Linton Vassell was certain he would see Valentin Moldavsky again.
“I just had a hunch, and it was crazy when Valentin called me out, as you all saw,” Vassell said during a PFL media call. “I knew the trilogy was going to happen at some point. I didn’t think I was going to lose the first fight, so maybe I was expecting it to happen in the final.”
“So for me, I knew it was going to happen at some point and I’m excited that it did. I think it needs to happen and with how I ended up last time and this being the final race and needing to get some points, it’s made me train even harder for this one.”
Vassell and Moldavsky are set to meet for the third time in the main event of PFL4 on June 13 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. The heavyweight fighters have fought twice under the Bellator MMA banner, with Moldavsky winning by unanimous decision in March 2019 and Vassell avenging that loss with a first-round knockout in March 2023.
With his recent loss to Vassell still relatively fresh in his mind, Moldavsky updated his approach accordingly.
“Yes, I [made] “There will be some tweaking because we’ve already met twice,” Moldavsky said. “We know each other really well, so there will definitely be some tweaking.” [made] I’m ready for this training camp. I’ll train hard and prepare for this fight. [on June 13]. “
The PFL debut between these rivals featured polar opposite results, and Vassell will need to work hard to regain his footing in the heavyweight rankings after suffering a third-round knockout loss to Denis Gortzov at PFL1. While he admits he would like to beat Moldavsky, Vassell is not going to push himself too hard in the trilogy after making a mental mistake against Gortzov.
“I’m just looking to win, and I know I’ll win at some point,” Vassell said. “I think if you try to force things, things aren’t going to work out. And the reason I say that is because last time, I was looking to win. [Goltsov] I took him down quickly and I almost got him done before he got tired and anything happened. The more you do it, the more you get criticized for not doing it. And I almost got him done, but you know what happens, so I think it’s time to win.”
Meanwhile, Moldavskyi made short work of 2022 PFL champion Ante Delija, winning by six points in the first round, a performance that only served to declare the Russian’s ultimate goal: the PFL heavyweight title.
“This is definitely the biggest challenge of my career so far so I’d love to win,” Moldavsky said. “I definitely want to win, so we’ll see what happens.”
Vassell was also impressed with his opponent’s recent performances.
“He did exactly what he had to do,” Vassell said. “He went in there and obviously stopped a former champion, so hats off to him. He did a great job, so now I’ve got to go out there and beat the guys who are at the top of the heavyweight division right now.” The obvious bet in this final bout is to win the head-to-head series, but it’s also about securing a position in the PFL postseason.
“I know he’s obviously changed his game plan a little bit and it’s the same here,” Vassell said, “so I’m excited for this trilogy. There’s bragging rights on the line and there’s points to be won.”
Moldovavskiy added: “I have to do my job, I have to be ready and I feel I am ready. [June 13] It shows [that]. ”
