PFL World Championships: Live results and analysis

HOLLYWOOD, Fla. — After a full season of PFL fights in six divisions, and a playoff win for each fighter remaining, 12 fighters will walk into the cage Wednesday at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida, with a chance to be a champion. Only six will end the night with a PFL gold title belt and a $1 million first-place payout.

Three fighters on the PFL World Championship (Live on ESPN2/ESPN+) card have been there before. Kayla Harrison has swept through the majority of two consecutive PFL seasons in the women’s lightweight division, and she has a chance to cap her second straight campaign as a PFL champion. The only person standing in her way is Taylor Guardado.

Magomed Magomedkerimov won the inaugural PFL welterweight champion in 2018, defeating Ray Cooper III in the finals. In 2019, with Magomedkerimov forced out midway through the playoffs, Cooper won that title. The long-awaited rematch will determine the PFL’s welterweight king in 2021.

In non-title action, ESPN’s No. 2 women’s pound-for-pound boxer Claressa Shields fights for the second time in the world of MMA, taking on Abigail Montes in a 155-pound showcase fight.

Mike Coppinger is in attendance, and he and Jeff Wagenheim will cover the action live. Follow along throughout the night for instant updates and analysis.

Fight in progress:

PFL women’s lightweight championship: Kayla Harrison vs. Taylor Guardado

PFL welterweight championship: No. 3 Ray Cooper III def. No. 4 Magomed Magomedkerimov by third-round KO

One thousand thirty two days. That’s how long Cooper’s loss to Magomedkerimov in the 2018 PFL final had gnawed at him. Even when Cooper won the 2019 championship, there was a bittersweet element to the finale because the victory did not come against Magomedkerimov.

Cooper wanted to make his comeback a memorable one. He sure did on this night.

After absorbing a terrible beating in Round 3 that put him on the threshold of being finished, Cooper mounted an inconceivable comeback — nailing Magomedov with a left hook that stood him up, directly in the path of a Cooper haymaker that laid out the Dagestani at 3:02.

Wooow what a comeback finish #PFLChampionships

— KAMARU USMAN (@USMAN84kg) October 28, 2021

Each man — each champion — had his way for significant stretches. Magomedkerimov controlled the first round with kicks and a late takedown, and Cooper took charge in the second with his wrestling and ground-and-pound. Then, early in the third, Magomedkerimov hurt Cooper with a right hand, landed several more as Cooper went on retreat, and appeared to be on the verge of finishing the Hawaiian when that left hand changed everything — and made Cooper a back-to-back champion.

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Abigail Montes picks up her third professional MMA win vs. boxing great Claressa Shields at the PFL championship.

Women’s lightweight showcase: Abigail Montes def. Claressa Shields by split decision

Shields suffered the first defeat of her professional fighting career Wednesday, as a fast start wasn’t enough to make up for Montes’ takedowns and ground control in Rounds 2 and 3.

In her second MMA fight, Shields was outpointed by Abigail Montes via split decision. One judge scored the fight for Shields, 29-28, while the other two judges scored it for Montes, 29-28.

At the end of their five-round heavyweight slugfest, Bruno Cappelozza (standing) and Ante Delija acknowledged one another. Cooper Neill / PFL

PFL heavyweight championship: No. 1 Bruno Cappelozza def. No. 3 Ante Delija by unanimous decision

In a bloody battle for the 2021 PFL heavyweight championship, Bruno Cappelozza unleashed tremendous damage on Ante Delija and ultimately won by unanimous decision.

Cappelozza (14-5) mauled Delija (19-5) in the opening round and appeared close to grabbing the finish, with the blooded fighter from Croatia flat on his back, absorbing punches. But Delija survived the round. Even as Cappelozza opened strong in Round 2, midway through that round, Delija stung Cappelozza and put him on the ground. There were several moments, as Delija dished out some ground and pound of his own, where it seemed he was only a moment or two from referee Keith Peterson stepping in to stop the fight.

But Cappelozza also refused to yield, and by the end of Round 2 he was back on top. Delija had brief moments throughout the rest of the fight, but Cappelozza controlled the majority of the action from there on out. Despite several other moments in which Cappelozza seemed to be on the brink of a finish, this heavyweight clash lasted all five round.

After the final bell, judges scored the fight 49-45, 49-45 and 48-46. It was the first time in 2021 that Cappelozza didn’t finish a fight, but he ended the PFL season the same way he started it — by defeating Delija.

Movlid Khaybulaev smothered Chris Wade for five rounds, on his way to a one-sided unanimous decision in the 2021 PFL featherweight final. Cooper Neill / PFL

PFL featherweight championship: No. 4 Movlid Khaybulaev def. No. 2 Chris Wade by unanimous decision

Khaybulaev outwrestled Wade for the entirety of their five-round fight to win the 2021 PFL featherweight championship in dominant fashion. The fight was scored a 50-45 shutout by all three judges.

When they were standing, Khaybulaev landed 110 strikes to 79 from Wade, spread evenly between Wade’s head, body and torso. But more importantly, he took Wade down eight times, while Wade, a wrestler by background, had no takedowns.

The 31-year-old Russian remains undefeated in his MMA career, moving to 19-0-1. Wade, a 34-year-old from Long Island, New York, falls to 20-7.

