Lightweight quarterfinal action at PFL 8 2019 opened with 2018 champ Natan Schulte taking on UFC alum Ramsey Nijem. The event, going down at the Mandalay Bay Event Center in Las Vegas, would see all four quarterfinal winners compete a second time later in the evening — with this first fight being two rounds or less.

Schulte entered the playoffs as the first seed, Nijem the eighth at 155lbs.

On a night full of shocks and big finishes, Ramsey Nijem dropped Natan Schulte almost right off the opening bell! A stiff jab put him down, and Nijem pounced with a guillotine attempt. Schule, however, survived! And quickly took Nijem’s back, locking in a rear-naked choke! What a reversal. Nijem, who went through a grueling weight cut and even shaved his head to ensure he made the lightweight limit, refused to tap, but looked trapped. And he was. Soon enough, Nijem went out!

The second technical submission of the night, Schulte improved his undefeated streak to eight straight. The season one champion now moves on to face the winner of Akhmet Aliev vs. Rashid Magomedov in the semifinals.

Official Result: Natan Schulte def. Ramsey Nijem by technical submission (rear-naked choke), Round 1, 0:52

The post PFL 8 2019 Results: Natan Schulte Puts Ramsey Nijem to Sleep appeared first on Cageside Press.

PFL 2 went down Thursday night at the Chicago Theatre in Chicago, IL. Bringing the opening round of the promotion’s lightweight and light heavyweight tournaments, the event promised plenty of action. Plus, a host of familiar names. Will Brooks (former Bellator lightweight champ/UFC combatant), Ramsey Nijem (two-time Ultimate Fighter contestant and finalist in TUF 13), Luiz Firmino (Pride veteran), Sean O’Connell (UFC), and more all joined the action.

In addition, in a non-tournament bout, two-time Olympic gold medalist Kayla Harrison made her professional MMA debut. She’d take on former Bellator fighter Brittney Elkin.

In early prelim action, a run of bizarre finishes made for an interesting afternoon in Chicago. A low blow by Robert Wately forced Thiago Tavares to the ground in pain, and after a full five minutes of recovery, he was unable to continue. That, however, gave Wately the TKO victory, a result of the low blow being unintentional. That also means Wately earns five points in the tournament, despite the disappointing finish.

You've got to feel for Thiago! Robert Watley defeats Thiago Tavares by TKO in Round 2 earning 5 points. #PFL2 #MMA #PFLmma #WhatDoYouFightFor @RobertWatley89 @TavaresMMA pic.twitter.com/JFATKMTFbl

— PFL (@PFLMMA) June 21, 2018

Next up was Maxim Grishin, who finished off Jason Butcher with a right hand. However, on his way out, Butcher rolled over his own ankle, injuring it in the process.

Jason Butcher gets slumped by a Maxim Grishin right hand, severely injuring his foot and/or ankle in the process. Grishin wins by first round TKO. #PFL2 pic.twitter.com/nB32IItYvp

— caposa (@Grabaka_Hitman) June 21, 2018

And not to be outdone in the weirdness category, Rakim Cleveland finished off Rashid Yusupov after apparently breaking his jaw. The fight was stopped between the second and third round, however, as the injury went undetected, and a tough Yusupov gutted it out. Oddly, the official finish of the fight came at 0:01 of the third, despite Yusupov never actually coming out to answer the bell.

Just when you thought things were in the clear, another doctor’s stoppage TKO after a great back-and-forth fight between light heavyweights Brandon Halsey and Smealinho Rama. A cut on Rama, who came close to finishing Halsey in the first and dropped him with the head kick in the second, rendered him unable to continue. It was yet another fight ending at 0:01 of the third round, as ruled by the Illinois commission — despite the third round never starting. That also robbed each winner of a point in the PFL tournament, leaving Halsey none too happy back stage.

Ronny Markes vs. Sean O’Connell

Sean O’Connell went from the broadcast booth, where he worked the PFL 2 preliminary card, to the cage in Chicago Thursday night. Opposite him, Ronny Markes, who’d fought as high as super heavyweight.

The pair traded kicks to start before Markes shot a takedown and landed it. O’Connell worked his way back to the fence but gave up his back trying to work to his feet. He wound up with Markes on his back, the weight of the Brazilian keeping him down. O’Connell, however, finally slipped free, and moved into half guard. Markes then swept, and began working for a kimura. O’Connell tried to scramble out, but again gave up his back. The American then rolled to get on top, and looked to pin an arm. Markes, however, swept again and moved to a high mount only for O’Connell to slip out the back. He’d eat a punch getting back to his feet, and the pair would trade with Markes getting the better of his opponent. However, O’Connell launched a flying knee, and Markes used that to work for a takedown — bizarrely, given he’d been finding late success on the feet.

