Savannah Marshall dazzles in pro MMA debut, setting up superfight with Claressa Shields
It was a memorable night for those in attendance at Utilita Arena in Newcastle, England on Saturday night, as they witnessed their hometown champion Savannah Marshall (1-0) successfully set aside the boxing gloves in her MMA debut, finishing Mirela Vargas in a wild 4:27 of action.
The undisputed super-middleweight boxing champion weathered multiple takedown attempts from her Brazilian foe, escaped submissions, and used her elite hand speed to force a stoppage from the referee to a raucous crowd who were treated to an electric round of mixed martial arts.
After the fight PFL athlete and longtime foe of Marshall, Claressa “The GWOAT” Shields entered the PFL SmartCage as the rivals teased a rematch under an MMA ruleset in the near future.
In the co-main event, Dylan Tuke (8-4) defeated Kane Mousah (14-7) in a unanimous decision as his grappling allowed him to control the fight and stifle the offense of the The Danger’s powerful weapons.
Further down the main card, Jack Grant (20-8) stunned the crowd with an incredible slam that sent Charlie Leary (17-14-1) head first into the canvas, with ground and pound to follow which sealed his victory in round one. Jack now advances to the PFL Europe Playoffs in Glasgow on 28th September at the OVO Hydro.
Lewis McGrillen (9-1) put all his MMA tools on display against Matiss Zaharovs (6-3) after a tense build-up ahead of the fight, and displayed his skillset to the Newcastle crowd to earn the unanimous decision.
In one of the standout finishes of the night, Shanelle Dyer (6-0) remained undefeated as she defeated her opponent Mariam Torchinava (9-3) in round one after a beautiful kicking display which ended in devastating fashion after landing a head kick that ended the fight in stunning fashion.
The Dagestani-born UK sensation Ibragim Ibragimov (7-0) made short work of his opponent Josh Reed (13-9) to prove once again why he is touted as a huge prospect by finishing the fight in under a minute via an arm triangle.
PFL Europe Newcastle Season Updates
Jack Grant faces Florim Zendeli in the Welterweight semifinals
Julien Lopez will face Alexander Luster in the Bantamweight semifinals
Karolina Wojcik will face Paulina Wisniewska in the Women’s Flyweight semifinals,
Shanelle Dyer faces Valentina Scatizzi in the Women’s Flyweight semifinals
Khurshed Kakhorov faces Dean Garnett in the Bantamweight semifinals. (Garnett earned a walkover win to advance to the playoffs after his opponent had to withdraw)
PFL Europe Newcastle Main Card Results:
Savannah Marshall (1-0) defeated Mirela Vargas (1-3) via TKO at 4:27 of round one
Dylan Tuke (8-4) defeated Kane Mousah (14-7) via unanimous decision (29-27 x2, 30-27)
Jack Grant (20-8) defeated Charlie Leary (17-14-1) via KO at :41 of round one – with the win, Grant advances to the he 2024 PFL Europe Welterweight Playoffs
Lewis McGrillen (9-1) defeated Matiss Zaharovs (6-3) via unanimous decision (29-28 x3)
Shanelle Dyer (5-0) defeated Mariam Torchinava (9-3) via KO at 3:53 of round one – with the win, Dyer advances to the 2024 PFL Europe Women’s Flyweight Playoffs
Preliminary Card Results:
Ibragim Ibragimov (7-0) defeated Josh Reed (13-9) via submission (head and arm triangle) at :50 of round one
Julien Lopez (135.4 lbs) defeated Dominique Wooding (135.7 lbs) via technical submission (guillotine choke) at 3:10 of round one – with the win, Lopez advances to the 2024 PFL Europe Bantamweight Playoffs
Karolina Wójcik (12-5) defeated Lizzy Gevers (3-2) via unanimous decision (29-28 x 3) – with the win, Wójcik advances to the 2024 PFL Europe Women’s Flyweight Playoffs
Claudio Pacella (4-2) defeated Mark Ewen (5-1) via unanimous decision (30-27 x2, 29-28)
Khurshed Kakhorov (13-1) defeated Tuomas Grönvall (12-7-1) via KO at 1:11 of round three – with the win, Kakhorov advances to the 2024 PFL Europe Bantamweight Playoffs
Valentina Scatizzi (3-2) defeated Marie Loiseau (6-5) via unanimous decision (30-27 x3) – with the win, Scatizzi advances to the 2024 PFL Europe Women’s Flyweight Playoffs
Ben Woolliss (4-0) defeated Nikola Ivanovic (0-8) via TKO at 4:02 of round one
Alexander Luster (8-1) defeated Alperen Karabulut (10-4) via submission (rear-naked choke) at 1:59 of round one – with the win, Luster advances to the 2024 PFL Europe Bantamweight Playoffs
Paulina Wiśniewska (3-0) defeated Dee Begley (4-6) via TKO at 3:08 of round two – with the win, Wiśniewska qualifies for the 2024 PFL Europe Playoffs
