The second event of the PFL season brought significant action and surprises, particularly in the initial rounds of the bantamweight and women’s flyweight tournaments.
Friday night`s PFL 2, held at Universal Studios Florida in Orlando, saw some tournament favorites eliminated early.
In the main event, Marcirley Alves, stepping in on short notice as a replacement, pulled off a major upset. He defeated former Bellator title challenger Leandro Higo via split decision. Alves was the second replacement opponent for Higo and was initially slated for an alternate bout before getting the main event opportunity. He capitalized fully, showcasing strong takedown defense and sharp, powerful striking that visibly troubled Higo.
Alves is set to face prelim winner Jake Hadley in the next stage. While Alves headlined, Jake Hadley, known as “White Kong,” arguably stole the show. The former Cage Warriors flyweight champion secured a rare Scottish Twister submission in the third round against Mattheus Mattos. Hadley, after a challenging run in the UFC, appears to have found his footing in his PFL debut, becoming only the second fighter in PFL history to land this unique submission, following Stevie Ray, who popularized it.
The co-main event featured Liz Carmouche, who quickly advanced to the women’s flyweight semifinals by finishing Ilara Joanne. Carmouche had previously mentioned wanting a body shot finish, and she achieved just that, flooring Joanne with a knee to the body before following up with more strikes to secure the first-round stoppage.
Carmouche will next compete against Elora Dana, who secured her spot by submitting Diana Avsaragova with a neck crank in the evening`s opening fight.
On the main card, Mando Gutierrez and Justin Wetzell also secured victories in their opening matches. Gutierrez defeated Francesco Nuzzi via a first-round rear-naked choke submission, while Wetzell controlled Kasum Kasumov for a unanimous decision win. Gutierrez and Wetzell are now scheduled to face each other in the June semifinals.
The featured prelim bout saw a significant upset in the women’s flyweight division, as former Bellator champion Juliana Velasquez was submitted dominantly by Ekaterina Shakalova via rear-naked choke just over two minutes into their fight.
Shakalova will move on to face Jena Bishop in the second round of the tournament. Bishop earned her place with a hard-fought decision victory over Kana Watanabe earlier on the card.
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 sub (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
