Popov claimed a unanimous decision against Linton Vassell, who had stepped into the playoffs on short notice, replacing Valentin Moldavsky, who had withdrawn from the tournament.

Moldavsky, like Popov, is a student of Fedor Emelianenko, part of “The Last Emperor’s” highly-touted Fedor Team. If nothing else, Moldavsky being swapped out with Vassell saw teammates avoid fighting one another.

Tim Johnson, meanwhile, met Denis Goltsov in the PFL Nashville main event. Goltsov, a finalist in 2023 and multi-time PFL playoff fighter, is a veteran looking to get over the final hump and claim the first major title of his career. Johnson was a late entrant in the 2024 season, sneaking into the playoffs off his one and only fight, a finish of UFC vet Danilo Marques.

Friday’s main event opened with Johnson punching in and driving Goltsov into the fence. Unable to get the Russian fighter down, the action returned to center, and this time, it was Goltsov pursuing, and landing, a takedown. With three and a half minutes on the clock, Goltsov had ample time to work from half-guard. Right hands followed; Goltsov moved to mount, dropping ground n’ pound as Tim Johnson covered up. Under fire, Johnson gave up his back, and wound up turning to his side again.

Goltsov, undeterred, pounded away, the ref taking a good look and finally choosing to halt the action. A TKO victory sends Denis Goltsov to the 2024 PFL heavyweight final, where he’ll meet Popov in an all-Russian finale.

The post PFL Nashville: Heavyweight Final Set, Popov to Meet Goltsov appeared first on Cageside Press.

The fight was a contrast in styles, Ditcheva’s striking versus Bishop’s jiu-jitsu. To utilize that jiu-jitsu, however, Bishop would have to get the fight to the ground.

As it turned out, Jena Bishop did just that about 90 seconds in. She could not, however, keep Ditcheva down, though she would manage to turn much of the opening frame into a grappling battle along the fence. With roughly a minute and a half left in the round, however, Ditcheva closed the distance, clinched up, and fired a nasty knee, then dropped Bishop with a follow-up! Ditcheva went after Bishop following that second knee, but thought better of it, waving her up. Jena obliged and survived, momentarily. A little more pressure from Ditcheva, however, with a teep kick followed by a right hand that dropped Bishop again, and the ref had seen enough, waving off the affair shortly after.

Dakota Ditcheva, who won the PFL Europe tournament last year, now moves forward to the final of the PFL Global women’s flyweight tournament, where she faces UFC vet Taila Santos. Ditcheva also improved to 13-0 with the victory.

Official Result: Dakota Ditcheva def. Jena Bishop by TKO, Round 1, 3:54

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The winner would see one former UFC title challenger move on to the playoffs with a shot at a million dollars on the line. Throwing a wrench in the works, however, was Carmouche missing weight on Thursday, the first time in her lengthy career the “Girl-illa” had been heavy for a fight.

That miss would result in a one point deduction for Carmouche recognized by the league, not the judges, should the first go the distance.

Carmouche charged into a takedown about a minute into Friday’s main card opener in Nashville, TN, after some circling and kicks thrown by Santos. Brazil’s Santos fended off the initial attempt but found herself with her back to the fence, Carmoche continuing to pursue the takedown. It took some time and considerable effort, but Santos finally reversed the position, and with about 90 seconds left in the frame, scored a takedown of her own, landing on top in guard.

Active on her back, Carmouche made her way to the fence, then rolled, but gave up her back looking for a way out. That allowed Santos to get one hook in, and hunt for a rear-naked choke, though with 20 seconds left on the clock, she was cramped against the fence and running out of time. Carmouche, as it turned out, would survive the round.

With Carmouche likely down after one round, the point deduction loomed large. Round two opened with some circling and feeling out, with Santos firing kicks, and controlling much of the action. Near the midway mark, she punched her way into a takedown, changing levels but being stalled in the attempt with Carmouche putting her back to the fence, and raising one leg to keep Santos out of position.

Santos, meanwhile, had underhooks, and Carmouche struggled to escape, or just get Taila Santos off of her. Not a ton of action in the round, but Santos was once again in the driver’s seat until the final minute, when this time, Liz Carmouche landed a takedown. She settled into side control, and pounded the body a few times, but as with Santos in the first, time was a factor.

