round 1. The second frame was equally as slow with Aubin-Mercier a step ahead on the feet. The third round would finally see a bit more action but it was too little, too late for "Cavalo de Guerra." Judges all saw the fight in the favor of "The Canadian Gangster," who advanced to the playoffs with six total points this season after taking scores of 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28.

The main card kicked off with a lightweight battle between Myles Price and mixed martial arts veteran Jeremy Stephens. The Ultimate Fighting Championship alumni struggled to make weight, which was demonstrated by his shaved head, and had just as many issues dealing with the all-around game of Price (11-9). Stephens (29-20, 1 NC) was the sharper striker on the feet, landing damaging calf kicks, but couldn't fully find his rhythm for a stoppage. The resilient Price was able to find himself in advantageous positions on the ground in the final two rounds. Ultimately, the judges preferred the offensive work of Stephens, who took home a split decision victory and three points with scores of 29-28, 28-29 and 29-28, but didn't manage to advance to the PFL playoffs.

Light heavyweight contender Akhmedov stayed perfect in the 2022 PFL season by defeating Teodoras Aukstuolis. The heavy hands of Akhmedov (23-7-1) were a constant factor as Aukstuolis (11-7-1) was repeatedly punished on the feet throughout the first round. While Aukstuolis had a glimmer of hope in the second round after dropping Akhmedov, the Lithuanian was swept and subsequently put in an arm-triangle choke. Aukstuolis didn't tap but was choked unconscious at the 2:50 mark of Round 2. With the win, Akhmedov clinched a playoff spot with 11 points.

Lightweights Natan Schulte and Marcin Held had a back-and-forth scrap for three rounds. While Held (27-9) won the pair's first encounter in 2021, it was Schulte (22-5-1) that showed improvement. "Russo" was able to keep the fight largely upright and had the sharper striking, which led to the Brazilian pulling away as the fight continued. After 15 minutes, all three judges scored the fight in the favor of Schulte with scores of 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28. With the victory, Schulte earned three points.

Delan Monte scored a significant light heavyweight upset against Emiliano Sordi. While both fighters traded punches early, it was Monte (8-2) that scored the more accurate blows. A huge overhand right clipped Sordi (23-10-1), who was unable to compose himself as Monte rained down punches. The quick six points were officially earned at 1:32 of Round 1.

Rob Wilkinson secured a PFL playoff spot by defeating fellow light heavyweight Viktor Pesta. Wilkinson (15-2) started strong by pelting Pesta (18-8) with punches and controlling the center of the cage. After rocking his opponent with a well-timed counter, "Razor" floored Pesta and threw several punches at a clearly dazed opponent before the fight was waved off at the 3:03 mark of the first round. The Australian now has 11 points, which secured him the No. 1 seed and a semifinals bout against Monte.

Joshua Silveira opened the first light heavyweight clash of the evening by adding to his highlight reel at the expense of Marthin Hamlet. While Hamlet (9-4) found success early on in controlling the distance and striking from afar, a head kick from Silveira (9-0) badly rocked the Norwegian fighter. The undefeated American kept looking to do damage and eventually put away his opponent with a big knee and punches. The end officially came at 3:27 of Round 1, earning Silveira six points in his promotional debut.

The opening showcase bout saw lightweight replacement Jake Childers go up against Nate Jennerman in what wound up being a one-sided affair. "Nasty" came out aggressive as he backed Childers (9-3) up against the cage and kept hounding his foe with constant punches. Round 2 would be even more dominant as Jennerman (16-5) took "The Working Man" down and locked in a rear-naked choke for the victory. The tap officially came at 2:00 of Round 2.