Paired up with little known Brazilian talent Mirela Vargas, Marshall did what she needed to do, surviving a pair of takedowns that showed at the very least, she’d paid attention to her wrestling and grappling training, while absolutely dominating on the feet.

The WBA, WBC, IBF, WBO, and The Ring female super-middleweight champ frankly overwhelmed Vargas, whose takedowns had an air of desperation as the end drew nigh. The fight never made it out of the opening round, with Marshall landing lefts and rights as Vargas tried and failed to cover up, occasionally swatting back as if trying to shoo her opponent away.

Marshall would not be deterred however, and the ref had soon seen enough, waving off the fight and handing Savannah Marshall a standing TKO win.

SAVANNAH MARSHALL STOPS VARGAS IN THE FIRST! 👀

Savannah stops Mirela Vargas at the end of the first round after getting taken down numerous times! 😳#PFLNewcastle | LIVE NOW ON DAZN pic.twitter.com/XybwMJo0aU

— PFL Europe (@PFLEurope) June 8, 2024

“If I could I’d punch, Jesus. Look, I’ve only been doing this nine months. I’ve absolutely loved it,” Marshall said following the fight. “But these MMA fighters, you’ve got to be a little bit crazy to do it.”

Consider fellow boxer and rival Claressa Shields among the crazy ones then. Marshall specifically pursued Shields to MMA with the hope of landing a second fight with her, this time in the cage. And Shields was on hand for an impromptu face-off on Saturday, after Marshall closed out the night at the Utilita Arena in Newcastle. “That’s how you get off the floor, babe,” Marshall told Shields at one point, though the face-off was anything but tense with both athletes all smiles.

"THAT'S HOW YOU GET UP OFF THE FLOOR BABE!" 🔥

Savannah Marshall fires shots at Claressa Shields after her MMA debut victory, and both agree to a MMA fight in the SmartCage! 👀#PFLNewcastle | LIVE NOW ON DAZN pic.twitter.com/9CHafMDMiN

— PFL Europe (@PFLEurope) June 8, 2024

Where ever she fights next, Marshall suggested the promoter will need to get out the pocketbook. The PFL would be crazy, however, not to strike when the iron is hot, despite Shields having a few more fights in MMA.

The post PFL Newcastle: Savannah Marshall Makes Successful MMA Debut, Faces Off with Shields appeared first on Cageside Press.

Marshall, set to face Brazil’s Mirela Vargas, was the rare 0-0 fighter landing a main event spot in her pro debut. But her boxing pedigree and the fact that old rival Claressa Shields was also signed to the PFL resulted in a bit of fast-tracking, especially with Marshall being very open about pursuing a fight in MMA opposite Shields.

Also on the PFL Newcastle card, Dylan Tuke, weeks removed from the loss of his mother, faced Kane Mousah, who, to his credit, had paid Tuke plenty of respect for even staying in the fight. Bellator MMA vet Charlie Leary, meanwhile, faced off with Jack Grant.

Where to Watch PFL Europe 2: Newcastle

Saturday, June 8, 2024’s PFL Europe 2 card was set for the Utilita Arena in Newcastle, England. The card streams live via DAZN in North America; full results can be found below.

PFL Newcastle: Marshall vs. Vargas Results

Main Card

Savannah Marshall def. Mirela Vargas by TKO, Round 1, 4:27
Dylan Tuke def. Kane Mousah by unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 29-28)
Jack Grant def. Charlie Leary by KO, Round 1, 0:41
Lewis McGrillen def. Matiss Zaharovs by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Shanelle Dyer def. Mariam Torchinava by KO (head kick), Round 1 3:53

Preliminary Card

Ibragim Ibragimov def. Josh Reed by submission (arm-triangle choke), Round 1, 0:50
Julien Lopez def. Dominique Wooding by submission (guillotine choke), Round 1, 3:10
Karolina Wójcik def. Lizzy Gevers by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Claudio Pacella def. Mark Ewen by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 30-27)
​​Khurshed Kakhorov def. Tuomas Grönvall by KO, Round 3, 1:11
Valentina Scatizzi def. Marie Loiseau by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Ben Woolliss def. Nikola Ivanovic by TKO, Round 1, 4:02
Alexander Luster def. Alperen Karabulut by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 1, 1:59
Paulina Wiśniewska def. Dee Begley by TKO, Round 2, 3:08

The post PFL Newcastle: Marshall vs. Vargas Full Results appeared first on Cageside Press.

