Ray Cooper III Eyes Rematch with Magomed Magomedkerimov in PFL 2021 Season

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“Bradda Boy” bets he will meet his former opponent again in this year’s finals.

In the early phase of this year’s Regular Season, Professional Fighters League 2019 welterweight champion Ray Cooper III (20-7-1) will clash with Jason Ponet, who is making his big stage debut after years spent on the European regional scene. As always, Cooper is determined to bring the action to the fans and plans to get rid of his opponents as soon as possible to secure a place in the playoffs.

“That’s the most important thing of the league, we need to go in there and finish fights,” he said while talking with Sherdog. “You can’t be squeezing out the victory, you have to score points in order to get into the playoffs. If you are just a point-fighting fighter, you are only scoring the lowest, three points. If you only score three points while other people are knocking guys out or finishing guys by submission, then you have a low chance to get into the playoffs. My goal is always to finish my guys as fast as I can and as smart as I can. I’m looking to put them away in the first round and move on.”

While the PFL 170-pound roster has seen a few exciting new additions, including former Bellator MMA titleholder Rory MacDonald, Cooper has put his target on Magomed Magomedkerimov. The two already battled in the 2018 Season PFL Championships when Magomedkerimov submitted “Bradda Boy” thanks to a vicious guillotine choke at 2:18 in Round 2. Cooper is eager to avenge that blemish on his record.

“One and all, my real focus is on Magomedkerimov,” he stated. “My first meeting with him in 2018; he’s the 2018 champion. That’s all on my mind. The other guys, yeah, are tough, but I think the most, other than me, the top guy is Magomedkerimov, and I think me and him are going to meet in the finals again this next year. He’s a complete fighter, he can stand, he can go on the ground. He’s like the most dangerous guy in the division besides me. My whole focus is getting my rematch back with him.”