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6 championship fights. Six lifetime-changing $1 million paydays.
The PFL closes out its 2021 year Wednesday night time at the Seminole Hard Rock Lodge Casino in Hollywood, Florida (4:30 p.m. ET on ESPN+, 8 p.m. ET on ESPN2/ESPN+), with the PFL Environment Championships internet hosting the superior-stakes finals in a 50 percent-dozen pounds lessons and a handful of other showcase fights. Every winner earns pockets the champion’s prize and a gold PFL championship belt.
The evening’s headliner is aware a matter or two about gold. Kayla Harrison received gold medals in judo at both equally the 2012 and 2016 Olympics. She also captured the PFL women’s light-weight title in 2019, the promotion’s most modern year. When she faces Taylor Guardado on the ultimate action of her pursuit of a second straight championship, Harrison will be a huge preferred — 16-1 at Caesars Sportsbook, and as high as 30-1 somewhere else.
8 p.m. ET, ESPN2/ESPN+
■ Women’s light-weight championship: Kayla Harrison vs. Taylor Guardado
■ Welterweight championship: Ray Cooper III vs. Magomed Magomedkerimov
■ Claressa Shields vs. Abigail Montes
■ Heavyweight championship: Bruno Cappelozza vs. Ante Delija
■ Featherweight championship: Movlid Khaybulaev vs. Chris Wade
4:30 p.m. ET, ESPN+
■ Light heavyweight championship: Antonio Carlos Jr. vs. Marthin Hamlet
■ Men’s light-weight championship: Loik Radzhabov vs. Raush Manfio
■ Omari Akhmedov vs. Jordan Youthful
■ Julia Budd vs. Kaitlin Younger
■ Don Madge vs. Nate Williams
The women’s light-weight division is the star of this demonstrate in numerous means. Aside from Harrison’s presumed coronation, two other bouts at 155 kilos element champions from across the beat sports spectrum.
Creating her PFL debut will be freshly signed Julia Budd. The 38-year-aged, from Canada, is the former Bellator featherweight champ, and faces Kaitlin Younger in her PFL debut. She’s misplaced just 3 moments in her vocation — to Ronda Rousey, Amanda Nunes and Cris Cyborg — so let us just say Budd is undefeated other than from the Mount Rushmore of women’s MMA.
Claressa Shields has a glittery pedigree, albeit in boxing, where by she is an undefeated boxing champion, the very first boxer to grow to be an undisputed environment champion in two divisions in the 4-belt period, and presently No. 2 in the ESPN women’s pound-for-pound rankings.
Like Harrison, Shields gained gold at the 2012 Olympics. She produced her MMA debut in June, weathering early problems ahead of scoring a third-spherical TKO above Brittney Elkin. Now Shields is back again, going through Abigail Montes.
Will Budd and Shields increase a bigger amount of competition for Harrison following season? Will Harrison, whose PFL deal expires after Wednesday’s ultimate, even nevertheless be right here? All those are queries for a different working day. For now, these 6 championship fights are what is actually most critical.
1:35
Kayla Harrison speaks about her pending free agency soon after the 2021 PFL Globe Championships.
Women’s lightweight: Kayla Harrison (11-) vs. Taylor Guardado (3-1)
How Harrison got here: conquer Mariana Morais by TKO1 beat Cindy Dandois by Sub1 conquer Genah Fabian by TKO1.
How Guardado bought right here: beat Olena Kolesnyk by UD beat Laura Sanchez by UD beat Mariana Morais by SD.
What to be expecting: Guardado is a serious fighter with a skill set much better than the meager figures beside her title, but she is about to stage in with the most dominant power in the recreation. Certain, that designation is in component because of to the comparatively shallow expertise pool in Harrison’s weight course. But one are not able to assistance but see that with every struggle, the defending champ receives improved, rounding out her recreation past her clear grappling gain. Nonetheless, Guardado should do all she can to maintain this a person standing if she hopes to keep it competitive.
Magomed Magomedkerimov defeated Ray Cooper in their bout at the 2018 PFL finals. PFL
Welterweight: Ray Cooper III (23-7-1) vs. Magomed Magomedkerimov (29-5)
How Magomedkerimov obtained right here: conquer Curtis Millender by Sub1 beat Sadibou Sy by UD.
How Cooper got in this article: beat Jason Ponet by Sub1 beat Nikolai Alksakhin by UD conquer Rory MacDonald by UD.
