Professional Fighters League (PFL) makes its return to action tonight (Thurs., April 29, 2021) with its second event in as many weeks, which will also be the start of its Welterweight and Light Heavyweight tournaments.
MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE coverage of the PFL 2 main card below, which begins at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN2. We’ll also provide quick results for the “Prelims” undercard on ESPN+, which will start streaming at 5:30 p.m. ET.
Headlining the event will be the much-anticipated promotional debut of former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and Bellator MMA veteran, Rory MacDonald, who takes on Curtis Millender. In further action, Ray Cooper III faces off against Jason Ponet, while another former UFC vet, Gleison Tibau, takes on Joao Zeferino. Chris Camozzi battles Emiliano Sordi to round off the main card.
PFL 2 QUICK RESULTS:
170 lbs.: Rory MacDonald vs. Curtis Millender – MacDonald via first round submission
170 lbs.: Ray Cooper III vs. Jason Ponet – Cooper via first round submission
170 lbs.: Joao Zeferino vs. Gleison Tibau – Zeferino via unanimous decision
205 lbs.: Emiliano Sordi vs. Chris Camozzi – Sordi wins via unanimous decision
205 lbs.: Antonio Carlos Jr. vs. Tom Lawlor – Carlos Jr. via first round submission205 lbs.: Jordan Young vs. Askar Mozharov CANCELED (details here)
205 lbs.: Cezar Ferreira vs. Nick Roehrick – Ferreira via first round KO
170 lbs.: Sadibou Sy vs. Nikolai Aleksakhin – No Contest (accidental eye poke)
205 lbs.: Dan Spohn vs. Marthin Hamlet – Hamlet via second round submission
PFL 1 ROUND-BY-ROUND COVERAGE:
170 lbs.: Rory MacDonald vs. Curtis Millender
Round 1: Long jab attempt from Millender. Left hook misses for MacDonald. Jab from MacDonald. MacDonald with the single leg takedown attempt. Millender stuffs for the moment. Rory won’t give it up but Millender showing great defense and balance. MacDonald is determined to get the takedown and isn’t letting up. MacDonald gets the take down. Gets in half guard and Millender gives up his back. MacDonald looking for a rear-naked choke. MacDonald softening Millender up a bit and keeps working for the submission with two minutes to go in the first round. MacDonald sinks it in underneath the chin and Millender taps. WOW! MacDonald look dominate in his PFL debut.
Final Result: MacDonald def. Millender via first round submission (rear-naked choke)
170 lbs.: Ray Cooper III vs. Jason Ponet
Round 1: Ponet with a jab to start things off. Cooper stalking his foe and fights off a weak takedown attempt from Ponet. Action up against the cage. Ponet with a knee to the midsection. Cooper picks up Ponet and slams him down to the canvas. He is looking for an arm triangle. He has it locked in and Ponet is out! Cooper with the quick submission and earns six points. Wow!
Final Result: Cooper defeats Ponet via first round submission (arm triangle)
170 lbs.: Joao Zeferino vs. Gleison Tibau
Round 1: They go at it right away and exchange blows in the center of the cage. Nice body kick lands from Zeferino and you can hear the thud from that mighty blow. Tibau fires back but doesn’t connect. Nice jab from Zeferino. Zeferino with a wide stance, really helping him deliver his strikes with power. Tibau rushes in but catches nothing but air. Zeferino clinches and pushes Tibau up against the cage. They jockey for position in the center of the cage. they separate. Zeferino really connecting with his jab and Tibau feinting quite a bit. Nothing major lands for either man this round. 10-9 Zeferino
Round 2: Tibau goes for a quick takedown and he gets it. He doesn’t do anything with it because Zeferino pops back up to his feet. Nice right hand from Tibau. Inside leg kick from Zeferino. A lot of feeling out, no one is really willing to risk it to win it. Someone needs to do something. Zeferino fires off a right hand. Tibau once again rushes in but doesn’t land cleanly. The bull rush technique hasn’t been working well for him. They clinch in the center of the cage. Zeferino tries a take down but no-go. Tibau looks for submission as the round comes to an end. 10-9 Tibau.
Round 3: Tibau goes for the takedown and eats a legit left hand for his efforts. Once again they clinch up against the cage. Nice right hook from Tibau and Zeferino fires off a great body shot in response. Not a ton of action and neither man is stepping up, this round could make the difference. Zeferino with a left hook that lands. They exchange in the center of the cage and Tibau lands a left hook and Zeferino connects with a nice right hand that makes his foe back up. Not a lot of action from either man, lack of striking from both in the final round. No urgency being shown. Back to a grappling war up against the cage. Tibau starts unloading and lands a nice knee to the midsection to close out the round. 10-9 Tibau
Final Result: Zeferino defeats Tibau via unanimous decision
205 lbs.: Emiliano Sordi vs. Chris Camozzi
Round 1: Inside leg kick from Camozzi. Sordi counters with a nice jab that connects. Inside leg kick again from Camozzi and Sordi counters with a right hand. They clinch up against the fence.Camozzi rushed in and catches Sordi. Sordi fires back and they are going blow-for-blow in the center of the cage. Nice right hand from Camozzi. Calf kick from Camozzi Uppercut lands for Camozzi and Sordi is bloodied up from his nose. Sordi connects with a two-punch combo and Camozzi goes for the clinch. Sordi lands a takedown and is in full mount. Sordi starting to pile on the punishment and he takes Camozzi’s back. Sordi looking for the rear-naked choke. It’s in and Camozzi trying to fight it off. Sordi is squeezing away and Camozzi is free for now. Sordi looking for the choke again. Sordi lands a huge shot from top position as he doesn’t give up in his efforts to score the rear-naked choke win. Camozzi survives the round. 10-9 Sordi
Round 2: Sordi lands a stiff right hand to start off the round. Camozzi rushes in and starts unloading strikes and connects on a nice shot to the body. Sordi eats them up and they are back to the center of the cage exchanging strikes. They exchange and Sordi seems to slip, but was aided by an inside low kick from Camozzi, who dives in and is in half control. Camozzi landing some hammer fists, the best position he’s had the entire fight. Hammer fists from Camozzi. Sordi is just trying to survive this onslaught but doesn’t seem to be in real danger. Back to the feet and Sordi takes Camozzi down. Ground and pound from Sordi. Sordi gets back to his feet and goes right back into half guard. Now Camozzi gets back to his feet and lands two clean shots on Sordi, who was on his knees. Back up to the feet and Camozzi is looking for a guillotine. He takes Sordi back down and lands several hammer fists to close out the round. 10-9 Camozzi.
Round 3: Camozzi whiffs on an inside leg kick. Sordi tags Camozzi with a huge right hand and drops him. Sordi jumps into side control. Now in mount and he starts unloading some bombs from top position. Camozzi is in trouble here and he gives up his back. Sordi somehow gets back to half guard and drops some hammer fists on Camozzi’s face. Camozzi needs to get out of this if he wants any chance of winning. Sordi in complete control, but is still looking for the finish. In side control now. Sordi drags Camozzi up against the cage and Camozzi just can’t break free. 90 seconds left in the fight and Sordi is in cruise control in the the round. Camozzi gets back to his feet but is taken down again. Sordi in full mount once again and starts dropping down the punishment as the round comes to an end. 10-9 Sordi
Final Result: Sordi defeats Camozzi via unanimous decision
For more on PFL and its upcoming season, click here.