Top seeded heavyweight Denis Goltsov defeated Satoshi Ishii in quarterfinal action at PFL 9 2019 on Halloween.
Former Bellator MMA athlete Satoshi Ishii was in post-season action against Denis Goltsov at PFL 9 2019. The event, taking place at the Mandalay Bay Event Center on October 31, featured the quarterfinal and semifinal fights for both light heavyweights and heavyweights, with Goltsov vs. Ishii opening up the main card.
The quarterfinal fight would go two rounds or less, with a tiebreaker deciding who would move forward in the event of a tie. Turns out, the tiebreaker, based on who the judges felt gave the better overall performance, would not be required.
Ishii, training of late under former opponent Mirko Cro-Cop, opened looking for a takedown, but Goltsov easily avoided the attempt. After some feeling out, a single leg attempt for Ishii at least saw him close the distance, but after Goltsov sprawled, the pair stalled, and the ref restarted them. Ishii then pressed his opponent up against the fence, eventually getting him down and working from guard. Goltsov, however, was able to throw up a triangle attempt, which was still in place to end the round.
The second round saw Goltsov firing off a pair of kicks early, including a head kick that was partially blocked. He was letting his hands go, but only single strikes, his jab hitting home. A couple of 1-2s followed, and through the first half of the round, Ishii was unable to recreate his success from the opening frame.
As if on cue, Ishii shot for a single leg, but Goltsov pulled free, and Ishii sat back in guard. Goltsov, standing, hacked away at Ishii’s legs with kicks. He would continue kicking away, as Ishii remained in guard position, Goltsov refusing to engage on the ground until the final 30 seconds of the frame. When he finally did get on the ground, he wound up on his back, throwing up a triangle once again before the final buzzer.
Official Result: Denis Goltsov def. Satoshi Ishii by majority decision (19-19, 20-18, 20-18)
