Latest news with #2025PFLWorldTournament7
USA Today
03-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
MMA Junkie's Submission of the Month for June: Merab Dvalishvili chokes Sean O'Malley
MMA Junkie's Submission of the Month for June: Dvalishvili taps O'Malley in rematch With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best submissions from June 2025: Here are the five nominees, listed in chronological order, and winner of MMA Junkie's Submission of the Month award for June. At the bottom of the post, let us know if we got it right by voting for your choice. Nominee: Kevin Holland def. Vicente Luque at UFC 316 Kevin Holland (28-13 MMA, 15-10 UFC) flipped the script when he tapped Vicente Luque (23-11-1 MMA, 16-7 UFC) with a choke similar to the Brazilian's signature maneuver in their welterweight bout. Holland defeated Vicente Luque with an anaconda choke (officially announced as a D'Arce choke) just 63 seconds into the second round,. The submission came after a strong first-round effort put forth by Holland, as he stunned Luque with a big standing elbow that wobbled him. Holland swarmed, but Luque was able to evade and make it long enough to get submitted. Nominee: Kayla Harrison def. Julianna Peña at UFC 316 First, an Olympic gold medalist. Then, a PFL champion. Now, a UFC champion. Kayla Harrison (19-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) added a new trophy for the case in emphatic fashion when she put away Julianna Peña (13-6 MMA, 8-4 UFC) to claim women's bantamweight gold. The first round was all Harrison, as she dragged Peña to the canvas with relative ease. Though the moment proved not to matter in the end, referee Vitor Ribeiro deducted a point from Peña for multiple illegal upkicks to the grounded Harrison. Early in Round 2, Harrison dragged the fight back to the canvas, where she grabbed hold of Peña's arm in a kimura and torqued until the submission came. Nominee: Ronnie Gibbs def. Biaggio Ali Walsh at 2025 PFL World Tournament 7 One of the biggest upsets in PFL history – and the sport – was registered courtesy of Ronnie Gibbs (2-0) against Biaggio Ali Walsh (2-1) Ali Walsh, grandson of legendary boxer Muhammad Ali and one of PFL's most promoted names, was submitted by promotional newcomerGibbs in a shocking result. Ali Walsh entered the bout on some sports books as high as a -2000 favorite. Gibbs was also fighting at lightweight, a weight class above his usual fighting weight of 145 pounds. Nominee: Alexandre Pantoja def. Kai Kara-France at UFC 317 Alexandre Pantoja (30-5 MMA, 14-3 UFC) is still on top of the UFC's flyweight division after turning in another dominant title defense against Kai Kara-France (25-12 MMA, 8-5 UFC) . The fight was one-way traffic throughout for the champion. Pantoja kept the pressure high by getting Kara-France to the ground early in Round 3. He once again found the back with plenty of time to work. This time, Pantoja went harder for the submission. He found the rear-naked choke opening and clamped down until the tap came. The winner: Merab Dvalishvili def. Sean O'Malley at UFC 316 Merab Dvalishvili is a "Machine." In the UFC 316 main event, Dvalishvili (20-4 MMA, 13-2 UFC) defeated Sean O'Malley (18-3 MMA, 10-3 UFC) even more emphatically than he did the first time the two fought, as he retained his title via North-South neck crank. The stoppage came at 4:42 of Round 3. Dvalishvili found success in the opening round, as he relied on his signature relentless pace and aggression. O'Malley tried his best to fend off takedown attempts, but they came repeatedly at him. Dvalishvili mixed in his striking in the clinch and on the ground. In Round 2, O'Malley found increasing success. In one particular sequence he cracked Dvalishvili with a hard left hand on the break. But Dvalishvili kept moving forward. The round ended with a crazy spinning sequence from both fighters, who somehow ended up tied up with one another when the bell sounded. The crowd let them know their appreciation. Round 3 saw Dvalishvili drag O'Malley down. Just as the crowd became restless, Dvalishvili shifted into North-South position, grabbed hold, and cranked. Then came the tap. Cast Your Vote!