Round three found Carmouche, knowing a takedown (not to mention a big round and possibly a finish) was necessary, immediately landing one. But Santos escaped out the back. For the rest of the round, a grappling battle with Carmouche in control unfolded. She struggled to get the fight down, but arguably did enough to win the round. The problem remained the weight miss and point deduction, though that point would only be taken by the PFL, not the judges, meaning the initial scorecards would not necessarily reflect it.

That also meant that Liz Carmouche could win on the scorecards, then have a point deducted after the fact that might leave her ineligible to make the final.

Luckily, the point deduction didn’t come into play, as Taila Santos won outright on the scorecards, 29-28, meaning the extra point didn’t matter in the end.

Official Result: Talia Santos def. Liz Carmouche by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

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Denis Goltsov vs. Tim Johnson served as the night’s main event, with Johnson having snuck into the playoffs as a short-notice replacement in the second half of the regular season. A big first round finish of Danilo Marques scored Johnson six points, and a spot opposite multi-time playoff competitor and 2023 finalist Goltsov.

The co-headliner and PFL Nashville, however, might have offered the real star of the show. Dakota Ditcheva, an undefeated striking specialist, had become arguably the biggest name in the promotion’s women’s flyweight division. She was paired up with BJJ ace and former Bellator fighter Jena Bishop, in a fight that presented a clear clash of styles.

Where to Watch PFL Nashville

PFL Nashville takes place Friday, August 2, 2024 at the Nashville Municipal Auditorium in Nashville, TN. In the U.S., the preliminary card streams live on ESPN+, followed by the main card on ESPN/ESPN+. Canadian and European viewers can catch the action live on DAZN. The prelims kick off at 6PM ET, full results can be found below.

PFL Nashville: Goltsov vs. Johnson Results

Main Card

Denis Goltsov def. Tim Johnson by TKO, Round 1, 2:26 – heavyweight semifinal
Dakota Ditcheva def. Jena Bishop by TKO, Round 1, 3:54 – women’s flyweight semifinal
Oleg Popov def. Linton Vassell by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) – heavyweight semifinal
Talia Santos def. Liz Carmouche by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) – women’s flyweight semifinal

Preliminary Card

Sergei Bilostenniy def. Tyrell Fortune by verbal submission (heel hook), Round 1, 2:00
Alexei Pergande def. Daniel Boehle by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Cody Law def. Zach Hicks by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 1, 3:15
Dedrek Sanders def. Sergio Cossio by KO, Round 1, 2:34
Anthony Ivy def. Jaleel Willis by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 2, 4:49
Kevin Pease def. Nick Meck by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

The post PFL Nashville: Goltsov vs. Johnson Full Results appeared first on Cageside Press.

At the same time, during Wednesday’s media day, Popov (18-1) told media outlets including Cageside Press that there was a point he doubted such success would ever come for him.

“Everything is going well. If I keep winning and doing exactly that, I’m going to be training and pursuing [a title]. That means I’m going to be at a higher stage,” said Popov. “I’ll be able to have bigger and better fights, and I’ll establish myself as one of the great fighters.”

“Having said that, there was a time when I thought that I wouldn’t be able to do it, and I wouldn’t be able to make it this far,” Popov added.

Popov is a member of Fedor Team, the camp eponymously named for heavyweight great Fedor Emelianenko. That puts Popov in good company, alongside the likes of Vadim Nemkov and Valentin Moldavsky, the latter of whom Vassell is replacing on Friday.

As for Vassell, he predicted a second round finish ahead of the fight. Popov, in response, said he’s expecting a great fight.

“He said the second round? Wow that’s going to be interesting. That means it’s going to be a great fight,” Popov suggested. “If he got the news three weeks before the fight, but he also fought two months before that, I’m pretty sure he’s going to be in great shape. And once again, he said in the second round, so we’re going to see what’s up with that in the fight.”

Popov also addressed being a smaller heavyweight in a division full of big men.

“It’s something that, I’m always a little bit smaller as a heavyweight compared to all the other guys. For me, it’s something that I’m used to. I’m going to wrestle and box him.”

Watch the full PFL Nashville media day appearance by Oleg Popov above.

