Rory MacDonald’s journey to the $1million PFL championship faces a major potential stumbling block in the unbeaten Magomed Umalatov on Saturday night.
The welterweight duo go to battle at the Motorpoint Arena in Cardiff, with MacDonald a surprising underdog with oddsmakers. He’s struggled with motivation since losing his effort at becoming double champion in Bellator to Gegard Mousasi, and has been unable to string together more than two wins in a row since that 2018 bout.
But he has found himself in the PFL play-offs after making quick work of Brett Cooper in his first fight of the tournament before losing by decision to Sadibou Sy in an upset. And amateur standout Umalatov will prove a difficult opponent during this first of two UK shows for the American promotion.
The Russian has been something of a revelation over the last few years since arriving in PFL, winning his three outings in America after arriving as the EFC champion. But he has yet to face someone with MacDonald’s pedigree, and it remains to be seen if he is just yet able to someone with the world championship credentials of the Canadian.
In the other welterweight semi-final, Sadibou Sy faces Carlos Leal in a fascinating clash of styles. Leal has overcome every challenge thrown at him since the PFL’s Challenger Series earlier this year, including beating the reigning champion Ray Cooper III to reach this stage.
The Brazilian is a former LFA champion, and has emerged as a slight favourite with the oddsmakers heading into this bout. But he faces a stern test in the Swede, who has already pulled off a big upset against MacDonald this year. It could come down to a tight scorecard in this one, with the Cardiff crowd certain to get three tight rounds between these men.
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PFL MMA)
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And one man who is sure to wow fans in the Welsh capital is ginormous heavyweight Renan Ferreira, who faces Ante Delija in the co-main event for a spot in the million dollar fight. No matter what the result in this hard-hitting clash, fans will be impressed just looking at the 6’8″ behemoth.
He’s clearly one of the stars PFL are attempting to build, but he will face a tough test in Delija. He’s had a stop-start season so far, but his lightning quick knockout of Jamelle Jones was enough to earn him a play-off spot, and fireworks are expected in this co-main event, as well as the other heavyweight clash between Denis Goltsov and Matheus Scheffel.
Elsewhere, a host of European and British stars will get their shots at next season’s tournament, with standouts being Irish stars Will Fleury and Nathan Kelly. The pair are both veterans of the big shows having appeared on Bellator between them, and under the tutelage of John Kavanagh they are expected to make waves in this year’s tournament.
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