Simeon Powell Chokes Out Mohamed Amine in PFL Europe 1 Headliner

Arm triangle finish at the buzzer by @SMOOTH_MMA 😲#PFLNewcastle pic.twitter.com/WQz8M07OMx

— PFL Europe (@PFLEurope) March 25, 2023

The first installment of the Professional Fighters League European Season showcased Simeon Powell’s potential in the light heavyweight division.

In the PFL Europe 1 headliner, Powell imposed his will over Mohamed Amine in a 205-pound clash. “Smooth” moved the action to the canvas as soon as possible, making the most of his overwhelming physique. Powell scored with solid punches from the full mount as his foe failed to get back to his feet. While the strikes didn’t do much damage, they impacted the fighting spirit of Amine. In the second frame, the contestants spent a couple of minutes trading blows before Powell took his opponent down, where he immediately jumped back in the full-mount position. The British athlete unloaded punches before moving to an arm-triangle choke. The submission attempt was so tight that Amine passed out when the official time expired and never made it to the stool. Officially, the main event ended at the 5:00 mark of Round 2.

𝗗𝗔𝗡𝗚𝗘𝗥𝗢𝗨𝗦 is the only way to describe @dakotaditcheva with the 1st round submission finish!

Follow @PFLEurope for more #PFLNewcastle updates and PFL Europe action pic.twitter.com/vHAHeyFgKV

— PFL (@PFLMMA) March 25, 2023

In the co-feature, muay thai expert Dakota Ditcheva scored her first submission victory as she forced Malin Hermansson to tap in the opening frame. Ditcheva tested her opponent’s reactions right out of the gate before scoring a takedown out of nowhere. Once on the canvas, she gracefully improved her position until capturing Hermansson’s back, who clearly didn’t expect to be involved in a grappling contest. When the occasion presented itself, Ditcheva sunk in a rear-naked choke attempt tight enough to make Hermansson tap. The official time indicated 3:52 of Round 1.

If you ever need an example of what a power jab looks like....Jakob Nedoh has you covered 👊

Follow @PFLEurope for more #PFLNewcastle updates and PFL Europe action pic.twitter.com/VA5WYZPTvW

— PFL (@PFLMMA) March 25, 2023

Prior, 135-pounder Lewis McGrillen-Evans (5-0, 1-0 PFL) put Salih Kulucan (6-8, 1 NC; 0-1 PFL) away with a punch at 2:33 in the opening frame; Jakob Nedoh (6-1, 1-0 PFL) crushed Riccardo Nosiglia (8-4, 0-1 PFL) with punches 48 seconds into their light heavyweight tilt; 205-pounder Anthony Salamone (8-1, 1-1 PFL) smashed Daniel Ladero Gartner (3-2, 0-1 PFL) with punches at 2:19 of Round 1; Cornelia Holm (6-5, 1-0 PFL) edged Marta Waliczek (6-6, 0-1 PFL) thanks to a narrow split decision at women’s flyweight (29-28, 29-28, 28-29); Abdelah Er-Ramy (7-1, 1-0 PFL) stopped Madalin Pirvulescu (5-2, 0-1 PFL) with punches at 2:18 of the opening period at light heavyweight; Valentina Scatizzi (2-1, 1-0 PFL) did enough to outpoint Lizzy Gevers (3-1, 0-1 PFL) via split decision (30-27, 29-28, 28-29) at women’s flyweight; bantamweight Louis Lee Scott (5-0, 1-0 PFL) wobbled Sam Robinson (1-1, 0-1 PFL) with punches before punctuating his performance with a head kick 21 seconds out of the gate; Oscar Ownsworth (7-3, 1-0 PFL) took home a split-decision victory over Lewis Monarch (12-7, 0-1 PFL) at lightweight (29-28, 29-28, 28-29).