Three up, three down! David Michaud was the third straight fighter on Thursday’s PFL card in Atlantic City to earn a first round finish, and secure a spot in the post-season.
A pair of welterweights badly in need of points faced off on the preliminary portion of the PFL 4 2019 card on Thursday night in Atlantic City.
Handesson Ferreira had a great performance in the first PFL season, earning six points in his one regular season fight. As the fifth seed in the tournament, he broke the arm of UFC veteran Rick Story in the first round of playoffs. The Brazilian then ran into eventual runner-up Ray Cooper, who knocked him out later that night. To open up this season, Ferreira defeated UFC veteran Bojan Velickovic to earn three points in the standings. Overall, the 31-year-old is 14-2-1 with six KO/TKO stoppages and one submission.
David Michaud is a UFC veteran making his first run at PFL gold. “Bulldawg” went 1-2 in the Octagon from 2014 to 2015, falling to tough competition in Li Jingliang and Olivier Aubin-Mercier. Since then, he’s bounced around from promotion to promotion, accumulating a 6-4 record in Combate Americas, Bellator, Titan FC, and LFA among others. After coming into the 2019 season on a three-fight knockout streak, Michaud was swiftly defeated by Sadibou Sy in May.
Right off the bat Thursday at PFL 4 2019, Handesson was firing kicks. Michaud pressed the action, backing him up to the fence briefly, but those kicks continued to be a threat. However, an eye poke had Michaud wincing, and held up the action momentarily. Back underway, Michaud attacked, but it was Ferreira proving more dangerous. Michaud would tie his opponent up off the fence, and connect off the break. Another clinch followed, and Michaud dipped for a leg then thought better of it.
A low blow, however, halted the action to the displeasure of the crowd, given things were just heating up. Michaud went right after his opponent as things got back underway, and Ferreira answered in kind, both men landing. Michaud then tied things up by the fence, but late in the round, Ferreira was the one getting some top time — though not for long. Michaud was back up fast, and dropped Ferreira! Michaud pounced, and managed to trap the Brazilian in a crucifix! That was followed by a number of unanswered strikes, forcing ref Keith Peterson to wave it off.
The win earned Michaud six points, and he’s secured a playoff spot as well.
David Michaud def. Handesson Ferreira by TKO, Round 1, 4:37
