The two-round quarterfinal format would be felt once again at PFL 9 2019, as Maxim Grishin vs. Jordan Johnson ended in a draw — with Johnson advancing in the light heavyweight tournament.
Former UFC fighter Jordon Johnson was in quarterfinal action against Maxim Grishin on Halloween Night in Las Vegas. At PFL 9 2019, the final of three playoff events for the Professional Fighters League, the seventh seeded Johnson was up against the tournament’s number two seed.
Johnson looked to control action in the clinch by the cage in the opening round. Grishin was willing to stay outside, looking for counters, but late in the round a straight right put Grishin on his back. Johnson moved in as Grishin was heading back up, clamping on a body lock and putting Grishin up against the fence. As time wore down, Johnson would manage to land a few more big punches, but Grishin answered back with a punch that snapped Johnson’s head back, putting him in a bad spot to end the frame.
Johnson got the fight down early in round two, but while he was able to keep the fight there for a bit, he wasn’t able to keep Grishin down. Back on the feet, Grishin immediately landed a couple of right hands. Using a bit of chain wrestling, Johnson would try to drag Grishin down again, but Grishin defended, back to the cage, only to eat a knee and an uppercut off the break. Grishin fired a knee of his own, before they re-engaged along the fence. Again, it was off the break where the damage was done, this time Johnson eating a right hand, over a Johnson kick.
With only two rounds to work with in the quarterfinals, it went to the scorecards. The end result, a draw — but all three judges gave Johnson the nod in a tiebreaker. He would move forward to face the winner of Magalhaes vs. Yusupov later in the night.
Official Result: Maxim Grishin vs. Jordan Johnson ends in a draw (scores not announced), Johnson advances via tiebreaker