Round two started with Markes attacking on the feet, launching a flying knee, and Sean O’Connell proved more than happy to fire back. A hard left to the chin dropped Markes, and O’Connell began launching blow after blow on his fallen opponent. Markes covered up, and survived perhaps longer than really necessary until the ref finally made the save.

Sean O’Connell def. Ronny Markes by TKO, Round 2, 0:41

Efrain Escudero vs. Jason High

Jason High latched onto a standing guillotine early in his bout against Efrain Escudero, and looked to pull his opponent to the ground. He’d abandon the hold, but would continue to control the action as they got back to their feet. The pair would grapple along the fence, reversing position at times as Escudero looked for a takedown, only to be taken down himself following a level change by Jason High. The round would end with High in guard, working in some ground and pound while looking to pass.

Round two opened with some early exchanges on the feet, before High opted to drive his opponent into the cage. A reversal saw High taken down only briefly as he popped back up. Escudero just barely missed with a knee; High then scored a takedown and landed in guard. High maintained position, but was unable to pass into half guard. Escudero would look for an arm-bar, but High escaped, and transitioned into side control after a quick submission attempt.

After the pair battled through the second, round three saw things go south in a hurry for Jason High. A guillotine attempt by Escudero saw High move his hand to grab an arm. And the ref then waved off the fight! Incredibly, the ref had mistaken a clear attempt to defend the guillotine, with no defined tapping motion, as a tap! While High sat screaming that he did not tap, it was too late. Unbelievable, and one of the worst calls in recent memory. An infuriated High stormed to the back, knocking over chairs as he went, while the promotion opted to skip any in-cage interview with Escudero, who had missed weight for the bout and will not earn any points in the tournament.

https://twitter.com/Maldobabo/status/1009977606605803520

Efrain Escudero def. Jason High by submission (guillotine choke), Round 3, 0:35

Kayla Harrison vs. Brittney Elkin

Kayla Harrison immediately pressed Elkin against the fence in her MMA debut, and soon had Brittney down to the ground. The judoka moved to side control, the half guard. Harrison postured up and dropped some punches, then transitioned to the back. Another bit of scrambling and some defense from Elkin, and Harrison would roll into an arm-bar after some hammer fists to the body. Once she had the arm, it was a done deal, with Elkin forced to tap!

Kayla Harrison def. Brittney Elkin by submission (arm-bar), Round 1, 3:18

Brian Foster vs. Ramsey Nijem

Wasting no time whatsoever, Foster and Nijem came out swinging, with Foster unleashing some heavy uppercuts. He’s transition to a takedown along the cage; Nijem made it back up, and worked for a takedown of his own, latching on to a single leg while Foster fought to maintain his balance. Nijem would eventually manage to get on top of his opponent and work from the guard, which Foster tried to stay active from the bottom. Foster would later use a kimura attempt to sweep, landing on top, but Nijem proved tricky, locking his hands behind his back to avoid the submission.

Round two saw Nijem on top early, with Foster again trying to stay active from the bottom, throwing wild punches and looking to scramble free. He then locked on with a guillotine attempt, but Nijem easily pulled free. Nijem would maintain top control until the final minute of the round, working for a guillotine to no avail. Foster would then transition to the top, then briefly take the back, however with time in the round running out, they’d go to a third with Foster dropping hammers and Nijem answering with upkicks.

Two spinning kicks and a flying knee opened round three for Brian Foster, and after two rounds of grappling, the suddenly explosive Foster sealed the deal! Nijem tried to hold on, but could only cover up against the coming storm.

Brian Foster def. Ramsey Nijem by knockout, Round 3, 0:23

Luiz Firmino vs. Will Brooks

Firmino and Brooks went to the ground early, but Firmino was up quickly and tried for a guillotine, jumping into guard. Brooks easily freed himself and worked from the top, in half guard. Brooks would wind up back on his feet, however, and allowed ‘Buscape’ to get back to his feet. After some back-and-forth on the feet, Firmino shot in first with a double then a single, while Brooks tried to fight him off. Firmino would finish, however, but only had twenty seconds remaining to make something happen, which wasn’t in the cards.

Firmino came out flashing stance changes and working his standup early in round two. However, soon enough, they’d end up grappling once more. Brooks would reverse and throw Firmino to the canvas, then work to control the wrists. Plenty of action and exchanges in the second, but nothing close to a finish, and they’d move to a third.

Round three saw the pair grappling and fighting for wrist control through the first half of the round. The grappling-heavy approach would eliminate the possibility of a finish, and any bonus points, as the pair would go the distance. Will Brooks controlled the round, and the local hero finished the frame with a big punch from the top, but it would go to the judges.