USA Today
28-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
2025 PFL 7 video: Ronnie Gibbs takes Biaggio Ali Walsh's undefeated record in giant upset
Few expected Biaggio Ali Walsh to lose at Friday's 2025 PFL World Tournament 7. One of the biggest upsets in PFL history – and the sport – was registered this Friday night. Biaggio Ali Walsh, grandson of legendary boxer Muhammad Ali and one of PFL's most promoted names, was submitted by promotional newcomer Ronnie Gibbs in a shocking result at 2025 PFL World Tournament 7 (ESPN, ESPN+), which took place at Wintrust Arena in Chicago. Ali Walsh (2-1) entered the bout on some sports books as high as a -2000 favorite. Gibbs (2-0) was also fighting at lightweight, a weight class above his usual fighting weight of 145 pounds. Yet, despite the weight disadvantage, odds, and getting beat in the first round of their three-round contest, Gibbs got a takedown in the second, landed some heavy ground-and-pound and then submitted Ali Walsh with an arm triangle choke. You can watch Gibbs' big upset win in the video below:
USA Today
27-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
2025 PFL World Tournament 7 live results and highlights from Chicago
PFL continues second-round action Friday with 2025 PFL World Tournament 7, and you can keep up to date with live results and highlights throughout the event. 2025 PFL World Tournament 7 takes place at Wintrust Arena in Chicago, and broadcasts live on ESPN and ESPN+. The event features semifinal tournament bouts in the middleweight, light heavyweight and heavyweight divisions. In the main event, former Bellator title challenger Fabian Edwards (14-4) takes on Josh Silveira (14-4). In the co-feature, former Bellator champion Phil Davis (25-7) faces Sullivan Cauley (7-1). 2025 PFL World Tournament 7 results MAIN CARD (ESPN, ESPN+, 10:30 p.m. ET) PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, 8:30 p.m. ET) 2025 PFL World Tournament 7 weigh-in gallery
USA Today
27-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
PFL semifinal predictions: Who moves on at heavyweight, light heavyweight, middleweight?
Check out our staff members' picks and analysis for the PFL heavyweight, light heavyweight and middleweight semifinals in Chicago. The PFL semifinals continue this week with heavyweights, light heavyweights and middleweights looking for trips to the finals. 2025 PFL World Tournament 7 (ESPN, ESPN+) takes place Friday at Wintrust Arena in Chicago. Get pick results from our 11 editors, writers, radio hosts and videographers, as well as additional analysis, below. Oleg Popov vs. Rodrigo Nascimento Valentin Moldavsky vs. Alexandr Romanov Antonio Carlos Junior vs. Simeon Powell Aaron Jeffery vs. Dalton Rosta Sullivan Cauley vs. Phil Davis Fabian Edwards vs. Josh Silveira Individual staff member semifinal picks Readers 85-53: Edwards 75, Davis 86, Rosta 56, Powell 63, Romanov 65, Popov 81
USA Today
06-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Matchup Roundup: New UFC, PFL fights announced in the past week (April 28-May 4)
Matchup Roundup: New UFC, PFL fights announced in the past week (April 28-May 4) MMA fight announcements are hard to follow. With so many outlets and channels available, it's nearly impossible to organize. But here at MMA Junkie, we've got your back. Each week, we'll compile all the newly surfaced fights in one spot. Every Monday, expect a feature listing everything you might have missed from the UFC and PFL. Here are the fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie or officially announced by the promotions from April 28-May 4. UFC 315, Montreal, May 10 Bantamweight: JeongYeong Lee (11-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC) vs. Daniel Santos (12-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC) (MMA Mania) UFC on ESPN 68, Las Vegas, May 31 Lightweight: Kurt Holobaugh (21-9 MMA, 2-6 UFC) vs. Jordan Leavitt (11-3 MMA, 4-3 UFC) (MMA Junkie) Lightweight: MarQuel Mederos (10-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC) vs. Bolaji Oki (9-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC) UFC on ESPN 69, Atlanta, June 14 Welterweight: Michael Chiesa (20-7) vs. Court McGee (22-13 MMA, 11-12 UFC) 2025 PFL World Tournament 7, Chicago, June 27 Heavyweight: Valentin Moldavsky (14-4) vs. Alexander Romanov (19-3) – tournament semifinal Heavyweight: Rodrigo Nascimento (12-3) vs. Oleg Popov (20-2) – tournament semifinal Light heavyweight: Sullivan Cauley (7-1) vs. Phil Davis (25-7) – tournament semifinal Light heavyweight: Antonio Carlos Jr. (17-6) vs. Simeon Powell (11-1) – tournament semifinal