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Antonio Carlos Junior dominates the first round of his fight vs. Marthin Hamlet and submits him via rear-naked choke to win the PFL’s biggest prize.

PFL light heavyweight championship: No. 1 Antonio Carlos Junior def. No. 3 Marthin Hamlet by first-round submission (rear-naked choke)

Carlos Junior capped a life-changing eight-month stretch that started with his release from the UFC with a first-round tapout victory over Marthin Hamlet to claim the 2021 PFL light heavyweight championship.

The 31-year-old Brazilian connected with a powerful right hand and then jumped on Hamlet’s back, wrapping his legs around Hamlet’s body as he tried to position himself for a choke. Hamlet tried to shake Carlos, but as Hamlet spun towards his back and fell backwards, landing with his full weight on Carlos’ torso, Carlos was able to slide his arm underneath Hamlet’s neck, sinking in the rear-naked choke.

Hamlet quickly tapped out, ending the fight at 3:49 into the opening round.

Carlos won “The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil 3” heavyweight tournament, and fought 12 times in the UFC. He strung together a five-fight winning streak from September 2016 through April 2018, but a three-fight losing streak ended his tenure with the promotion. He’s now 13-5 after a 3-0 (1 NC) run in the 2021 PFL season. Hamlet, a 29-year-old from Norway, falls to 8-3 overall in his pro career.

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Raush Manfio is announced as the 2021 PFL lightweight champion and is visibly emotional, embracing his wife and son.

PFL lightweight championship: No. 3 Raush Manfio def. No. 1 Loik Radzhabov by unanimous decision

In a back-and-forth slugfest for the 2021 PFL lightweight championship, Manfio edged out Radzhabov by unanimous decision to claim his $1 million prize.

Manfio, a preseason alternate, pummeled Radzhabov in the fourth round of a fight mostly contested on their feet, as he continuously moved forward while Radzhabov moved slowly — his body showing the damage Manfio had inflicted, and his energy lagging. Overall, Manfio outlanded Radzhabov 112-106, and he won on all three judges’ scorecards (49-46, 48-46 and 48-46).

The 29-year-old Brazilian improved to 15-3 and finished the 2021 PFL season at 4-0. Radzhabov, a 31-year-old from Tajikistan who was also the lightweight runner-up in 2019, fell to 15-4-1 and concludes the season at 2-2.

Jordan Young was down on all three scorecards heading into Round 3, but a flurry of punches allowed him to earn a come-from-behind victory via TKO against Omari Akhmedov. Cooper Neill / PFL

Middleweight showcase: Jordan Young def. Omari Akhmedov by third-round TKO

In a tremendous comeback (and upset), Jordan Young scored a third-round TKO of Omari Akhmedov.

Young (12-2) was dominated over the first two rounds and down 20-18 on all three judges’ scorecards, before he finally let his hands go in the third. The 26-year-old from Urbandale, Iowa, unloaded with punches that landed cleanly before a stunned Akhmedov was dropped hard by a right uppercut.

Young immediately jumped on Akhmedov and landed a few more shots before the referee called it off at 1:32 of Round 3.

Akhmedov (21-7-1) landed at will over the first two rounds and, in Round 2, attempted to sink in a rear-naked choke. The 34-year-old from Russia was making his PFL debut after a lengthy run in the UFC and was a considerable betting favorite pre-fight at -550.

Kaitlin Young started strong against Julia Budd, but once Budd took over in the second half of the first round, she controlled the remainder of the fight. Cooper Neill / PFL

Women’s lightweight showcase: Julia Budd def. Kaitlin Young by unanimous decision

The buildup to Budd’s PFL debut had little to do with the former Bellator champion’s PFL debut. It was more focused on a hypothetical Budd matchup against the PFL’s biggest star, Kayla Harrison.

First things first, Budd did not exactly buzz through Young like she was an unchallenging stepping stone. Young got the better of the striking early on, in fact, but once Budd took the fight to the canvas late in the first round, it was her fight from that point on.

Budd, who is 38 and from British Columbia, spent the better part of the second and third rounds in control from top position on the mat, although she did not threaten a finish until the final seconds. Budd cruised to victory, sweeping all three rounds on all three judges’ scorecards (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) for her third win in a row.

Young, a 36-year-old from Shoreview, Minnesota, has lost two straight.

In his first fight since September 2019 — a win on the Khabib Nurmagomedov-Dustin Poirier-headlined UFC 242 pay-per-view — Don Madge earned his seventh straight victory. The second-round submission of Nate Williams came via rear-naked choke. Cooper Neill / PFL

Men’s lightweight showcase: Don Madge def. Nate Williams by second-round submission (rear-naked choke)

Madge is a former Muay Thai world champion, so obviously the way to beat a striking specialist like him is to take him to the canvas and … oh, wait.

Williams succeeded in getting Madge to the mat in Round 2, after the two had spent most of the first round on their feet. Williams was on top, starting to go to work, when Madge reversed position and efficiently put his opponent in a rear-naked choke to get the tapout at 2:15.

Both men were making their PFL debuts. Madge, a 30-year-old South African who came over from the UFC but had not competed in over two years, has won seven in a row. Williams, who is 34 and from Stone Mountain, Georgia, has lost two of his last three.