The second event of the PFL season delivered some exciting moments and early tournament shake-ups.
Held on Friday night at Universal Studios Florida in Orlando, PFL 2 featured the initial rounds of the bantamweight and women`s flyweight tournaments. The event saw a couple of tournament favorites unexpectedly eliminated from the competition early on.
In the main event, late-notice replacement Marcirley Alves pulled off a significant upset, earning a split decision victory over former Bellator title challenger Leandro Higo. Alves, who was originally slated for an alternate bout and stepped in as Higo`s second replacement opponent, made the most of his opportunity. He showcased impressive takedown defense and sharp, powerful striking that seemed to keep Higo off balance throughout the fight.
Alves is scheduled to face prelim winner Jake Hadley in the next round of the tournament. While Alves won the main event, `White Kong` arguably stole the show. The former Cage Warriors flyweight champion secured a rare Scottish Twister submission in the third round of his fight against Mattheus Mattos. Hadley appears to be finding his form in his PFL debut after a challenging run in the UFC, becoming only the second fighter in PFL history to successfully land this unique submission, following Stevie Ray.
In the co-main event, Liz Carmouche quickly dispatched Ilara Joanne to advance to the semifinals of the women`s flyweight tournament. Carmouche had previously expressed a desire for a body shot finish, and she achieved exactly that, flooring Joanne with a knee to the body and following up with more strikes to secure a first-round TKO stoppage.
Carmouche`s next opponent will be Elora Dana, who earned her spot by submitting Diana Avsaragova with a neck crank in the event`s opening bout.
Also on the main card, Mando Gutierrez and Justin Wetzell won their initial tournament matches. Gutierrez submitted Francesco Nuzzi with a first-round rear-naked choke, while Wetzell controlled Kasum Kasumov to earn a unanimous decision victory. Gutierrez and Wetzell are set to face each other in the semifinals this June.
The featured preliminary bout saw another upset, with former Bellator women`s flyweight champion Juliana Velasquez suffering a dominant defeat against Ekaterina Shakalova. Velasquez tapped out to a rear-naked choke just over two minutes into their fight.
Shakalova will advance to face Jena Bishop in the next round of the women`s flyweight tournament. Bishop earned her spot by winning a hard-fought decision against Kana Watanabe earlier on the card.
Here are the full results from PFL 2:
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