Opponent Gleison Tibau, on the other hand, needed to secure a finish prior to the end of the second round in order to clinch a playoff spot. That’s thanks to Magomed Magomedkerimov coming up with a huge Ezekiel choke win over Curtis Millender earlier in the evening.

In the end, it was “The Red King” moving forward when all was said and done. But some questionable judging arguably cost MacDonald the fight.

Early on, MacDonald had a clear edge, though a nasty-looking eye poke halted the action, with Tibau, the victim, clearly in pain and clutching at the fence to steady himself. Tibau, however, managed to push onward after a short break. Only to contend with and at times appear ill-equipped to deal with MacDonald’s range — and his submission game.

While MacDonald couldn’t secure a choke after mounting the Brazilian’s back, he did battle it out with Tibau and push the fight into the third round. By that point, it was too late for Gleison — and Magomedkerimov was assured of a playoff spot.

MacDonald, of course, was already a lock for the post-season. But he also looked set to take home the victory in a fight that would, were it not for the judging, be remembered for a number of eye pokes, with both fighters guilty of the foul. Tibau’s power was evident at times, but he was ultimately unable to connect when it mattered; MacDonald’s lateral movement and speed were just too much in the end.

The judges, however, felt otherwise. In a fight that seemed to favor MacDonald in every category, a split decision was handed down, with Tibau the winner. Without enough points to make the playoffs, however, he will go home — while MacDonald, arguably robbed of the win, at least moves on to the playoffs.

Official Result: Gleison Tibau def. Rory MacDonald by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

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Lawlor, who improved to 11-8 (1NC) at PFL 5, went the distance with Jordan Young, earning a unanimous decision win — and three points towards the Professional Fighters League’s post-season. That won’t be enough to make it to the playoffs, given Lawlor came up short in his first fight of the 2021 season, but the win was still a big one.

In the build-up to Lawlor vs. Young, former Bellator prospect Young had claimed that Lawlor was “not on his level,” and suggested that “I don’t think Tommy’s a killer.” Lawlor, however, clearly proved otherwise on Thursday.

.@FilthyTomLawlor removes his gloves and places them at the center of the cage — despite currently sitting in fourth place in the 2021 PFL Light Heavyweight standings, which would qualify him for the Playoffs. Keep an eye on this situation as it develops. #2021PFL5
🇺🇸ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/hY0Gw3ETPU

— PFL (@PFLMMA) June 17, 2021

He also snapped a losing streak dating back to 2015, when he defeated Gian Villante at UFC on FOX 15.

Lawlor, 38, who has found a second career in pro wrestling, is well known to fight fans for his eccentric ways — frequently showing off at weigh-ins, and dressing up for walkouts. Lawlor embraced the entertainment side in mixed martial arts, at a time when the UFC was attempting to distance itself from exactly those antics.

After starting his pro fighting career in 2007, Lawlor quickly worked his way to the UFC via The Ultimate Fighter 8 in 2008. He’d win his first two fights inside the octagon, the second of which saw him pick up a victory against C.B. Dollaway at the historic UFC 100. In 2010, Lawlor picked up a notable win over Patrick Cote. A two-year suspension from USADA due to a positive test for Ostarine, a common contaminant in athletic supplements, derailed his career in 2016; Lawlor would not compete for the UFC again.

Instead, he returned in 2018, dropping a fight to Deron Winn at the infamous Golden Boy MMA card. Lawlor then signed on with the PFL. His debut was halted, however, along with the entire PFL season, in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. Earlier this season, he finally made his debut, only to be submitted by Antonio Carlos Jr. Turning things around against Young, however, gave Lawlor the perfect opportunity to call it a career.

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To some extent, Lawlor agrees. “We’re not on the same level. He’s like way taller than me. So if you factor that in, I guess he’s right,” Lawlor quipped during his own PFL 5 media day session this week.