The post PFL Nashville’s Oleg Popov Once Doubted He’d Make It This Far appeared first on Cageside Press.

Stunningly, Bellator flyweight champ Liz Carmouche, competing in the PFL season in a semifinal against Taila Santos, missed weight for the event. The first miss of her illustrious career puts Carmouche at a disadvantage; should the fight go to the scorecards, she’ll be deducted a single point.

All other semifinal fighters successfully made weight, with main event fighter Tim Johnson coming in at the top of the heavyweight scale, weighing 265.8 pounds for his fight with Denis Goltsov, who came in at a comparatively svelte 247.6.

Three non-semifinal competitors also missed weight, however, including two in the same bout.

PFL Nashville: Goltsov vs. Johnson Weigh-In Results

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41-year old Vassell (24-9, 1NC) had actually defeated Moldavsky in his second fight of the season, but the split decision gifted him just three points, not enough to make the post-season.

“I went back after like four, five days off to rest and they said ‘you’re going to be in the tournament,'” Vassell recalled in a recent interview with Cageside Press. The promotion asked him if he’d been training, saying there was an “80% chance” he’d be back in the season.

“The next day they gave me the call and said ‘you’re in, Valentin’s out.’ I was like ‘oh my! Dang.’ You couldn’t write it. This story, you couldn’t write it.”

While he’ll now compete at PFL Nashville on August 2, many expected Vassell, a longtime Bellator MMA heavyweight, to be the next man to challenge for that promotion’s title. Instead, he entered the PFL tournament, losing his first fight to Denis Goltsov before winning the rubber match in his trilogy with Moldavsky.

“You know what I’m more proud of, that I shut a few people up,” Vassell added. “The Swarm” believes he was called out by Moldavsky specifically because of his performance in the fight with Goltsov. “I think he called me out because of my performance, the first [fight of the] season, obviously when I fought Denis. I think he saw he saw this fight in the first round, ‘if I’ve got to call anybody out, it’s probably that guy.’ Probably thought my age was going to be a factor, but I made sure it wasn’t. Went back to the gym after that fight, and just killed that cardio. Made that a top priority.”

In terms of the roller coaster ride that has been his career in recent years, Linton Vassell agreed that it fees like everything has worked out the way it was meant to.

“Life isn’t a straight journey. It’s lefts, rights, downs. Take some u-turns, and a circle. Never straight. I got to the title, got back to it… …I think these journeys and these circumstances have just got that fire burning,” stated Vassell. “More determined, more sacrifice, got more energy. And again, we are here where we are now, we are here where we are now and [I’ve] just got to go in there and prove that it’s time.”

“Be smart, and it will come,” he added.

Watch our full interview with PFL Nashville’s Linton Vassell above, along with his media day appearance.

The post PFL Nashville’s Linton Vassell: “Life Isn’t a Straight Journey” appeared first on Cageside Press.

Ditcheva, who returns to action at PFL Nashville this Friday against Jena Bishop, isn’t all that concerned with being the face of anything, however.

Appearing to bristle at a question that suggested the winner of her fight with Bishop would become the “female face” of the PFL, and not just someone who was “easily marketable,” Ditcheva appeared to agree, then stopped herself and replied by saying “I’m not really bothered about being the face of anything, to be honest. I’m going to keep turning up, any opportunities I get to fight I’m going to show up on the night, which is what I always do. Yes, continue to be a professional face on the camera, and really build myself. That’s it.”

Later, Ditcheva expanded on her desire to find a finish and make a statement in the fight, speaking with Cageside Press. It’s about more than silencing critics who question her ground game, critics Ditcheva doesn’t believe will be silenced regardless.

“I need a finish. I think I want to make a statement every fight. I always go in prepared for a three round fight, but I always know in the back of my mind, you have to make a statement to get anywhere,” she stated. “So definitely I think that will be what I’m trying to do every time. And I think it still won’t shut everyone up, for sure. And I’m not doing it for that, I’m doing it for myself.”

“Whether people support me or hate me, I’m still going to get the million win, I’m still going to go home with the belt. So you know that doesn’t really matter to me. What does matter to me, myself, is that fact that I put on a performance and make a statement, but for myself.”

Watch the full PFL Nashville media day appearance by Dakota Ditcheva above.

