PFL fans were shocked Friday night when referee Kevin McDonald appeared to prematurely stop the regular season opener between Brendan Loughnane and Pedro Carvalho.
Loughnane’s British viewers and Carvalho’s Irish viewers stayed up past 4am to watch the match live from Chicago. However, the match was called off after just one and a half minutes due to controversy.
Both fighters looked to pick up the pace from the start, but it was 2022 featherweight champion Loughnane who made the cleaner shot. Then, with a minute left, he took down the former Bellator title contender and then attempted ground-and-pound from the top.
Brendan Loughnen scores a split first-round KO over Pedro Carvalho
However, after being dropped, Carvalho managed to get to his knees and target his opponent’s legs for a takedown, but the shot went too far and McDonald intervened to stop the action. The Portuguese star immediately protested the cancellation as boos rained down at Wintrust Arena.
But MacDonald stuck to his decision, giving Loughnane a perfect six-point start to his return season. The Briton was delighted with the perfect start to his comeback, having bounced back from a brutal knockout loss to Jesus Pinedo last June that cost him his second PFL gold medal.
Due to the PFL’s seasonal format, Carvalho will be able to compete again this June. But advancing to the playoffs and ultimately winning the $1 million championship will likely require a first- or second-round suspension, as well as other results.
Fans voiced outrage on social media when Brendan Loughnen stopped Pedro Carvalho
The Chicago crowd was furious with referee McDonald after the call, and Loughnane was booed while the official results were read out. And social media was similarly divided, with many venting their frustrations.
“Fire this referee McDonald!” one fan wrote to X. “What a terrible cancellation!” Another user added: “Another bad stoppage. I’m glad the crowd is booing.”
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Some asked for a promotion or commission to stop hiring MacDonald, with one person asking PFL: “Kevin MacDonald has got to be the worst referee in MMA. Another bad stoppage. Why keep using him?”
Brendan Loughnen defeats Pedro Carvalho to move into first place in PFL featherweight rankings
Loughnane wasn’t the only 145-pound fighter to score a first-round KO, with Brazilian Gabriel Braga scoring a stunning buzzer-beater over Justin Gonzalez earlier in the night. As a result, both players earned 6 points and are in good condition for the second race in June of this year.
For tiebreakers, the speed with which a fighter reaches a stop will be the deciding factor, meaning Loughnane is currently in pole position. Braga flashed Gonzalez with just one second left to head his second, clinching a less controversial victory.
It has not yet been determined who will play who in the next round, which will be played in the second stage of this summer’s regular season.