On a more serious note, “Filthy” added that “I don’t give a sh*t what he thinks, honestly. He can think whatever he wants. I’ve fought plenty of guys that are as good or tougher than Jordan Young. I’m not scared of anything he brings to the table.” In fact, Lawlor went on to add that one of his motivating factors heading into the fight was the freakshow nature of it. Calling the bout “the closest you’re gonna get to a freakshow fight in the PFL light heavyweight division,” he pointed out that “you’ve got the tallest guy, arguably the biggest guy — I mean, Marthin Hamlet is pretty damn jacked — but Jordan Young’s pretty tall, and I’m the smallest guy.”

Lawlor, a longtime veteran of the sport who has also found a home in pro wrestling, added that Young “can think whatever he wants, but it’s a fight. I’m sure he has some delusions of grandeur of how this is gonna go, but everybody knows that life doesn’t work out the way you want it to, and he’ll find that out in the fight.”

Watch the full PFL 5 media scrum with Tom Lawlor above. The event takes place Thursday, June 17 in Atlantic City, NJ, airing live on ESPN+ and ESPN 2 (TSN in Canada).

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Following the first round of welterweight fights, defending champ Ray Cooper III had been tied with Rory MacDonald with six points. But at Wednesday’s PFL 5 weigh-in, Cooper missed weight. That saw a point deducted from him — and he will be ineligible to win any points Thursday night, regardless of a potential win. That means he’ll be looking at the scoreboard to see who does, or doesn’t, collect points at PFL 5.

Fighters like Tom Lawlor, Sadibou Sy, Magomed Magomedkerimov, and Jordan Young, meanwhile, were all on the outside looking in, and in need to big finishes to make the playoffs. Young, in particular, was within striking distance of the final playoff spot, held to start the night by 2019 champ Emiliano Sordi.

Heading into the event, the light heavyweight standings broke down as follows:

1. Cezar Ferreira – 6 points
2. Antonio Carlos Jr. – 6 points
3. Marthin Hamlet – 5 points
4. Emiliano Sordi – 3 points
5. Jordan Young – 3 points
6. Chris Camozzi – 0 points
7. Dan Spohn – 0 points
8. Tom Lawlor – 0 points
9. Cory Hendricks – 0 points
10. Vinny Magalhaes – -1 point

Welterweight, meanwhile, looked like this:

1. Rory MacDonald – 6 points
2. Ray Cooper III – 5 points
3. Joao Zeferino – 3 points
4. Nikolai Aleksakhin – 1 point
5. Sadibou Sy – 1 point
6. Gleison Tibau – 0 points
7. Curtis Millender – 0 points
8. Jason Ponet – 0 points
9. Aleksei Kunchenko – -1 point
10. Magomed Magomedkerimov – -1 point

Full results from PFL 5 can be found below. The event takes place Thursday, June 17 in Atlantic City, NJ, airing on ESPN 2 and ESPN+ (TSN in Canada).

PFL 5: MacDonald vs. Tibau Results

ESPN2 Card

Gleison Tibau def. Rory MacDonald by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Ray Cooper III def. Nikolai Aleksakhin by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Emiliano Sordi vs. Dan Spohn is ruled a unanimous draw (28-28, 28-28, 28-28)
Chris Camozzi def. Cezar Ferreira by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-27)

ESPN+ Card

Antonio Carlos Jr. vs. Vinny Magalhaes ends in a No Contest (accidental low blow), Round 1, 2:45
Cory Hendricks def. Marthin Hamlet by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 3, 4:09
Joao Zeferino def. Jason Ponet by submission (arm-triangle choke), Round 2, 2:16
Magomed Magomedkerimov def. Curtis Millender by submission (Ezekiel choke), Round 1, 1:57
Tom Lawlor def. Jordan Young by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Sadibou Sy def. Aleksei Kunchenko by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

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Let’s recap. Young was originally scheduled against former WSOF champ Smealinho Rama at PFL 2 in April. He was soon replaced by Vinny Magalhaes — but the BJJ ace was forced out last minute due to weight cutting complications. Askar Mozharov managed to make weight as a short-notice replacement, but was forced to withdraw on the day of the fight.

