Vinny Magalhaes is no stranger to big fights, but at PFL 2 on Thursday in Chicago, he took the first step towards a possible million dollar bounty.
A veteran of both the UFC (with two runs in the promotion) and the WSOF, Vinny Magalhaes is no stranger to big fights. The Brazilian is feared for his ground game, of course, but in the PFL’s light heavyweight tournament, with a million dollars on the line, finishes will be key. In that sense, the season is almost tailored to Magalhaes’ strengths — and he knows the importance of getting things done quick.
Following his big win on Thursday against Jamie Abdallah, the light heavyweight discussed the importance of points in the PFL format.
“For sure, it went the way I expected it to go,” Magalhaes said of the fight. “I was hoping for a finish in the first round, I was hoping for a quick finish. It wasn’t that quick, I think it was about maybe 35 seconds I believe, 37, something like that. I was hoping for something quicker, so that way nobody could beat [me], and I could be leading the rankings. But it was still quick, it was still good enough.”
Good enough means staying at the head of the pack, a key in a system where wins earn three points, but finishes earn up to twice as many, depending on the round they come in. That would seem to favor Magalhaes feared ground game, something he doesn’t feel anyone needs a reminder of. “People know that they cannot mess with me on the ground,” he stated. “When it comes to the ground game, I’ll give it to another guy, he’s actually my teammate, and I hope that both of us end up number one and number two in the tournament, Ronny Markes. But everybody else, nobody can mess with either one of us on the ground.”
“They know that, it’s a fact. It cannot be denied. When it comes to credentials, I have the best credentials on the ground” over anybody else in the division.
It’s not just wins, but quick wins, that the Brazilian is looking for in the PFL season. “I was not looking just to get a finish, maybe third round and get four points. I wanted to get those six points,” he said. “My whole mindset was to try go out there, get that guy down right away and get a finish. Again, it played out perfectly, the way I wanted, and I can’t complain about anything.”
Catch the full PFL 2 post-fight interview with Vinny Magalhaes above!