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What to count on: Cooper has to be at the pretty top of self-assurance right now, coming off a domineering victory around MacDonald, the prized signee brought in to include star electrical power to a division that Cooper, the 2019 champion, considers his individual. Now he faces a further prime-of-the-mountain claimant. Magomedkerimov defeated Cooper in the 2018 ultimate and was derailed by personal injury the following year even though headed towards a rematch — a switch of situations that denied the Hawaiian the redemption he’d hoped would accompany the title belt.
When I spoke with Cooper right before this year, he talked about Magomedkerimov. When I spoke with Cooper suitable just before the MacDonald battle, he talked about Magomedkerimov. He got the closing matchup he wished. Now can Cooper sustain the patience that he acknowledges he did not demonstrate the first time these two fought?
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Movlid Khaybulaev all but secures his spot in the PFL featherweight championship with a significant takedown in Round 3 vs. Brendan Loughnane.
Featherweight: Movlid Khaybulaev (18–1) vs. Chris Wade (20-6)
How Khaybulaev bought right here: conquer Lazar Stojadinovic by UD defeat Lance Palmer by UD beat Brendan Loughnane by SD.
How Wade obtained below: defeat Anthony Dizy by UD conquer Arman Ospanov by TKO2 conquer Bubba Jenkins by UD.
What to assume: This division is going to have a new winner who will be the 145-pound roster’s focus on for all of 2022. Wade lived up to his swaggering confidence in August by outwrestling Jenkins, a former NCAA Division 1 national winner, but now he faces an opponent who’s a lot more effectively-rounded. Khaybulaev is explosive on his toes, and that sets up his takedowns. He is a trouble everywhere you go a combat may perhaps go.
1:11
Bruno Cappelozza overwhelms Ante Delija with a flurry of punches early in Round 1 for the convincing earn.
Heavyweight: Ante Delija (13-5) vs. Bruno Cappelozza (19-4)
How Delija bought here: dropped to Cappeloza by TKO1 defeat Chandler Cole by TKO1 beat Denis Goltsov by UD.
How Cappelozza received listed here: conquer Delija by TKO1 beat Muhammed DeReese by TKO1 defeat Jamelle Jones by TKO2.
What to expect: All a few of Cappelozza’s fights so much in 2021 have ended in knockouts — which include his time opener versus Delija, which lasted all of 46 seconds. The huge Brazilian is quickly and explosive. But right after getting a style of that electric power, Delija did a great occupation of shutting down a dangerous striker in his semifinal against Goltsov. He understands that the essential for him is handling putting assortment — both by functioning from length or crowding Cappelozza with clinches. Can Delija do what he understands he need to do?
Antonio Carlos Junior opened the 2021 PFL time with a 1st-spherical submission victory above Tom Lawlor, but the rest of his year has not absent as effortlessly. PFL
Gentle heavyweight: Antonio Carlos Junior (12-5) vs. Marthin Hamlet (8-2)
How Carlos Junior obtained below: defeat Tom Lawlor by Sub1 fought to a no contest with Vinny Magalhaes (accidental groin stroke, Round 1) conquer Emiliano Sordi by UD.
How Hamlet acquired listed here: defeat Dan Spohn by Sub2 lost to Cory Hendricks by Sub3 conquer Cezar Ferreira by TKO1 (damage).
What to hope: Carlos Junior is a many-time jiu-jitsu world champion, but will he even have an chance to present off his elite grappling? Hamlet’s toughness is as a wrestler, and substantial-amount wrestlers usually control in which a combat is fought. They defuse harmful strikers by smothering them on the canvas, and they retain grappling whizzes on their ft, where their submission games are nullified. Carlos Junior does have electrical power in his hands, and he probably is going to have to depend on it.
Loik Radzhabov (in purple) missing a split determination to Alexander Martinez through the PFL’s regular year. But in the rematch, Radzhabov clinched a location in the 2021 PFL light-weight division through unanimous conclusion. Cooper Neill / PFL
Light-weight: Loik Radzhabov (15-3-1) vs. Raush Manfio (14-3)
How Radzhabov acquired right here: shed to Alex Martinez by SD beat Akhmed Aliev by TKO1 defeat Martinez by UD.
How Manfio got here: defeat Joilton Lutterbach by SD beat Anthony Pettis by SD beat Clay Collard by UD.
What to count on: This is a matchup of beatable fighters who experienced several close fights on their way to the championship, which could convey about a stirring back again-and-forth. Manfio is skating on in particular thin ice. He bought to this ultimate on the toughness of two break up selections followed by a semifinal victory that, though unanimous on the judges’ scorecards, was a little bit of a head-scratcher. How did Collard not get his hand elevated back in August?
As for Radzhabov, he was on the mistaken conclusion of a break up determination to open the season, and his semifinal gain had some treacherous times. Who will be the final guy standing?
