FIGHTERS FROM WELTERWEIGHT AND MIDDLEWEIGHT DIVISIONS WON TWICE IN ONE NIGHT TO ADVANCE FOR THEIR SHOT AT A SHARE OF $10M
The Professional Fighters League (PFL) finished their third of three playoff events leading up to the 2018 Championship with a 12-bout card at Washington, D.C.’s brand new Entertainment and Sports Arena. Two fighters from each the welterweight and middleweight divisions secured their spots in the upcoming 2018 Championship at the Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden on New Year’s Eve for a chance to win their share of $10M.
“After two fantastic playoff events in New Orleans and Long Beach, we were happy to put on another great show for our fans here in our home town of Washington, D.C.,” said PFL President Carlos Silva. “Every division is now finalized, and we could not be more excited for the 2018 Championship in New York City.”
Russian Magomed Magomedkerimov earned his 2018 Championship birth first after beginning his night with a unanimous decision win over Ukrainian Pavlo Kusch in his quarterfinal match. Magomedkerimov then kicked off the semis with a bang, finishing Serbian Bojan Velickovic with a second-round TKO.
American Louis Taylor then secured his spot in the 2018 Championship after a night that included a unanimous decision victory over fellow countryman Rex Harris in the quarterfinals, followed by a technical draw with Boston native John Howard in the semis that saw him advance by tiebreaker.
Top-seed Ray Cooper III continued his streak of dominance, first stopping Jake Shields for the second time this year, this time in the quarterfinals, via TKO in the first round. Cooper’s heavy hands remained on display in the semifinals, as he emerged victorious via another first-round TKO over Brazilian Handesson Ferreira.
To culminate the night, German Abus Magomedov defeated Swedish kickboxer Sadibou Sy by unanimous decision to earn his 2018 Championship birth after getting by Russian Gasan Umalatov by tie-breaker after a majority in the quarterfinals.
“It is an amazing feeling to have finally gotten down to the final 12 fighters,” said PFL President of Fighting Operations Ray Sefo. “I am beyond thrilled to watch all the finalists compete at the 2018 Championship for $1 million and the PFL belt.”
About Professional Fighters League™
The Professional Fighters League presents MMA for the first time in the sport format where individuals compete in a regular season, “win-or-go-home” post-season, and championship. Co-founded by Donn Davis, Russ Ramsey, and Mark Leschly, the Professional Fighters League is backed by an ownership group of sports, media, and business titans. The PFL 2018 Season has 72 fighters in six weight-classes, competing in the regular season on Thursday nights in June, July, and August. The top eight in each weight-class face off in single-elimination playoff fights on Saturday nights in October and the PFL season concludes December 31 with six championship bouts back-to-back with a $10 million prize pool. Watch the entire PFL season action beginning June 7 live on NBC Sports Network (NBCSN), Facebook Watch, and www.PFLmma.com. For more visit www.PFLmma.com
