Antonio Carlos Junior advanced in the PFL light heavyweight tournament by securing a decision win against Karl Moore in May. However, the fact that one judge scored the bout in favor of his opponent caused him concern.
Judge Marcel Varela awarded rounds two and three to Moore, leading to a 29-28 score for Moore, while fellow judges Jason Grenier and Troy Wincapaw disagreed with Varela`s score for the second round. While “Shoeface” was pleased to get the win, he expressed a desire for changes in the sport to avoid what he described as an incorrect decision.
“I was a bit worried about the score given by one of the judges,” Junior commented. “When they announced split decision, I even laughed. I thought, ‘No way. What fight was that judge actually watching?’ I was genuinely concerned about it.”
Junior felt he largely controlled the fight, only “slowing down” during the third round, which he believed justified a fair 29-28 score in his favor. Despite viewing the victory as a positive outcome and a solid performance after being away from competition for nearly a year, the Brazilian athlete hopes North American athletic commissions will improve the training of judges.
According to the record-keeping website MMA Decisions, Varela judged only two fights that went the full distance in 2025. Varela was more active between 2021 and 2023, submitting scores for 58 decisions, but has officiated only four times in the last eighteen months.
“Obviously, you want to finish your opponents, especially in a tournament format where you have short turnaround times between fights, but the level of competition is incredibly high,” Junior stated. “We are talking about top-tier MMA, fighters with extensive experience, athletes who are highly skilled both technically and strategically. Sometimes it’s difficult to get a finish; sometimes the fight is very close. It is essential to have qualified judges, individuals who are truly committed to the role, perhaps even former fighters, because occasionally it seems like some people don`t understand what they are doing. I was honestly quite scared.”
As the PFL light heavyweight tournament champion from 2021, Junior is set to face Simeon Powell this Friday at PFL 7 in Chicago. The American Top Team veteran is confident he is ready for a fifteen-minute battle but anticipates finishing the fight.
“He primarily relies on striking, possessing excellent striking abilities and significant reach. He knows how to manage distance effectively, move well, and utilize his legs,” Junior said when discussing Powell. “That makes him quite dangerous. The strategy is to force him to move backward. I’ve observed that he tends to box more and attack when moving forward, so I will not give him much space to find his rhythm in the fight. He is not as experienced but holds a good record, so we must be intelligent. I am confident we will secure a submission victory against him.”
If he wins on Friday, “Shoeface” will advance to the $500,000 final to face the winner of the PFL 7 co-main event bout between Phil Davis and Sullivan Cauley.
“He is undeniably the favorite, there`s no way around that,” Junior remarked about Davis. “He was a Bellator champion and competed in the UFC. He is forty years old now, a little older, but remains in excellent physical condition. He has competed against outstanding opponents and demonstrated superiority, even achieving a knockout in his recent fight against Rob Wilkinson. Logic suggests Phil Davis will emerge victorious, but this is MMA. You can never be certain what will occur, but I expect Phil Davis to come through from the other side of the bracket.”
Neville Whittle 
Oliver Croft