Will Brooks def. Luiz Firmino by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Check back come fight time for full results and a recap of the main card action!

PFL 2 Results:

Will Brooks def. Luiz Firmino by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Brian Foster def. Ramsey Nijem by knockout, Round 3, 0:23
Kayla Harrison def. Brittney Elkin by submission (arm-bar), Round 1, 3:18
Efrain Escudero def. Jason High by submission (guillotine choke), Round 3, 0:35
Sean O’Connell def. Ronny Markes by TKO, Round 2, 0:41

Preliminary card (Facebook)

Brandon Halsey def. Smealinho Rama by TKO (doctor’s stoppage), Round 3, 0:01
Islam Mamedov def. Yuki Kawana by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Vinny Magalhães def. Jamie Abdallah by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 1, 1:37
Rakim Cleveland def. Rashid Yusupov by TKO (injury), Round 3, 0:01
Maxim Grishin def. Jason Butcher by TKO, Round 1, 1:40
Robert Watley def. Thiago Tavares by TKO, Round 2, 0:35
Natan Schulte def. Chris Wade by unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 29-28)
Dan Spohn def. Bazigit Atajev by TKO, Round 3, 4:31

The post PFL 2: Brooks vs. Firmino Results and Recap appeared first on Cageside Press.

PFL 2 goes down Thursday at the Chicago Theater in Chicago, IL. Ahead of the event, all twenty-six fighters stepped on the scale to make the evening’s festivities official. Of course, nothing in MMA can go off without a hitch, which meant that one fighter just had to miss weight. That happened to be former UFC fighter Efrain Escudero — though in his defense, he took the lightweight scrap against Jason High on just six day’s notice.

Luckily, the fight is still a go, though Escudero will be ineligible to win any points for the lightweight tournament. Which means, should he win, he’ll be at a serious disadvantage against the other PFL 2018 lightweight fighters moving forward.

Still, all thirteen fights were a go following the weigh-ins, which went far smoother than PFL 1 in New York. There was even a little bit of lightheartedness, as 205lb’er and former UFC competitor Sean O’Connell had a pizza brought to the scale — then delivered some to opponent Ronny Markes! Chicago deep dish anyone?

PFL 2 airs live on NBC SN Thursday night, following preliminary action on Facebook. For international viewers, the full card can be aired live and free on the social media site.

In the meantime, check out the gallery below for a look at the weigh-in highlights, or check out our full coverage (including video) from the festivities.

Full PFL 2 Weigh-in Results

Dan Spohn (16-5) 202.5 lbs. vs. Bazigit Ataev (17-1) 203.5 lbs.
Chris Wade (12-3) 156.0 lbs. vs. Natan Schulte (11-3) 155.0 lbs.
Thiago Tavares (21-7-1) 155.5 lbs. vs. Robert Watley (10-1) 155.0 lbs.
Maxim Grishin (26-7) 205.5 lbs. vs. Jason Butcher (11-2) 205.0 lbs.
Rashid Yusupov (9-1) 204.0 lbs. vs. Rakim Cleveland (18-9-1) 206.0 lbs.
Vinny Magalhaes (14-9) 205.0 lbs. vs. Jamie Abdallah (8-2) 205.0 lbs.
Islam Mamedov (14-1) 155.0 lbs. vs. Yuki Kawana (14-1-5) 155.5 lbs.
Smealinho Rama (10-3) 205.5 lbs. vs. Brandon Halsey (10-3) 205.5 lbs.
Ronny Markes (18-5) 206.0 lbs. vs. Sean O’Connell (17-9) 205.5 lbs.
Efrain Escudero (29-13) 162.0 lbs. vs. Jason High (21-6) 155.5 lbs.
Kayla Harrison (0-0) 155.0 lbs. vs. Brittney Elkin (3-4) 155.5 lbs.
Brian Foster (27-10) 154.5 lbs. vs. Ramsey Nijem (9-6) 156.0 lbs.
Luiz Firmino (20-8) 154.5 lbs. vs. Will Brooks (18-4) 156.0 lbs.

The post PFL 2 Official Weigh-In Gallery — Sean O’Connell Brings the Deep Dish appeared first on Cageside Press.

PFL 2 takes place at the Chicago Theater in Chicago, IL on Thursday night. With a lightweight main event between ‘Ill’ Will Brooks and Luiz Firmino, the show will kick off both the lightweight and light heavyweight tournaments for the PFL’s inaugural season. At the end of the year: a million dollar prize awaiting the winner.

Also featured on the PFL 2 card is the professional MMA debut of two-time Olympic gold medalist Kayla Harrison. Harrison (0-0) will be facing Bellator vet Brittney Elkins, and should she get the win, she’s poised to become an instant star for the fledgling promotion. In addition, the show marks the promotional debut of two-time TUF veteran Ramsey Nijem.

