The second PFL event of the season, held on Friday night at Universal Studios Florida in Orlando, delivered an action-packed card. PFL 2 featured the opening rounds of the bantamweight and women`s flyweight tournaments, and the competition wasted no time in seeing some pre-tournament favorites eliminated.
In the main event, Marcirley Alves stepped in on short notice and pulled off a significant upset, defeating former Bellator title challenger Leandro Higo via split decision. Alves, who was initially scheduled for an alternate bout and was Higo`s second replacement opponent, capitalized on the opportunity. He displayed effective takedown defense and sharp, powerful striking that seemed to keep Higo off balance throughout the fight.
Alves will face prelim winner Jake Hadley in the next round of the tournament. While Alves claimed the main event victory, Jake “White Kong” Hadley arguably stole the show with a rare submission. The former Cage Warriors flyweight champion secured a Scottish Twister submission against Mattheus Mattos in the third round. After a challenging period in the UFC, Hadley made a strong statement in his PFL debut, becoming just the second fighter in PFL history to successfully execute this uncommon submission, famously used by Stevie Ray.
The co-main event saw Liz Carmouche quickly advance to the semifinals of the women`s flyweight tournament by defeating Ilara Joanne. Carmouche had previously mentioned wanting a body shot finish, and she achieved precisely that, dropping Joanne with a knee to the body and following up with punches to secure a first-round technical knockout victory.
Carmouche`s next opponent will be Elora Dana, who advanced by submitting Diana Avsaragova with a neck crank in the evening`s opening bout.
Also on the main card, Mando Gutierrez and Justin Wetzell secured victories in their opening-round matches. Gutierrez submitted Francesco Nuzzi with a rear-naked choke in the first round, while Wetzell controlled Kasum Kasumov to earn a unanimous decision win. Gutierrez and Wetzell are now set to face each other in the semifinals scheduled for June.
A notable upset occurred in the featured preliminary fight when former Bellator women’s flyweight champion Juliana Velasquez was submitted by Ekaterina Shakalova. Shakalova secured a rear-naked choke just over two minutes into the fight, forcing the tap.
Shakalova will face Jena Bishop in the second round of the women’s flyweight tournament. Bishop won her earlier bout with a gritty unanimous decision victory over Kana Watanabe.Full PFL 2 Results:
Marcirley Alves def. Leandro Higo via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Liz Carmouche def. Ilara Joanne via TKO (knee and punches to the body) — Round 1, 1:25
Mando Gutierrez def. Francesco Nuzzi via submission (rear-naked choke) — Round 1, 4:13
Justin Wetzell def. Kasum Kasumov via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
Ekaterina Shakalova def. Julianna Velasquez via submission (rear-naked choke) — Round 1, 2:05
Jake Hadley def. Matheus Mattos via submission (Scottish twister) — Round 3, 2:16
Jena Bishop def. Kana Watanabe via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Elora Dana def. Diana Avsaragova via submission (neck crank) — Round 1, 4:48
Murray Blackwood