Brendan Loughnane earns top seed in PFL Featherweight Playoffs with second-round stoppage

2024 PFL Welterweight Semifinals
#1 Shamil Musaev vs. #4 Murad Ramazanov
#2 Magomed Umalatov vs. #3 Don Madge

2024 PFL Featherweight Semifinals
#1 Brendan Loughnane vs. #4 Kai Kamaka
#2 Gabriel Braga vs. #3 Timur Khizriev

2024 PFL Global Season action continues with the 2024 PFL Playoffs Friday, August 2 from Nashville, Tennessee across ESPN platforms in the U.S. and via DAZN in Canada, Europe, and additional premium sports platforms internationally.

The Professional Fighters League (PFL) concluded the 2024 PFL Global Season with action from the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The eleven-fight card featured the Welterweight and Featherweight divisions.

In the main event of the evening, 2022 PFL Featherweight Champion Brendan Loughnane continued his quest for a second PFL title, defeating Justin Gonzales via TKO with a vicious knee strike in the second round. The victory sets Loughnane as the top seed in the Featherweight division heading into the 2024 PFL Playoffs.

The evening’s co-main event featured South Dakota native and former Bellator Interim Welterweight Champion Logan Storley facing off with Moldova’s Luca Poclit. The Welterweights displayed their technical wrestling prowess over three rounds of trading submission attempts. In the end, the fans in Sioux Falls celebrated a unanimous decision victory for Storley.

The night continued with undefeated Russian standout Magomed “Prince” Umalatov taking on Bellator veteran “Irish” Brennan Ward in a Welterweight Regular Season matchup. Umalatov, undefeated as a professional, made quick work of Ward, submitting him with an anaconda choke in the first round and clinching a 2024 PFL Global Season Playoff berth. Post fight Ward announced he is stepping away from MMA after a stellar career.

In a battle of former PFL finalists, Gabriel Braga, the 2023 PFL Featherweight Runner-up, took on 2022 Runner-Up, Bubba Jenkins. Both men were looking for PFL Playoff returns, ultimately it was Braga who ended the bout in the second round via technical knockout, securing a spot in the PFL Playoffs.

Lorenz “Da Monsoon” Larkin emphatically stopped Alan “Tiburón Blanco” Dominguez in his PFL debut, with both men trading blows before Larkin defeated Dominguez via TKO in the first round and moving his career record to 26-8.

“The 2024 PFL Global Season has been the biggest and toughest to date with the addition of athletes from Bellator and PFL Europe,” said PFL CEO Peter Murray. “After six action-packed events we now proceed to the 2024 PFL Global Season Playoffs where every fight is a must-win on the road to PFL championship glory and $1 million.”

“Tonight our final eight athletes qualified for the 2024 PFL Global Season Playoffs in a night of great PFL action,” said Ray Sefo, President of Fighter Operations at PFL. “We look forward to the start of the PFL Postseason on August 2.”

The action-packed night of Welterweight action continued in a battle between Murad Ramazanov and Shamil Musaev. Musaev handed Ramazanov the first loss of his professional career while remaining undefeated, scoring a 2nd round TKO. In victory, Musaev will enter the 2024 PFL Global Season Playoffs as the number one seeded Welterweight.

Featherweight Regular Season action continued with Kai Kamaka facing Pedro Carvalho. Kamaka outlasted Carvalho winning by a unanimous decision. The victory was the 14th of Kamaka’s career.

Goiti Yamauchi took on Andrey Koreshkov in a Welterweight Regular Season matchup. It was Koreshkov who left the PFL SmartCage as the winner by unanimous decision.

In Featherweight Season action Timur Khizriev faced Enrique Barzola. Both men put their fighting talents on display, but it was Khizriev who ended the night victorious via unanimous decision.

In a Welterweight Regular Season matchup, South Africa’s Don Madge collided with Brazilian submission ace Neiman Gracie. Both competitors traded blows until the final bell, with Gracie being deemed the victor by unanimous decision. Madge however will continue his journey earning a place in the 2024 PFL Global Season Playoffs.

Tyler Diamond took on Brett Johns in Featherweight Regular Season action. Diamond, who took this fight on short notice, battled Johns for three rounds, coming away with a unanimous decision. Diamond moves his career record to 14-3.

The 2024 PFL Global Season continues with 2024 PFL Playoff action in the Heavyweight and Women’s Flyweight divisions, Friday, August 2 from the Nashville Municipal Auditorium in Nashville Tennessee, across ESPN platforms in the U.S. and via DAZN in Canada, Europe, and additional premium sports platforms internationally.

All 2024 PFL Global Season events are live across ESPN platforms in the U.S. and DAZN in Canada and Europe with additional international premium sports platform distribution reaching 150 countries globally.

COMPLETE RESULTS:

PFL Sioux Falls Main Card Results:

Brendan Loughnane (29-5) def. Justin Gonzales (14-5) by 2nd round TKO (3:34)

Logan Storley (16-3) def. Luca Poclit (10-2) by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28×2)

Magomed Umalatov (16-0) def. Brennan Ward (17-9) by 1st round submission (3:43)

Gabriel Braga (14-1) def. Bubba Jenkins (21-9) by 2nd round TKO (1:48)

Early Card Results:

Lorenz Larkin (26-8, 2 NC) def. Alan Dominguez (11-7) by 1st round TKO (4:46)

Shamil Musaev (18-0-1) def. Murad Ramazanov (12-1, 1 NC) by 2nd round TKO (1:51)

Kai Kamaka (14-5-1) def. Pedro Carvalho (13-10) by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)

Andrey Koreshkov (22-5) def. Goiti Yamauchi (29-7) by unanimous decision (29-27×2, 29-28)

Timur Khizriev (16-0) def. Enrique Barzola (20-9-2) by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Neiman Gracie (13-5) def. Don Madge (11-5-1) by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Tyler Diamond (14-3) def. Brett Johns (20-5) by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Staff Report

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