Bantamweight powerhouse Lewis McGrillen-Evans (10-1) will be competing in next season’s Professional Fighters as the Manchester native won the European bantamweight title with a second-round TKO win over Alexander Laster. He could be one of the most exciting additions to League Global’s roster. The PFL Europe 2024 final will be held in Lyon, France.
McGrillen started the fight very strong, dropping German with a left hook, but Luster didn’t go away quietly. Luster shook off the cobwebs and slit McGrillen’s eye with a powerful shot of his own, and just like that, the fight began. The two fighters continued to slug it out until the Manchester First Team standout sent Laster (9-2) onto his back with another picture-perfect left hook. Only a few more final blows are needed to end the performance. McGrillen Evans, 24, could be a rising star in the PFL. He stopped short of PFL European glory last season, but redeemed himself on Saturday with an unforgettable performance.
The PFL European Lightweight Championship went back and forth.
Undefeated Jakub Kasbah enters the field looking to win his second straight PFL European title in the 155-pound weight class, but he will have to go through powerhouse Connor Hughes. Hughes took control of the fight from the start, dropping Kazuba multiple times with textbook boxing. Kazuba looked confused after the first two rounds, but was confident he could turn things around if he could close the distance.
In the third round, the Polish native finally got his hands on Hughes, knocking the British fighter to the mat. Kazuba finally made a comeback in the fourth round after outsmarting and draining Hughes. Once Hughes was pinned down, Kazuba hit an elbow from the top and referee Daniel Movahedi begged Hughes to respond (10-2). Movahedi ultimately called the match at 4:07, giving Kazuba (14-0) its second consecutive PFL European title. Now he is aiming for the world championship.
The PFL European Welterweight Final was short and sweet.
Daniele Miceli and Florim Zendeli fought for four and a half minutes, but in the end, Zendeli raised his hand and won. Miceli (13-6) took the fight to the mat early, leaving the Albanian’s nose bloody, but Zendeli’s grappling was too fluid. With blood dripping, Zendeli (8-1-1) carried Miceli against the cage and ended the fight with a rear-naked choke (4 minutes, 24 seconds) to win the PFL European Welterweight Tournament title.
Polish puncher Paulina Wisniewska won the PFL European Women’s Flyweight Grand Prix of $100,000 with a brutal TKO victory over Italy’s Valentina Scatizzi in the first minute (0:20).
The Scatizzi (3-4) bull pounced on the undefeated prospect early, giving him a flush knee for his troubles. As Scatizzi struggled to regain his footing, Wisniewska continued to take unanswered shots until the game was called. This is the second consecutive loss at the PFL European Championship for Scatigi, who lost in last year’s final to PFL World Champion Dakota Dycheva. Wisniewska was originally scheduled to fight rising British star Chanel Dyer in the final, but Dyer was forced to withdraw due to a foot injury.
Salvo Giudice (1-0) defeated Attila Kobas 2-2 in a 176-pound catchweight bout with a unanimous decision (30-27, 30-26, 30-0) He won his first professional match. twenty five). The bout was the first of three “Doumbe Decision” bouts between French kickboxing and MMA star Cedric Doumbu to determine whether a fighter’s performance merits a PFL European contract. Doumbe was impressed by Judith’s overwhelming strength, but was bored by his wrestling-based performance and lack of finishing.
French featherweight Matisse Duragrin earned a PFL contract from Doumbe with a dominant three-round victory over Yassin Chatou (30-26, 30-26, 30-25). Dulaglin (4-0) had his way with Chatu throughout the match, leading the action with his wrestling along the cage. He picked an easy shot and tagged Chattu, but the burly Chattu (5-5) wouldn’t go away.
Mahio Campanella was all smiles on Doumbe after applying an arm triangle choke to Ezubair Buarsa 4 minutes, 45 seconds into the first round of their bantamweight bout. Campanella’s flashy strikes and roundhouse kicks had the crowd on their feet, and he ended the show with a devastating submission near the end of the frame. Campanella (6-1) has won four straight.
At 6ft 5in, Irish welterweight Eoin Sheridan could end up being a threat to the division. The SBG Ireland prospect won a clear decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) on Saturday with three rounds of control (1-1) over French favorite Bryce Berghazi, 2-0. He achieved good results. Despite his lanky physique, Sheridan displayed impressive MMA grappling skills and regularly achieved top status. Belghazi was competitive but was out of position for most of the match.
SBG Ireland lightweight contender Claudio Pacella (5-2) begins the broadcast with his second straight win over the experienced Oscar Ownsworth (8-4-1). Pacella fought back and managed to get through the early rounds, but faced adversity in the third period when he was hurt by Ownsworth’s knee. Pacella showed composure and weathered the storm to earn a unanimous decision victory (29-28, 30-27, 30-27).
