The Professional Fighters League (PFL) touched down in Chicago, Illinois, specifically at the Wintrust Center, for PFL 7 on a recent Friday night. This event served as a crucial stage in the PFL`s tournament format, featuring semifinal bouts that determined who would advance to the lucrative final round, alongside significant showcase fights.
While the night saw a predominance of decisions rather than dramatic finishes, the outcomes carried considerable weight, particularly in the playoff brackets. The main event delivered on its promise of high-stakes competition.
Edwards Takes Main Event Decision, Secures Final Spot
In the headline bout, Fabian Edwards squared off against Josh Silveira in a middleweight tournament semifinal. After three rounds of strategic exchanges, it was Edwards who earned the nod from all three judges, securing a unanimous decision victory with scorecards reading 29-28 across the board. This performance punched Edwards` ticket to the middleweight final, keeping his championship aspirations alive.
Cauley Scores Significant Upset Over Davis
The co-main event featured a light heavyweight clash between veteran Phil Davis and Sullivan Cauley. In a notable outcome, Cauley managed to outperform the experienced Davis over three rounds. The judges rendered a unanimous decision in favor of Cauley, with scores of 30-27 (twice) and 29-28, marking a significant win for the younger fighter against a former major champion.
Pettis Edges Stots in High-Level Showcase
Adding star power to the main card was a bantamweight showcase bout featuring former Bellator champion Sergio Pettis against Raufeon Stots. Though not part of the tournament playoffs, this matchup pitted two highly regarded fighters against each other. Pettis ultimately secured a unanimous decision victory, with all three judges scoring the contest 29-28, demonstrating his technical prowess against a tough opponent.
Unconventional Advancement in Heavyweight Semifinal
The heavyweight tournament semifinal between Valentin Moldavsky and Alexandr Romanov took a decidedly unusual turn. The bout was ruled a No Contest in the first round after Romanov was rendered unable to continue following a low blow (groin strike) from Moldavsky. Under tournament rules governing such circumstances, the fighter who was the recipient of the foul and unable to continue can potentially advance if the foul was deemed accidental. In this instance, the ruling resulted in Alexandr Romanov advancing to the heavyweight final, a somewhat anticlimactic and certainly painful route to the championship stage.
Other Notable Outcomes from Chicago
The rest of the card also featured key results:
- Dalton Rosta secured a split decision win over Aaron Jeffery (29-28, 29-28, 27-30).
- Antonio Carlos Junior defeated Simeon Powell via unanimous decision (29-28 x3).
- In the prelims, Rafael Xavier delivered the night`s quickest finish, stopping Karl Albrektsson via first-round TKO in just 27 seconds.
- Ronnie Gibbs earned a submission victory (arm-triangle choke) over Biaggio Ali Walsh in the second round.
- Oleg Popov took a unanimous decision (30-27 x3) against Rodrigo Nascimento.
PFL 7 in Chicago successfully narrowed down the field for several tournament brackets and provided valuable matchups outside the playoff structure, setting the stage for the upcoming championship finals.
Benedict Kingsley