Firefight: Clay Collard Outduels Jeremy Stephens to Decision in PFL 1 Main Event

Clay Collard decided to fight fire with fire and emerged no worse for wear.

Accuracy and activity carried “Cassius Clay” to a unanimous decision over Jeremy Stephens in an unforgettable PFL 1 headliner, as the Professional Fighters League kicked off its 2022 campaign on Wednesday at Esports Stadium Arlington in Arlington, Texas. All three cageside judges scored it 30-27, though most other observers thought it to be far more competitive than the verdict indicated.

Stephens (28-20, 0-1 PFL) threw heat for the duration and rang his counterpart’s bell more than once with powerful right hands. Collard (21-9, 3-1 PFL) was undeterred. He stepped into high-volume punching combinations to the head and body, incorporated kicks when needed and even mixed in a few takedowns. His seemingly limitless gas tank and Kevlar beard allowed him to stay ahead of Stephens, who fought through fatigue and perhaps did his best work in the third round. His stock likely rose in defeat.

Collard has won five of his past six bouts.

Meanwhile, American Top Team export Raush Manfio rallied to wipe out Don Madge with punches in the third round of their lightweight co-main event. Manfio, the returning league champion at 155 pounds, drew the curtain 2:42 into Round 3 and did so in breathtaking fashion.

Madge (10-4-1, 1-1 PFL) kept the Brazilian at bay with a disruptive jab, remarkable distance control and a dedicated kicking game for the better part of two rounds. The South African hammered the body, legs and head with his kicks, mixed in the occasional surgical left hand and attacked in bursts. In a two-rounds-to-none hole, Manfio continued to probe for openings. He blindsided and decked Manfio with a right cross, followed him to the canvas and cut loose with punches until the job was done.

The loss was Madge’s first since Feb. 21, 2015.

Elsewhere, Antonio Carlos Jr. needed less than a minute to submit promotional newcomer Delan Monte in the first round of their light heavyweight feature. Carlos Jr. (14-5, 4-0 PFL), the defending league champion at 205 pounds, brought it to a decisive close 29 seconds into Round 1.

Monte (8-2, 0-1 PFL) never factored into the equation. Carlos Jr. stunned him with a clubbing right hand, followed with an immediate takedown and capitalized on the ensuing scramble. Monte left his neck exposed, wandered into the choke and found himself ensnared with no possible escape. Soon after, he capitulated.

Carlos Jr. has won three fights in a row, two of them by submission.

Finally, “The Ultimate Fighter Nations” finalist Olivier Aubin-Mercier leaned on heavy kicks, a potent jab and sharp punching combinations in a contentious split decision over American Top Team’s Natan Schulte in a three-round lightweight showcase. All three cageside judges struck 29-28 scorecards, two of them siding with Aubin Mercier (14-5, 3-0 PFL).

Schulte (21-5-1, 10-2-1 PFL) stayed in the Canadian’s face from start to finish, calling upon the merciless forward pressure for which he has become known. Aubin-Mercier played the matador, slipped out of danger and piled up points by pairing punches upstairs with kicks and knees to the body. Fatigue, however, slowly took hold. Schulte chewed up the Firas Zahabi protege’s lower lead leg with kicks and appeared to be in better shape down the stretch. Ultimately, his efforts fell short of the mark.

Aubin-Mercier, 33, has rattled off three consecutive victories.

In preliminary action, Cory Hendricks (9-4, 2-1 PFL) dispatched Emiliano Sordi (23-10-1, 7-3-1 PFL) with punches from full mount 2:13 into their light heavyweight clash; Alex Martinez (9-2, 2-2 PFL) took a unanimous verdict from Steven Ray (23-10, 0-1 PFL) in a three-round lightweight affair; Marthin Hamlet (9-3, 3-2 PFL) laid claim to a unanimous decision over Teodoras Aukstuolis (11-6, 0-1 PFL) in a lopsided three-round encounter at 205 pounds; Omari Akhmedov (22-7-1, 1-1 PFL) took care of Viktor Pesta (18-7, 0-1 PFL) with punches 1:25 into the first round of their light heavyweight tilt; Rob Wilkinson (14-2, 1-0 PFL) put away Bruce Souto (15-4, 1-1 PFL) with punches 46 seconds into the second round of their confrontation at 205 pounds; and Simeon Powell (6-0, 2-0 PFL) flattened Clinton Williams (9-6, 0-1 PFL) with a knee strike 4:38 into the third round of their light heavyweight pairing.