Photo courtesy of PFL MMA
Joao Zeferino Picks Gleison Tibau Apart To UD Victory At PFL 2 – 2021
PFL returns for their second consecutive week tonight, April 29, 2021, for PFL II – 2021, showcasing their welterweight and light-heavyweight talents.
Headlining the event is a welterweight clash between former UFC welterweight title challenger and former two-time Bellator welterweight champion Rory MacDonald, who faces former three-time FCOC welterweight champion Curtis Millender.
Co-headlining the event is returning welterweight champion Ray Cooper III, who won his 2019 season with a TKO victory of David Michaud, the man who was expected to face MacDonald tonight, before heart complications unfortunately arose.
The second bout on the main card, following a great light-heavyweight clash between Emiliano Sordi and Chris Camozzi, came in the welterweight division between UFC veteran Gleison Tibau and fellow experienced Brazilian Joao Zeferino.
Tibau has more experience than just about anybody in the sport, he’s fought the best for a considerable amount of time. Don’t let that fool you though, Zeferino has also fought some of the best, and he’s 3-1 in PFL thus far with his only defeat coming via split decision.
Tibau is coming off back-to-back victories over The Ultimate Fighter 8 winner Efrain Escudero and former four-time Bellator lightweight champion Will Brooks, while Zeferino is coming off three-straight victories himself.
Continue reading to see how this welterweight bout went down:
Official Result: Joao Zeferino def. Gleison Tibau via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Round 1
Zeferino comes out head-hunting, trying hard for the right cross, the same one he probably saw Islam Makhachev KO Tibau with. He threw a couple hard body kicks as well, and a switch kick to the head that just barely missed.
Tibau is holding his own, including stuffing Zeferino’s lone takedown attempt, where he was held inside of an over-under body lock for about two minutes but he lost the first.
Round 2
Tibau comes out with a powerful double-leg takedown to start round two. He remains on top for about 30 seconds before Zeferino is back to his feet, throwing that same right cross.
Zeferino is landing it a good amount, but despite being 37 years old and having taken damage from so many high level fighters, it appears Tibau is much more durable at 170 lbs.
As the commentators have stated, this fight is very much an extended feeling out process.
Round 3
The start of round three is looking very similar to the first two rounds.
About three minutes in and Zeferino slips, but it almost looked like Tibau cracked him. Immediately following, Tibau ran into him, ate a hard right cross, and was stumbled backwards.
Neither of these men really looked too great tonight. Zeferino out-struck Tibau throughout, but Tibau made him miss a lot, while not doing a whole lot himself.
Tibau tries for one last takedown attempt, but is denied and we go to the judges scorecards.
