Phil Davis secured a knockout win at PFL 4, returning to his winning ways with a dominant performance.
This victory marked his first finish since October 2019, as he decisively defeated Rob Wilkinson in the first round of the light heavyweight tournament.
Davis initiated the fight with a combination and body kick, immediately threatening a takedown as Wilkinson advanced. Although Wilkinson managed to stun Davis with a right hand late in the opening round, Davis came out in the second determined to capitalize.
“Mr. Wonderful” landed a precise right hand that visibly rocked Wilkinson, quickly following up with another punch that sent the former PFL champion to the canvas. Davis continued with ground strikes until the referee halted the contest just a minute into the second round. This marked Davis`s first knockout victory since his win over Karl Albrektsson at Bellator 231 on Oct. 25, 2019.
Light Heavyweight Semifinals
Following his win, Davis is now slated to face Sullivan Cauley in the semifinals. Cauley secured his spot by finishing last-minute replacement Alex Polizzi in rapid fashion, earning a TKO victory in just 96 seconds with brutal elbows from a cage position after Polizzi attempted a takedown.
In the other light heavyweight semifinal bout, former PFL season champion Antonio Carlos Junior is set to compete against Simeon Powell.
“Shoeface” wasted no time in taking Karl Moore to the ground with a single-leg takedown. While working from half guard, Moore attempted to stand, and Junior landed an illegal knee to the head while Moore still had a knee on the canvas. After reviewing the replay, the referee opted for a stern warning rather than a point deduction.
Another replay was required in the second round after Junior claimed a low blow, but the video confirmed the knee was legal, and the fight resumed. Junior landed a solid right hand before securing another single-leg takedown, controlling the remainder of the round from half guard. Moore desperately needed a finish in the third round and found some success against a fatigued Junior, but ultimately couldn`t stop the Brazilian, who advanced via split decision.
Powell earned his place in the semifinal by dismantling Karl Albrektsson, securing a knockout in the second round of their contest. Albrektsson had a stronger start, landing cleaner strikes, but Powell ended the first round with impactful elbows from the clinch. Powell continued his effective clinch work and elbows in the second round, leading to the stoppage victory over Albrektsson.
Heavyweight Quarterfinals & Semifinals
The PFL 4 co-main event featured a heavyweight quarterfinal clash between former interim Bellator champion Valentin Moldavsky and fellow Russian Sergey Bilostenniy. Despite a brief pause mid-fight due to a power outage, both heavyweights maintained a surprisingly high pace throughout the fight.
Moldavsky momentarily hurt Bilostenniy with strikes but was immediately tagged in return, appearing hurt himself. Bilostenniy fired a series of punches but couldn`t secure the finish. The striking battle continued, but Moldavsky changed his gameplan in the final round, focusing on clinching without landing significant strikes or pursuing takedowns. The fight went the distance, with all three judges scoring it 29-28 in favor of Moldavsky, resulting in a unanimous decision win.
Moldavsky will now face Alexandr Romanov in the semifinals. Romanov, a fellow UFC veteran, quickly defeated Tim Johnson in their quarterfinal bout. Romanov secured a standing guillotine choke against the cage, actually lifting Johnson off the ground before he quickly tapped out. This was Romanov`s 11th submission victory as a professional.
On the opposite side of the heavyweight tournament bracket, fellow UFC veteran Rodrigo Nascimento advanced in his PFL debut and will now face Oleg Popov in the semifinals.
Abraham Bably dominated the opening round against Nascimento, landing heavy punches and attacking the body from the clinch, noticeably affecting the Brazilian. Bably`s pace slowed in the second and third rounds, although Nascimento`s nose was bloody. However, Nascimento connected with more effective strikes overall and earned the nod on two of the three scorecards for a decision victory.
Oleg Popov relied on his wrestling to secure his spot in the semifinals against Karl Williams. Popov spent the first round attempting takedowns and finally managed to get Williams down in the final seconds. Williams defended better against takedown attempts in the second round but struggled to stay free from Popov`s control in the latter half of the fight. While Williams landed the better strikes when standing, the judges declared Popov the winner via split decision, improving his professional record to 20-2.
Oliver Croft