Tag: biaggio ali walsh

2024 PFL 8 Playoffs: Impa Kasanganay vs. Josh Silveira Live Results & Highlights

The 2024 PFL Playoffs continue on Friday night with the second of three semifinal events in the postseason, and MMA News has you covered with all the action! The Professional Fighters League is back this week, with the championship finals at light heavyweight and lightweight set to be be decided inside the Hard Rock Live in Hollywood, […]

Continue Reading 2024 PFL 8 Playoffs: Impa Kasanganay vs. Josh Silveira Live Results & Highlights at MMA News.

The 2024 PFL Playoffs continue on Friday night with the second of three semifinal events in the postseason, and MMA News has you covered with all the action!

The Professional Fighters League is back this week, with the championship finals at light heavyweight and lightweight set to be be decided inside the Hard Rock Live in Hollywood, Florida.

In the 205-pound main event, 2023 PFL kingpin Impa Kasanganay returns for the next step in his pursuit of back-to-back titles. And to reach a second consecutive final, “Tshilobo” must get again the better of his championship opponent from last year, Josh Silveira.

The winner of that contest will face either 2022 champ Robert Wilkinson or former Bellator fighter Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov with $1 million prize money and this year’s light heavyweight title on the line.

The lightweight bracket, meanwhile, includes Clay Collard’s attempt to make his second straight championship final and keep his hopes of a first title win alive. He’s tasked with getting past top seed Brent Primus, while Russia’s Gadzhi Rabadanov and Canada’s Michael Dufort will round out another international final four at 155 pounds.

Outside of semifinal action, notable names like Biaggio Ali Walsh and Danny Sabatello will also take to the SmartCage in “The Sunshine State.”

With tonight’s event underway, keep up with the live results below, followed by all the highlights as they come!

2024 PFL 8 Playoffs Results & Highlights

Main Card (9 PM ET, ESPN/ESPN+):

  • Light Heavyweight Semifinal Main Event: Impa Kasanganay vs. Josh Silveira
  • Light Heavyweight Semifinal Co-Main Event: Rob Wilkinson vs. Dovlet Yagshimuradov
  • Lightweight Semifinal: Gadzhi Rabadanov vs. Michael Dufort
  • Lightweight Semifinal: Brent Primus vs. Clay Collard
  • Lightweight: Biaggio Ali Walsh vs. Brian Stapleton

Preliminary Card:

  • Bantamweight: Danny Sabatello vs. Lazaro Dayron
  • Lightweight: Elvin Espinoza vs. Mads Burnell
  • Welterweight: Thad Jean vs. Chris Brown
  • Featherweight: Jordan Oliver def. Braydon Akeo via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
  • Women’s Featherweight: Michelle Montague def. Marilia Morais via submission (rear-naked choke): R1, 1:44

Michelle Montague Def. Marilia Morais

Jordan Oliver Def. Braydon Akeo

Continue Reading 2024 PFL 8 Playoffs: Impa Kasanganay vs. Josh Silveira Live Results & Highlights at MMA News.

2024 PFL 8 Playoffs: Impa Kasanganay vs. Josh Silveira Weigh-In Results

The 2024 PFL Playoffs will resume this Friday with matchups from the light heavyweight and lightweight divisions. Before the bouts can be official, the fighters must weigh in today. PFL will host the continuation of the playoffs at the Hard Rock Live in Hollywood, Florida. The main event is a light heavyweight rematch between Impa […]

Continue Reading 2024 PFL 8 Playoffs: Impa Kasanganay vs. Josh Silveira Weigh-In Results at MMA News.

The 2024 PFL Playoffs will resume this Friday with matchups from the light heavyweight and lightweight divisions. Before the bouts can be official, the fighters must weigh in today.

PFL will host the continuation of the playoffs at the Hard Rock Live in Hollywood, Florida. The main event is a light heavyweight rematch between Impa Kasanganay and Josh Silveira.

In their first clash, Kasanganay won by unanimous decision to become the 2023 PFL light heavyweight champion. The former UFC fighter found success by outpacing Silveira for five rounds to get the judges’ approval. Kasanganay comes into the fight after amassing 11 points to qualify for the playoffs and will target a win to secure a second straight championship finale. That said, his opponent will be motivated to avenge last year’s result and keep his hopes of moving on to the championship alive.