The post PFL Nashville’s Dakota Ditcheva “Not Really Bothered About Being the Face of Anything” appeared first on Cageside Press.

Johnson (18-9) was as shocked as anyone at the finish, which included a double knockdown of sorts: Johnson landed an overhand left that dropped Danilo, which Marques landed a low blow that send Johnson himself to the ground.

“I was surprised. I was surprised. I didn’t even know I’d made contact with him. I was happy I got the finish, because if I worked that tough, and then watched it back knowing I had been that close to a victory, I would have been pretty pissed about it,” Johnson told Cageside Press in an exclusive interview ahead of his returned at PFL Nashville this Friday. “I was a one in a million shot, and hopefully no one has to relive that.”

On the low blow, Johnson joked that it may lead to a new nickname. “Tim ‘Titanium’ Johnson” being one suggestion.

After six points and landing in the playoffs after sitting at home working his day job, Johnson is in a good spot. He reiterated during Wednesday’s media day that there was no pressure on him, having a bit of a Cinderella story. In his interview with Cageside Press, he said simply that “I’m just rolling. I don’t have—  I have no worries. Whatever happens, happens. Let’s just go out and fight, let’s throw some hands, let’s see what happens. I’m sure this fight I’ll probably be a six to one underdog. I have literally no pressure on me whatsoever. I’m just going to go out there and let ‘er go.”

While it feels a little like playing with house money, however, “that doesn’t mean I’m going to go out there and be stupid,” Johnson added. “But I get to be a little bit more free in the way I fight, just because I’m not so scared, no one expects anything out of me, no one’s really probably going to give me very good odds for winning. Which is fine, that’s how most of my career has been anyway, and I like it that way.”

Johnson, who faces Denis Goltsov in semifinal action at PFL Nashville this Friday, also added his prediction for Francis Ngannou vs. Renan Ferreira, expected for later this year.

“In an MMA fight, I will always take Francis.”

Watch our full interview with PFL Nashville heavyweight Tim Johnson above.

The post Tim Johnson Feeling No Pressure Ahead of PFL Nashville appeared first on Cageside Press.

“The Russian Bogatyr” faces Tim Johnson in a heavyweight semifinal this Friday, and ahead of the fight, gave his prediction for Francis Ngannou vs. Renan Ferreira.

That fight is widely expected to come this fall, with Ngannou himself recently suggesting an October date.

Goltsov (34-8) faced Ferreira a year ago, in the 2023 final. The Brazilian put Goltsov away with hammerfists in the second round that night.

“They’re both very tough fighters, very physical fighters, specimens,” Goltsov observed, speaking to Cageside Press in an exclusive interview ahead of his showdown with Johnson. “I feel like if Francis is coming in good shape, overall he has a little more experience as an MMA fighter. Having said that, Ferreria has those long arms and heavy hands, so it’s going to be an interesting fight. However, I would give a slight advantage towards Francis.”

Of course, Goltsov has his own fight to be concerned with. He’s been here before, a multi-time playoff fighter since arriving in the PFL in 2019. That was back when the league was still holding two fights in a single night for its playoffs, so Goltsov has seen a bit of everything.

As to his approach, and whether it has changed, the heavyweight told us that “last season, it was a little bit not enough in the finals. Of course I’m always doing new work, I’m adding new techniques. Whatever it is, boxing, if it’s the clinch work, if it’s the cage work, it doesn’t matter what it is- I’m just trying to get better, and I’m hoping this year is the year I can become champion.”

As for Johnson, who has fought a who’s who of Russian MMA including Alexander Volkov, Vitaly Minakov, and Fedor Emelianenko, Goltsov sees a hard working man with whom he has much in common. And he appreciates how Johnson made the most of a short notice opportunity earlier this year to make it into the playoffs.

“Tim got a great opportunity, it was a great fight, he got lucky how everything turned around and got into place, but he used his opportunity very wisely with his experience as a fighter,” noted Goltsov. “As a person, I like him. He’s a hard working man, he works really, really hard with his hands. He’s a great guy, he’s a family man.”

“I would have to say we have a lot in common. There’s definitely a lot to chat about when we see each other. So I like him. He’s a great guy,” Goltsov finished.

Watch our full interview with PFL Nashville’s Denis Goltsov above.

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