Clay Collard has already qualified for the Professional Fighters League lightweight playoffs to compete in the main event of PFL5 in 2024, but that didn’t stop Mads Burnell from crashing the party.
Collado (25-12, 1 NC), always a calm striker, was able to get on the offensive with jabs and body punches as Burnell (18-6) tried to grapple late in the round. This late success allowed Burnell to formulate a game plan, which allowed the Danish fighter to get on “Cassius'” back in the second round. Perhaps even entering the third round, Collado continued to land more strikes than his opponent, landing a takedown in the final moments to take control and allow Burnell to get on the back of the fan-favorite lightweight.
Burnell won all three bouts by unanimous decision with the scorecards at 29-28 after 15 minutes of competition, but did not advance to the playoffs. Collard will instead face top-seeded Brent Primus in the lightweight semifinals.
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#PFLPlayoffs The lightweight matchup is officially confirmed! pic.twitter.com/l9zXNexV3O
— PFL (@PFLMMA)
June 22, 2024
Kasanganay KOs Neddo
The final light heavyweight bout of the night was a key one as both Impa Kasanganay and Jacob Nedoo had a path to a playoff.
Kasanganay (17-4) only needed to survive the first round to qualify for the playoffs, and to do so, he survived a brief first-round scare from “Cirobo.” Neddo (8-3) repeatedly hurt his opponent with hard right punches, but “The Gorilla” countered with well-timed left hooks and uppercuts. Kasanganay hurt Neddo badly with a right punch late in the second round and didn’t let up afterward, landing enough punches to force a doctor’s stoppage between rounds.
With the win, Kasanganay improves to 7-1 in the PFL and is the top seed in the light heavyweight playoffs.
The light heavyweight bout
#PFLPlayoffs! pic.twitter.com/AMvKmC58GE
— PFL (@PFLMMA)
June 22, 2024
Miranda overpowers Freire
Former Bellator MMA lightweight champion Patrick Freire remained winless in the PFL.
His opponent, Bruno Miranda, came out punching hard and Pitbull dropped Miranda with an overhand right that sent him reeling. Both fighters stayed calm and Freire (25-13) got the takedown and consolidated back control. Miranda (16-5) began to have more success in the second round, surprising Freire with some heavy punching combinations. Pitbull’s older brother fought smarter in the last five minutes and got a takedown, but Miranda was able to get up and do some damage in the final minute.
The judges awarded Miranda the split decision victory with scores of 29-28, 28-29, 29-28.
Wilkinson beats Silveira
One of the most anticipated bouts on the card is the matchup between 2022 light heavyweight champion Rob Wilkinson and the dangerous Joshua Silveira.
“The Razor” had early success in the clinch, using his muscular frame to control Silveira (13-3) and eventually score a takedown. Wilkinson (19-2, 1 NC) continued to dominate in the second round, dragging his opponent to the floor multiple times. In the final round, Silveira twice threatened with a guillotine choke and a back take, but the Australian failed to do any damage.
In the end, the judges were in favor of Wilkinson, who was awarded a split decision with scores of 29-28, 28-29, 29-28. The win put the former champion in a position to advance to a playoff with nine points. But don’t feel sorry for Silveira, as the 31-year-old will now face Kasanganay in the playoff.
Yagsimradov overtakes Bjorn
Dovretzhan Yagsimradov earned himself a spot in the light heavyweight playoffs after a clear decision victory over Simon Bjorn.
Both fighters came into the bout tentatively, which was a problem for Bjorn (9-5), who needed to win in the first round to have any chance of advancing to the playoffs. Yagsimuradov (23-7-1) was clearly in control of the bout, keeping his opponent at bay with kicks and a good jab and staying at a distance. The Italian allowed a couple of takedowns in the final round, and “The Wolfhound” was awarded a lopsided unanimous decision victory with a total score of 30-27.
With the win, Yagsimuradov added three points and now has nine points this season, advancing to the playoffs where he will face Wilkinson.
Polizzi defeats Carlos Jr.
The opening bout on the main card was a back-and-forth battle between Antonio Carlos Jr. and Alex Polizzi in the light heavyweight division.
The Brazilian quickly showed off some impressive grappling after getting behind Polizzi (11-4), but Carlos Jr. (16-5, 2 NC) couldn’t land the submission and “Easy” began to have more success blocking takedown attempts and inflicting damage in the second round. It all came down to the final round, where “Shoeface” ended up on the bottom and taking a lot of punches from the American.
Polizzi won all three bouts by unanimous decision, 29-28, but failed to qualify for the playoffs after earning just three points this season.
2024 PFL 5 Preliminary Results:
In the prelims, Brent Primus defeated Solomon Renfro via rear-naked choke and tapped out at 3:21 of the third round to earn a spot in the lightweight playoffs. Sadibou See finished off a weary Andrew Sanchez with a TKO late in the third round with punches at 4:02. Gazy Rabadanov dominated Ervin Espinoza with a takedown to earn a spot in the playoffs, winning three unanimous decisions on the scorecards 30-27. In a back-and-forth battle, Adam Piccolotti won a split decision over Michael Dufort (29-28, 28-29, 29-28). Dufort earned a spot in the playoffs to face Rabadanov. Sergio Coccio won his third straight bout by a 29-28 scorecard victory over Anthony Romero, while Brahian Zercher knocked out Julian Ruiz.
