Josh Copeland ate everything that Philipe Lins threw at him at PFL 11, but a flurry of knees stopped the fight in the fourth round.
Philipe Lins stopped all three opponents he faced in 2018 in PFL. The Brazilian knocked out two opponents in the second round, and scored a first-round submission victory on his way to the finals.
The heavyweights threw some bombs right out of the gate, with Lins getting the better of the exchanges. Copeland was looking for a big left hand that couldn’t quite find the target as Lins landed two-punch combinations. Lins continued to piece up Copeland on the feet. Lins had a clear speed advantage, as him being a former light heavyweight showed. Lins unloaded a three-punch combination on a shielded Copeland as the round expired.
Copeland landed a right hand early, but got caught with a left hand on the way in. Lins followed up but Copeland stopped him in his tracks with a right hand. The fighters clinched up and engaged in some dirty boxing followed by an excellent combination by Lins on the exit. Lins started taking over midway through the second round, landing punches at will. Copeland was dropped with 15 seconds left, which was not enough time for Lins to finish the fight.
Lins was landing uncontested shots to start the third round, but Copeland kept coming forward. Copeland’s hands were pinned to his side and was blocking punches with his face. Lins continued to pour it on, landing knees in the clinch as well. Lins landed combination after combination as Copeland was simply not defending. The round ended in a clinch against the cage.
Lins came out in the fourth round with a finish on his mind. Clinching up with Copeland quickly and landing a barrage of knees to the chin to get the referee to step in.
Philipe Lins def. Josh Copeland by TKO (Knees) in Round 4 (0:30)