The Professional Fighters League, of course, was born out of the ashes of the WSOF, but the promotion has a new feel in 2018, thanks to a unique, merit-based format that sees points awarded to fighters for earning finishes. That makes not just winning, but winning early, key for the tournament’s “regular season” — as not just wins, but finishes will ensure strong seeding in the playoffs.

Be sure to check out the action from the PFL 2 open workouts in the exclusive gallery below. PFL 2 takes place Thursday, airing live on NBC SN and Facebook.

The post PFL 2 Open Workout Gallery appeared first on Cageside Press.

Seven years ago, Ramsey Nijem was the other man in the cage with Tony Ferguson at The Ultimate Fighter 13 finale. It’s crazy to think of it now, but the pair were fighting in the welterweight finale that night — though both would make their name at lightweight. Nijem came up short that night. Ferguson, of course, would go on to win the UFC’s interim 155lb title. Their careers took two very different paths following TUF 13; Ferguson to gold, Nijem to a .500 record, 5-5 in the promotion.

Eventually, Nijem was cut from the UFC, following a two-fight skid. 2015 marked his last professional bout. He signed with the World Series of Fighting shortly after, but never debuted. Instead, last year, he turned up on The Ultimate Fighter 25: Redemption. After winning his initial fight over Let Me Bang, Bro! Julian Lane, however, Nijem lost his semi-final match-up.

Losing one shot at redemption, however, opened up the door to another: the PFL’s million dollar tournament. After the Professional Fighters League emerged from the ashes of the WSOF, the tournament format and big prize to the winner drew a lot of interest. Nijem was one of the many interested — and he credits his UFC tenure for getting him here.

Nijem spoke to the media Tuesday following the PFL 2 open workouts in Chicago, and addressed that, and his excitement at finally having a proper fight.

“It’s been a couple years since I’ve had a fight like this, with build-up,” he told the assembled media, including Cageside Press. “The Ultimate Fighter’s still fighting, but you only get like a day, they say ‘oh you’re fighting this guy.’ I just love the excitement, I love the build-up — this is what I live for. All week long I’ve been amped, waking up early.”

“It’s just fun, man. I love this s***,” the clearly elated Nijem continued. “I wake up in the morning excited to do this, excited to compete, excited to show off what I’ve been working on.”

If you’re wondering exactly what the lightweight has been working on, “the last couple years, I’ve been training harder than I’ve ever trained. I’ve added in jiu-jitsu, I’ve added in my striking, I’ve done everything to get better,” he said. “I’m a complete martial artist, and I’m excited to show that off.”

As for his UFC run, Nijem stayed positive. “I’m super thankful for the UFC. If it wasn’t for the UFC, I wouldn’t have had this opportunity to be in this tournament right now,” he explained. “No one would know who I was, I’d be some local fighter hoping to get in this tournament. But because of the UFC, I’ve had the chance to fight the best guys in the world, I’ve got to train with the best fighters in the world.”

Calling the tournament format “more of a sport” Nijem again expressed how excited he was to compete with a million dollars on the line. And as for his opponent, Brian Foster, he sees a perfect fit. “Foster is a great veteran to showcase my skills, and really show where I belong in this tournament, as the number one seed,” Nijem stated.

What Nijem appears most excited about, however, is the structure of the PFL tournament itself. “The format of this tournament is awesome. It’s super simple, super clean, and merit based,” he explained. “I love the merit-based, I’m a right-brained kind of thinker, two plus two equals four in my head, period. Win fights, move on, win the championship, period. Nothing else in between. When you win that championship, you’re the champion that year. If you for one reason or another get hurt, then you’re not the champ that year.”

“LeBron James gets hurt, he doesn’t get to win the world title. It’s merit for this year,” he continued. “2018, I’m going to prove I’m the best fighter in the world.”

As for finishes getting more points during the PFL season than decisions, Nijem was not concerned. “My game plan’s the same. It didn’t matter what show I was fighting on, who I was fighting, I was going for first round finishes from day one.”

“I want to show that my martial art’s the most violent out there,” he added.

As for the long layoff — 2015 being his last fight outside of TUF 25 — Nijem actually sees it as a positive. “If anything, the long layoff has been a benefit for me,” he said. “I never had time to sit down and work on my game,” Nijem explained. However, “for the last couple years, I’ve been able to sit down, and I’ve actually worked on my game. I’ve been ‘okay, What do I need to do to move on as a martial artist? What do I need to get better?’ not ‘what do I need to do to win this fight?'”

Will that development pay off? Find out Thursday when Ramsey Nijem faces Brian Foster at PFL 2 in Chicago, IL. The card airs on NBC SN, following prelim action on Facebook.

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