MMA’s only league, the Professional Fighters League, opens its 2022 season tonight with the first round of regular-season fights. Lightweights and light heavyweights face off in Arlington, Texas, with several previous season winners looking to build a reign of glory. Stay tuned right here for live PFL 1 2022 results.
Main Event: “Lil Heathen”‘s New Home
For over 13 years, Jeremy Stephens fought the toughest lightweights and featherweights the UFC could throw at him. After three consecutive losses, the time had come for Stephens to start a new chapter of his career, still in good health and with fighting zeal. The PFL came dangling a million dollars to Stephens, and he is now one of the top additions to the roster this year.
His opponent, Clay Collard, has a style that will mix well with Stephen’s heavy-handed attack. Collard took a break from MMA for a few years to try out boxing and had decent success in the ring. Now back in the cage, “Cassius” has gone 6-2 with a win over former UFC champion Anthony Pettis at PFL 4 2021.
Collard is still only 29 years old and continuing to get better at fighting, while Stephens may be just past his peak but certainly still competitive. The lightweight roster seems incredibly even this season, with multiple UFC veterans and former PFL champions all in the same pool.
Rest of the Card: “The Magician”, “Shoeface”, and “The Canadian Gangster” Featured
There is talent and experience all through the first PFL event, with ten UFC veterans in total and four past PFL season winners. The newcomers include Don Madge, Stephens, and Bruce Souto, who won a contract through the PFL Challenger Series. Madge showed a ton of promise during his short run in the UFC, but was released and finds himself in the PFL’s lightweight lineup.
Former PFL champions competing tonight include Raush Manfio, Antonio Carlos Jr, Natan Schulte, and Emiliano Sordi. Manfio was last season’s dark horse champion, proving that even the fighters lacking name value can make their own way through the field. Schulte won the lightweight division’s championship in both 2018 and 2019, but went 1-1 in last year’s regular season, missing the playoffs.
There are also returning challengers that could just as easily make a run to the top such as Olivier Aubin-Mercier, Alexander Martinez, and Omari Akhmedov. While winning both of his regular-season bouts last year, Aubin-Mercier fell behind the top fighters through the PFL’s point system, which rewards fighters for finishes. Both of “The Canadian Gangster”‘s fights went to a decision, failing to earn enough points to move on to the playoffs.
Other lightweight competitors are UFC veterans Stevie Ray and the aforementioned Pettis, who will face Irish Bellator veteran Myles Price in two weeks.
Also competing in the light heavyweight season are Rizin veteran Teodoras Aukstuolis, last season’s light heavyweight runner-up Marthin Hamlet, previous PFL competitor Cory Hendricks, newcomer Delan Monte, and UFC veterans Rob Wilkinson and Viktor Pesta.
PFL 1 2022 Results
Main Card (ESPN/ESPN+, 9pm EST / 6pm PST)
Clay Collard def. Jeremy Stephens via Unanimous Decision (30-27 x3)
Raush Manfio def. Don Madge via KO (Overhand Right) at 2:42 of round 3
Antonio Carlos Jr def. Delan Monte via Submission (D’Arce Choke) at :29 of round 1
Olivier Aubin-Mercier def. Natan Schulte via Split Decision (28-29, 29-28. 29-28)
Prelims (ESPN+, 6pm EST / 3pm PST)
Cory Hendricks def. Emiliano Sordi via TKO (Ground and Pound) at 2:13 of round 2
Alexander Martinez def. Stevie Ray via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 29-28, 30-27)
Marthin Hamlet def. Teodoras Aukstuolis via Unanimous Decision (30-27 x3)
Omari Akhmedov def. Viktor Pesta via KO (Overhand Right) at 1:25 of round 1
Rob Wilkinson def. Bruce Souto via TKO (Knees and Punches) at :46 of round 2
Simeon Powell def. Clinton Williams via KO (Knee) at 4:38 of round 3