The co-main event, meanwhile, will feature Rob Wilkinson taking on Dovlet Yagshimuradov in another light heavyweight semifinal. Both fighters are on impressive win streaks and qualified for the playoffs tied with nine points in the regular season. Currently, DraftKings has 2022 champ Wilkinson as a slight favorite to advance to the next tournament round.

The PFL 8 preliminary card is expected to kick off the event at 6:30 PM ET/3:30 PM PT on ESPN+. The main card will air on ESPN and stream on ESPN+ at 9 PM ET/ 6 PM PT. 

PFL 8: Impa Kasanganay vs. Josh Silveira Weigh-In Results

(Fight Card Is Subject To Change)

Main Card (ESPN & ESPN+):

  • Light Heavyweight Semifinal: Impa Kasanganay vs. Josh Silveira
  • Light Heavyweight Semifinal: Rob Wilkinson vs. Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov
  • Lightweight Semifinal: Gadzhi Rabadanov vs. Michael Dufort
  • Lightweight Semifinal: Brent Primus vs. Clay Collard
  • Lightweight: Biaggio Ali Walsh vs. Brian Stapleton

Preliminary Card (ESPN+):

  • Bantamweight: Danny Sabatello vs. Lazaro Dayron
  • Lightweight: Mads Burnell vs. Elvin Espinoza
  • Light Heavyweight: Thad Jean vs. Chris Brown
  • Featherweight: Jordan Oliver vs. Braydon Akeo
  • Women’s Featherweight: Michelle Montague vs. Marilia Morais

Continue Reading 2024 PFL 8 Playoffs: Impa Kasanganay vs. Josh Silveira Weigh-In Results at MMA News.

Biaggio Ali Walsh scores decisive victory in professional MMA debut – PFL vs. Bellator Highlights

Biaggio Ali WalshBiaggio Ali Walsh, the grandson of legendary pugilist and civil rights activist Muhammad Ali, has earned his first win…

Biaggio Ali Walsh

Biaggio Ali Walsh, the grandson of legendary pugilist and civil rights activist Muhammad Ali, has earned his first win as a professional mixed martial artist.

After scoring six straight highlight-reel knockouts as an amateur, Ali Walsh made his pro debut as part of the PFL vs. Bellator prelim card on Saturday inside the Kingdom Arena in Saudi Arabia. Fight fans were expecting Ali Walsh to once again unleash his fists on his Argentinian challenger, Emmanuel Palacio.

Instead, Ali Walsh flexed his ground game, grinding out a dominant decision victory to get his career off on the right foot.

Official Result: Biaggio Ali Walsh def. Emmanuel Palacio via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Check out Highlights From Biaggio Ali Walsh vs. emmanuel palacio at PFL vs. Bellator:

PFL x Bellator Supercard Officially Set for February 24 in Riyadh Featuring Four Champion vs. Champion Fights

PFL x Bellator supercardThe PFL x Bellator supercard is officially set for February 24 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. A few short months…

PFL x Bellator supercard

The PFL x Bellator supercard is officially set for February 24 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

A few short months after the Professional Fighter League’s blockbuster announcement that it had acquired Bellator MMA, we now know when and where the highly anticipated event featuring PFL champions vs. Bellator champions will go down. According to a report from Ariel Helwani, the event will emanate from the Saudi Arabian capital next month with a slew of exciting fights.

In the main event of the evening, 2023 PFL heavyweight champion Renan Ferreira will take on Bellator MMA heavyweight titleholder Ryan ‘Darth’ Bader. In the co-main event, 2023 PFL light heavyweight champion Impa Kasanganay will face Bellator middleweight champion Johnny Eblen in a 185-pound fight.

Also announced for the main card is 2023 PFL featherweight champion Jesus Pinedo who will face Bellator featherweight champion Patricio Pitbull, and 2023 PFL welterweight champion Magomed Magomedkerimov will square off with Bellator welterweight champion Jason Jackson.

Rounding out the card will be a series of can’t-miss clashes, including former PFL heavyweight champion Bruno Cappelozza vs. Bellator light heavyweight champion Vadim Nemkov in a heavyweight bout. Clay Collard vs. A.J. McKee will go down in a lightweight scrap and fight fans will also be treated to a heavy-hitting affair as Thiago Santos meets Yoel Romero.

Also expected to feature on the card will be the return of women’s boxing ‘GWOAT’ Claressa Shields, and the pro mixed martial arts debut of Muhammad Ali’s grandson, Biaggio Ali Walsh.

