A number of fighters made a statement during the PFL’s lightweight and light heavyweight semifinals on Friday at PFL 7.
Once the main card got underway, that is.
After two busy preliminary card fights, Rob Wilkinson and Delan Monte made the walk to the PFL smartcage to kick off the main card on ESPN, in the first of two light heavyweight semifinals on the night. With both fighters ready to throw down, however, things screeched to a halt: two fighters had been transported to hospital by ambulance earlier in the evening, leaving no ambulance available at the Hulu Theater in New York City.
Mixed martial arts contests cannot proceed without an ambulance present. That led to a delay of several minutes, as all involved had to wait for a fresh ambulance to arrive. Once the action did get going, however, Wilkinson and Monte got right at it, both men swinging wild. It was Wilkinson, a former UFC athlete, getting the better of the exchanges, and inside of two minutes, he’d knocked Monte out in highlight reel fashion care of a well-timed knee.
On the opposite side of the bracket, American Top Team teammates Omari Akhmedov and Josh Silveira went the distance. As the fight progressed, Silveira fell back on his wrestling, finding takedowns and using it to control. It was not enough to put Akhmedov away, however, with the Russian having the advantage on the feet, fighting a smart fight, and earning 30-27 scores from two of three judges. The final judge also had it for Akhmedov, 29-28.
Wilkinson and Akhmedov will now face off in the PFL finals with one million dollars on the line, plus the 205lb title. That’s set to take place on November 25 at a location and venue TBD.