That led to a walk-over win and three points for Young, who joined the PFL this season. Friday at PFL 5 will now be his official debut, and he knows exactly what he has to do to ensure another fight this year.

“I’m definitely going to look for the finishes. I always do. From my calculations, I need a finish to advance,” Young stated during this week’s PFL 5 media day. “It doesn’t matter if it’s first, second, or third, I need a finish. And I need someone with points already to take an L. And that’s my path to Hollywood, Florida [where the PFL post-season will be held].”

Young is up against “Filthy” Tom Lawlor, a well-known figure to MMA fans. Young recognizes Lawlor’s veteran experience, but had his own take on it this week.

“Tom Lawlor has a lot of experience and he’s fought some good guys. It’s been a long time since he fought those guys though, and times change. Things change in this sport very fast,” noted Young.

Later, he’d add of Lawlor that “he’s a tough guy, he seems to be able to take a shot, very durable. I don’t think Tommy’s a killer through.”

Watch the full PFL 5 media scrum with Jordan Young above. The event takes place Thursday, June 17 in Atlantic City, NJ, airing live on ESPN+ and ESPN 2 (TSN in Canada).

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Still, Cooper returns at this week’s PFL 5 card, with six five points already in hand. Just like MacDonald. He had been looking to clinch a playoff spot with another big showing — also just like MacDonald. But more on that later.

This time out, Cooper goes up against Nikolay Aleksakhin. It’s a fight he’s taking the same as any other, despite a playoff berth in the offing. “I’ll take him out the same way I do everybody, and put the pace on him. Where ever the fight goes, I’m going to finish him.”

Finishing is key for Cooper. Despite already having a good number of points, there’s no change in what the Hawaiian aims to do this Thursday. “There’s no changes to the plan. Go out there, get the six points, stay at the top, and be number one heading into the playoffs,” he stated.

None of that is likely to happen, however, because of a miss at the scales on Wednesday. Cooper weighed in at 171.8lbs, missing the welterweight limit. He was docked a point, and cannot win any additional points at PFL 5 — thought the fight will move forward, and he potentially can still make the playoffs

After being seen as a budding star in 2018, Cooper really arrived in 2019, winning the million dollar welterweight tournament. That has led to a bit of a “what if” situation regarding Cooper moving to the UFC at some point.

“I dunno yet. I think I’m fine where I’m at. The PFL treats me good,” Cooper said, responding to the idea of switching promotions. “I don’t know, we’ll see. Right now I’m focused on this fight, I’m not thinking of any other company. I’m thinking of this fight, getting to the championship and defending my title.”

Watch the full PFL 5 media scrum with Ray Cooper III above.

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Now a light heavyweight in the PFL, Ferreira faces Chris Cammozi at this year’s PFL 5 card, which takes place Thursday, June 17 in Atlantic City, NJ.

“In this weight division, I have to cut like only five, six pounds, it’s great,” he exclaimed during Monday’s media day promoting the event. With that in mind, there’s no plan to drop back down to 185lbs.

“I want to stay at 205. Maybe heavyweight one day,” he added. “I fought welterweight when I fought Jorge Masvidal. Middleweight for my whole career. And now light heavyweight. Maybe heavyweight one day.”

The former UFC fighter, who holds notable wins over Thiago Santos, Anthony Smith, and Jack Hermansson, had a big start to his PFL career earlier this year. That came via a knockout of Nick Roehrick. While that puts him in prime position to make the playoffs thanks to the PFL points system, Ferreira isn’t banking on it.

“It’s good, but as my team says, we cannot [count] on that. We have six points, and it doesn’t mean nothing,” explained Ferreira. “We have to treat this match-up as the first one, and win this fight to make sure I guarantee my place, my spot in the playoffs.”

Ferreira will look to clinch his playoff spot against another ex-UFC fighter, Chris Camozzi.