Check out the full fight card below:

PFL vs. Bellator Main card (ESPN+ PPV at 3 p.m. ET):

  • Renan Ferreira vs. Ryan Bader
  • Impa Kasanganay vs. Johnny Eblen
  • Magomed Magomedkerimov vs. Jason Jackson
  • Jesus Pinedo vs. Patricio Pitbull
  • Bruno Cappelozza vs. Vadim Nemkov
  • Thiago Santos vs. Yoel Romero
  • Clay Collard vs. AJ McKee

Prelims (ESPN News/ESPN+ at 12:30 p.m. ET):

  • Gabriel Braga vs. Aaron Pico
  • Biaggio Ali Walsh vs. Chris Morris
  • Claressa Shields vs. Kelsey DeSantis
  • Abdullah Al-Qahtani vs. Edukondal Rao
  • Malik Basahel vs. Vinicius Pereira

As always, the card is subject to change.

Biaggio Ali Walsh, grandson of Muhammad Ali, scores early KO at PFL 2: ‘I want to create my own legacy’

Biaggio Ali WalshBiaggio Ali Walsh, the grandson of boxing legend Muhammad Ali, scored his third-straight first-round finish inside the PFL Smart Cage on Friday night. Biaggio Ali Walsh, 24, made his second appearance for the promotion after securing a highlight-reel-worthy knockout of Tom Graesser in just 45 seconds as part of the 2022 PFL Championship pay-per-view event […]

Biaggio Ali Walsh

Biaggio Ali Walsh, the grandson of boxing legend Muhammad Ali, scored his third-straight first-round finish inside the PFL Smart Cage on Friday night.

Biaggio Ali Walsh, 24, made his second appearance for the promotion after securing a highlight-reel-worthy knockout of Tom Graesser in just 45 seconds as part of the 2022 PFL Championship pay-per-view event last year. Walsh needed a little bit longer this time, but once again got the job done without seeing the second round. Stepping into the Smart Cage on Friday, Walsh was matched up with 1-1 fighter Isaiah Figueroa in a non-tournament amateur bout.

From the opening bell Biaggio Ali Walsh put on the pressure, pushing Figueroa to the fence before uncorking a vicious right hand that connected clean and rocked his opponent. Smelling blood in the water, Walsh showed great restraint, opting to pick his opponent apart with a more measured approach. It paid off as Walsh landed another brutal right hand, giving the referee no choice, but to step in and call for the stoppage just under the two-minute mark.

Biaggio Ali Walsh Determined to Create His Own Legacy

Following the victory, Biaggio Ali Walsh spoke with Sean O’Connell inside the Smart Cage, revealing that he was feeling a little tense in the early going.

“I started this fight off a little tense. Obviously nervous fighting in front of my hometown and everything so I had to relax for a second once I relaxed, that’s when I got everything adjusted,” Walsh revealed.

As far as what comes next, Walsh intends on staying busy by taking amateur fights until he feels comfortable turning pro.

“What’s next is I’m gonna fight again. After that, I’m going to fight again. And after that, I’m going to fight again. I’m going to keep fighting until I’m ready to turn pro,” Walsh continued.

Walsh admitted that being the grandson of one of the most famous sports figures of the 20th century brings an added level of pressure to perform, but he is determined to make a name for himself rather than rely on the legacy of a man known the world over as ‘The Greatest.’

“Make a name for myself. Create my own legacy. You know, every single fighter in the world wants to make their own name. Make their own legacy. I’m doing the exact same thing as any other fighter. I just have a famous grandfather is the only difference and with that, I get a little bit more pressure. A little more attention as well, but what happens in the cage is what really matters,” Walsh concluded.

Muhammad Ali’s Grandson Set For Second PFL Fight

Biaggio Ali Walsh, grandson of Muhammad Ali, is gearing up for a PFL Las Vegas event coming up in April. Before moving into the world of mixed martial arts, Ali Walsh was a collegiate American football player. He competed in the UNLV Rebels American fo…

Biaggio Ali Walsh, grandson of Muhammad Ali, is gearing up for a PFL Las Vegas event coming up in April. Before moving into the world of mixed martial arts, Ali Walsh was a collegiate American football player. He competed in the UNLV Rebels American football program at the University of Nevada. He will next be…

Continue Reading Muhammad Ali’s Grandson Set For Second PFL Fight at MMA News.