Mousah (14-6), a former Bellator MMA fighter, has spent lots of time working the European circuit for both Bellator and now the PFL, fighting in front of rabid, red hots fans that have garnered a reputation for being some of the best in the sport.

“The English, we’re a mad country. We’re all about our sports, we’re all about fighting,” Mousah told Cageside Press in a recent interview, asked about that fanbase. “Initially we were big on boxing, like the U.S. We’re big on boxing. The Europeans, the French, I’ve fought in front of the French, they’re amazing. I’ve fought in front of the Italians, they’re amazing. I’ve fought in front of the U.K. fans, depending on who’s on these cards, if you get the right names on these U.K. cards, wow, the fans just go crazy.”

Mousah expects that to be the case on June 8, with boxer Savannah Marshall making the jump to MMA, and an army of U.K. talent along for the ride.

“This is going to be one of them cards where all the fans are excited, there’s going to be a lot of knockouts, there’s going to be a lot of tear ups, and there’s a lot of animosity in some of these fights as well. So it’s just building for an amazing card.”

As he has in all of his interviews ahead of the fight, Mousah paid his respects and gave his condolences to Tuke, whose mother passed away ahead of the fight. “I can’t imagine what he’s going through right now, and I haven’t heard any talk of him wanting to pull out of the fight. So I want to commend him for that as well, and once again give my condolences to him.”

That having been said, “this is going to be a fight, this is going to be me coming in there a better version of the man that fought Jakub Kaszuba, a better version of Kane Mousah.”

“I’m going to give him a lot of problems, I’m going to present a lot of problems and I can see me getting my hand raised,” Mousah would later add. “However it happens through that fight on that night, I’m coming to bring the fire, I’m coming to bring the danger and obviously I’m going to get the win.”

Watch our full interview with PFL Newcastle’s Kane Mousah above.

The post Kane Mousah “Coming to Bring the Fire” at PFL Newcastle appeared first on Cageside Press.

Leary (17-13-1, 1NC) did have back-to-back losses opposite Davy Gallon and Soren Bak under the Bellator banner in 2022. In his lone fight in 2023, however, Leary went up against UFC alum Yancy Medeiros, only to be submitted by a rear-naked choke— a result later overturned to a No Contest when Medeiros failed a drug test.

That situation is “a tough one,” Leary told Cageside Press in an exclusive interview ahead of PFL Newcastle. “It’s a hard one when they overturn it to a No Contest, because I feel like- I understand if it was a tainted supplement, or something went wrong, or it was questionable. He openly admitted he had taken something because he’s got a bad knee, that’s why it was at a catchweight as well. He was just trying to get to the fight and stuff like that.”

In Leary’s mind, there’s a better option than a No Contest when it comes to overturning results. “Me personally, I feel like maybe it should have been put down as a DQ, because if it was a foul in the fight, which theoretically it was— but you’ve got to get past it. It’s one of them things, it’s over now, if you dwell on that sort of stuff, you’re never going to progress. It is what it is.”

Leary noted that he’s lost questionable decisions, and probably won some as well, summing things up by saying “you’ve got to take the rough with the smooth.”

Charlie Leary certainly isn’t alone in his sentiments. Still, it’s on to a date in Newcastle with fellow Brit Jack Grant.

“You know what, I think it’s a great match-up,” Leary said when asked for his thoughts on the pairing. “I keep saying, he’s been on my radar for a long time, because if you look at the records, we both fought on the same sort of shows coming up.” That includes the likes of Cage Warriors, Brave CF, and Bellator MMA. “So he’s always been someone around the same sort of shows, but I’ve never really crossed paths with him. So he’s always been in my peripheral vision sort of thing.”

