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October 31, 2019 – Mandalay Bay Events Center
ESPN+ 5-8p ET ESPN2 8-11p ET
The 2019 Professional Fighters League playoffs continue this Thursday, as the light heavyweight and heavyweight divisions take to the cage. The contenders will have to fight twice in the same night (in quarterfinals and semifinals).
At the end of the night, two fighters will remain in both divisions. Those finalists will advance to the 2019 PFL World Championship on New Year’s Eve where they’ll compete for $1 million and their division title. Here’s a look at the light heavyweight quarterfinal matchups.
Light Heavyweight Quarterfinals
#1 Emiliano Sordi vs. #8 Sigi Pesaleli
Emiliano Sordi
1 - How He Got Here
Sordi made a big statement in the regular season, winning both of his fights by knockout, including a 2nd round TKO of last year’s runner-up Vinny Magalhaes.
2 - How He Plans To Win
Sordi has momentum and a major advantage in experience – 27 career fights to Pesaleli’s 5. Sordi could end this with a power punch at any point, and he showed that he be patient and fight smart in his win over Magalhaes. All 19 of Sordi’s wins came by stoppage, including 14 knockouts.
3 - What Could Go Wrong
If Pesaleli can successfully kickbox Sordi, then that could neutralize the Argentine’s power and make this an even striking showdown.
Sigi Pesaleli
1 - How He Got Here
Pesaleli made the playoffs courtesy of a walkover win after his first opponent, Ronny Markes, missed weight. Pesaleli went on to fight Markes anyway in search of bonus points, but was knocked out in the 2nd round. Pesaleli went the distance with Jordan Johnson in his second fight, but lost by unanimous decision.
2 - How He Plans To Win
While Pesaleli is only 25 years old and has just 5 career MMA fights, he has a wealth of kickboxing experience – 30 fights. He’ll look to turn this into a kickboxing fight early.
3 - What Could Go Wrong
Sordi can end this fight with a power punch at any point, but he could also choose to take Pesaleli down, where the Kiwi would be outmatched on the ground.
#4 Bozigit Ataev vs. #5 Viktor Nemkov
Bozigit Ataev
1 - How He Got Here
Ataev started the season with a big 1st round knockout of Dan Spohn, who had defeated him during the 2018 season. That high was followed by a low, as Ataev was knocked out in the 1st round by Emiliano Sordi.
2 - How He Plans To Win
Even at 39 years old, Ataev has tremendous power and speed. If he can keep the fight standing, he can put those skills on display and look to add to his tally of 15 career knockouts.
3 - What Could Go Wrong
Nemkov is a combat sambo specialist. If he gets Ataev to the ground, “Volk” could see his playoffs end in the same fashion they did last season, by submission. In the 2018 semifinals, Ataev was submitted in the 1st round by Vinny Magalhaes.
Viktor Nemkov
1 - How He Got Here
Nemkov is extremely well-rounded and his combat sambo background showed in his fights. He wasn’t flashy, but he beat both of his regular season opponents by decision (Rakim Cleveland by unanimous decision and Rashid Yusupov by split decision). It was only the second loss of Yusupov’s career.
2 - How He Plans To Win
Nemkov will want to get in close to Ataev, either taking him down or fighting in the clinch. Nemkov has 12 wins by submission. He’ll likely look for another one here.
3 - What Could Go Wrong
Ataev can end this fight with one combination at any time. Nemkov has only been knocked out once in his career, but this could be the second if he’s not smart.
#2 Maxim Grishin vs. #7 Jordan Johnson
Maxim Grishin
1 - How He Got Here
Grishin got his division-leading 29th and 30th career wins during the regular season, and he did so impressively. Grishin handed Jordan Johnson his first career loss and then knocked out Mikhail Mokhnatkin in the 1st round.
2 - How He Plans To Win
Grishin already defeated Johnson once. The formula that worked the first time could work again. Grishin kept it long, tried to stay on his feet and used his powerful left hand to drop Johnson. That knockdown likely swung the momentum in his favor with the judges the first time around.
3 - What Could Go Wrong
In the quarterfinals last season, Grishin came out slow and was eliminated after the tiebreaker went to his opponent Smealinho Rama. If he comes out slow against Johnson, he could end up on the ground with a very talented wrestler.
Jordan Johnson
1 - How He Got Here
Johnson entered the PFL at 10-0 and was coming off a 4-0 run with the UFC. Then he lost his PFL debut to Grishin. The former University of Iowa wrestler rebounded in his next fight to defeat Sigi Pesaleli by unanimous decision.
2 - How He Plans To Win
Johnson needs to take Grishin down and try to finish the fight on the ground. Simply laying on him won’t be enough, as we saw with other quarterfinals in the playoffs. He must stay active on the ground and be aggressive with his ground-and-pound.
3 - What Could Go Wrong
If Johnson can’t close the distance and use his wrestling, he could be dropped like he was in their first matchup.
#3 Vinny Magalhaes vs. #6 Rashid Yusupov
Vinny Magalhaes
1 - How He Got Here
Magalhaes entered this year looking to win the title that he fell short of last season, but the Brazilian started the season by losing a second straight fight by knockout, this time to Emiliano Sordi (lost the championship last season by 3rd round TKO). In a win-or-go-home scenario, Magalhaes then reminded the league that he remains one of the most dangerous finishers in the sport, as he submitted Rakim Cleveland in the 1st round by armbar.
2 - How He Plans To Win
The formula is simple, but not easy, for Magalhaes. Get Yusupov to the ground and secure the submission. He would be the first to submit Yusupov if he can pull it off. All 5 of Magalhaes’s PFL wins over the last 2 seasons have come in the first 2 minutes of the fight, so as soon as that bell rings pay attention.
3 - What Could Go Wrong
Yusupov’s wrestling could be strong enough to fight off takedowns, and he certainly has the power to follow the path that O’Connell and Sordi paved to beating Magalhaes by knockout.
Rashid Yusupov
1 - How He Got Here
To begin the 2019 season, Yusupov entered the cage for the first time since a broken jaw ended his 2018 campaign. He got a unanimous decision win over Mikhail Mokhnatkin right out of the gate. A split decision loss to Viktor Nemkov in his second fight knocked him down the standings, but he still made it in.
2 - How He Plans To Win
Stays on his feet, avoids the Magalhaes takedowns, and outstrikes the Brazilian.
3 - What Could Go Wrong
Magalhaes is a Brazilian jiu jitsu world champion, and his world class skills could be too much for Yusupov to defend. The Russian could fall victim to a quick or gradual takedown, and then he’s in big trouble. Magalhaes has a diverse arsenal of submissions that he can secure from a variety of positions.
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