“I feel so good in this weight division. I want to try to finish every single fight. Chris Camozzi is a guy I have a lot of respect for,” he stated. “We were supposed to fight in 2013. And now’s the time. He has very good striking skills. I want to put my striking skills against his. Let’s see. I’m looking for a knockout.”

Watch the full PFL 5 media day press scrum with Cezar Ferreira above. The event takes place this Thursday, June 17 in Atlantic City, NJ. The card airs live on ESPN+ and ESPN 2 in the U.S., and TSN in Canada.

The post PFL 5: Cezar Ferreira Not Counting On His Existing Six Points, Wants Another Finish appeared first on Cageside Press.

“So what happened was, I won the title against [Douglas] Lima, I’d just gotten married, had kids, so a lot of changes in my life,” he explained during this week’s PFL 5 media day. “Financially I was doing a lot better. And I started to enjoy the spoils of success, [and let it] get to me, and take my focus off my goals in the sport.”

“Enjoying home time was an amazing thing. Having a family now, from before, just like being on my own and being in the gym all day, it was nice to be at home and be in that comfort zone of family time. I abused that,” he continued. “I didn’t balance it out with the hard work, the sacrifice it takes to be at the top level of this sport.”

It’s a situation MacDonald said went on for a fairly long time. “My performances dipped,” he admitted. COVID-19 allowed him to face the issues were coming up, he added. “Refocus, re-motivated, setting goals… …I want to be the number one welterweight in the world. I believe that’s going to take dominant performances. They need to be impressive, I need to show the best version of myself every time I get into the cage.”

For years, Canada’s “Red King” has been considered the heir apparent to Georges St-Pierre. It’s a label that was plastered on MacDonald’s name as soon as he got off and running in the UFC, but it’s not a comparison he ever wanted to make himself.

“I never did, to be honest. It was always something that people just put out there in the media and always asked me,” MacDonald said. “I never set out to be Georges or anything like that. That’s just setting yourself up for failure or trying to mirror someone’s accomplishments.”

“I have my own road, I have my own style, and my own experience during this walk in this road of martial arts,” he continued. “I’ve been able to have the opportunity to train alongside Georges and learn a ton from him, but I would never compare myself or try to live up to what he accomplished. I’m just trying to accomplish my goals and have my own experience in this sport.”

Watch the full PFL 5 media day press scrum with Rory MacDonald above. The event takes place this Thursday, June 17 in Atlantic City, NJ. The card airs live on ESPN+ and ESPN 2 in the U.S., and TSN in Canada.

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On Wednesday, PFL officials announced that this year’s PFL 5 card would be topped by a welterweight showdown featuring UFC alumni Rory MacDonald and Gleison Tibau. MacDonald (22-6-1), a former Bellator MMA champion who signed as a key free agent for the PFL prior to the coronavirus pandemic, earned a first round submission against Curtis Millender at PFL 2 back in April. That victory earned Canada’s “Red King” six points towards the post-season, and cemented him as a leading favorite to win the division this year.

Tibau (35-15) dropped his season opener at the same card, losing via unanimous decision against João Zeferino. That snapped a two-fight win streak Tibau put together on the regional scene, after exiting the UFC in 2018 on a four-fight skid.

Last year’s welterweight champ, Ray Cooper III, will feature in the PFL 5 co-main event, where he takes on Nikolai Aleksakhin.

The full PFL 5 card, which takes place in Atlantic City, NJ and airs on ESPN+ and ESPN 2, breaks down as follows:

Main Card

Rory MacDonald vs. Gleison Tibau
Ray Cooper III vs. Nikolai Aleksakhin
Emiliano Sordi vs. Dan Spohn
Cezar Ferreira vs Chris Camozzi

Preliminary Card

Antonio Carlos Jr vs. Vinny Magalhaes
Marthin Hamlet vs. Cory Hendricks
Joao Zeferino vs. Jason Ponet
Magomed Magomedkerimov vs. Curtis Millender
Tom Lawlor vs. Jordan Young
Sadibou Sy vs Aleksei Kunchenko

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