The pair have also moved in similar circles when it comes to weight classes, welterweight and lightweight in particular. “And I like the way he fights,” added Leary. “Watching his fights, it’s always an exciting fight.”

Watch our full interview with PFL Europe 2’s Charlie Leary above.

The post PFL’s Charlie Leary Feels Intentional PED Use Should Mean DQ Win for Opponents appeared first on Cageside Press.

Sadly, the circumstances here are tragic. Tuke’s mother passed away earlier this month, with the fighter cancelling several media obligations as a result after announcing the news. He was back and sounding ready to go this week, however, appearing at a virtual press conference featuring the top four stars from the PFL Newcastle card, where himself and Mousah serve as the night’s co-main event.

https://www.instagram.com/thenuketuke1/p/C6x8pQfgAre/

Just prior to the press event kicking off, Mousah paid his respects and gave his condolences to his opponent.

“Just wanted to say Dylan, before we start bro, condolences about your mother and that,” Mousah started, with Tuke responding with his appreciation. “That means a lot bro. I appreciate that. Really, I mean it. You’re a real one brother. You’re a real one and I appreciate that.”

When Mousah said simply that “We’ve got to do what we’ve got to do on the night,” Tuke replied by saying “we’ve just got to go and have some fun. This is the life we’re living. She wouldn’t want me to pull out, so I wouldn’t pull out. Might as well make some fun and make some money.”

Mousah would go on to add that “every interview that I’ve had surrounding the fight and about the fight, I’ve just started every interview and said listen, at the end of the day, before I start this interview I just want to give my condolences to my opponent. And I just wanted to show him the respect for being a solid man and going through with the fight, because for me personally I don’t know where my head would be at, and I don’t know if I’d have the strength to do it.”

This is what sportsmanship and respect in MMA looks like.

Kane Mousah (@Kane86mousah) gives his condolences to #PFLNewcastle opponent Dylan Tuke (@TheNukeTuke) following the death of Tuke's mother.

"I just wanted to show him the respect for being a solid man and going through… pic.twitter.com/gR4QLU45Me

— Cageside Press (@Cagesidepress) May 23, 2024

And that, ladies and gentleman, is what sportsmanship and respect looks like in the fight game. Dylan Tuke and Kane Mousah face off in the lightweight co-main event of 2024’s PFL Europe 2 on June 8, 2024 at the Utilita Arena in Newcastle, England.

The post Kane Mousah Pays PFL Europe 2 Opponent Dylan Tuke Respect After Death of Mother appeared first on Cageside Press.

In a recent press release, promotion officials revealed the full line-up for the card, which is set as the second PFL Europe event of 2024, following a show in Paris last month.

Headlining PFL Europe Newcastle will be British boxing champ Savannah Marshall (0-0 MMA, 13-1 boxing), making her MMA debut against Mirela Vargas (1-2). While a debuting fighter might seem like an odd choice to headline a show, Marshall has won belts in two weight classes during his boxing career, and her only loss in the sport came to Claressa Shields – who now also calls the PFL home in terms of her MMA career.

The remainder of the PFL Europe Newcastle card at the Utilita Arena on June 8, 2024 is comprised of European talents including Bellator alum Kane Mousah facing Dylan Tuke in the co-headliner. The line-up currently breaks down as follows:

• Savannah Marshall vs. Mirela Vargas
• Kane Mousah vs. Dylan Tuke
• Jack Grant vs. Charlie Leary
• Dean Garnett vs. Ayton De Paepe
• Shanelle Dyer vs. Mariam Torchinava
• Ibragim Ibragimov vs. Josh Reed
• Frans Mlambo vs. Luke Shanks
• Lizzy Gevers vs. Sammy-Jo Luxton
• Mark Ewen vs. Mathias Poiron
• Khurshed Kakhorov vs. Bondo Kikadze
• Valentina Scatizzi vs. Marie Loiseau
• Ben Woolliss vs. Maher Belkhadir
• Alexander Luster vs. Alperen Karabulut
• Dee Begley vs. Paulina Wisniewska

The post PFL Europe Newcastle Card Announced for June 8, Savannah Marshall Headlines appeared first on Cageside Press.