The First Round Of the 2025
#PFLWorldTournament has been nothing but STRAIGHT ACTION ✅The Light Heavyweight & Heavyweights were no different tonight
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PFL World Tournament 4 | Full Fight Highlights pic.twitter.com/oYuJy47R0j
— PFL (@PFLMMA)
May 2, 2025
Phil
Davis hadn’t won a fight in over three years, but the former
Bellator
MMA light heavyweight champion reminded everyone why he’s
called “Mr. Wonderful.” Trailing on the scorecards after the
opening round, Davis starched former
Professional Fighters League king Rob
Wilkinson with a bomb of a right hand to secure his spot in the
PFL World Tournament semifinals at
PFL 2025 World Tournament: First Round 4.
Davis’ second-round TKO (0:51) capped off the main event from
Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida, and put the former NCAA DI
wrestling national champion back on the big stage. Davis (25-7, 1
NC) tried to find his range in Round 1 but found it hard to catch
the slippery Australian. Wilkinson seemed a step ahead, and the
rust on Davis looked apparent. Davis would turn back the clock in
the second, however. Using his jab to set up his right, Davis
caught Wilkinson on the top of his temple, dropping him to the
canvas before Kevin
MacDonald officially called the fight.
With the win, the 40 year-old will face the dangerous Sullivan
Cauley, who punched his ticket with a first-round TKO win over
Alex
Polizzi.
Moldavsky Gets Controversial Nod
In the co-main event, a pair of Russian countrymen threw down for
the final spot in the heavyweight bracket, and the decision wasn’t
entirely well-received.
Valentin
Moldavsky edged out Sergey
Bilostenniy by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28).
Moldavsky showcased his strength in the clinch and successfully
muscled Bilostenniy throughout the fight, but Bilostenniy got the
better of the exchanges and even wobbled his foe early. When the
scorecards were read the decision was met with boos by fans who
believed Bilostenniy (13-4) should’ve advanced.
Moldavsky (14-4) will fight Alexander
Romanov in the semifinal round on June 27 in Chicago.
Carlos Jr. Advances to Semis
It wasn’t pretty, but 2021 PFL light heavyweight champion Antonio
Carlos Jr. fought his way back into the winner’s circle with a
split decision win over Ireland’s Karl Moore
(29-28, 28-29, 29-28).
As expected, Carlos Jr. looked to take this fight to the mat
immediately and quickly showed that he was a step above the
SBG Ireland product. Carlos Jr. threatened leg locks and
armbars, but got ahead of himself when he landed an illegal knee on
Moore in the opening period. Moore unintentionally got his revenge
in the next round with a low knee, as most striking exchanges were
smothered and sloppy. Moore (12-4) finished the fight intense and
nearly hurt Carlos Jr. with some late ground-and-pound, but it
wasn’t enough in the eyes of two judges. Carlos Jr. (17-6, 2 NC)
advanced to face Simeon
Powell in the light heavyweight semifinal.
Powell ‘Smooth’ in Victory
Powell went into his light heavyweight showdown against Karl
Albrektsson on a string of lackluster performances, but
announced to the world that he’s back to proper form after pulling
off a highlight-reel worthy second round TKO (2:05).
Albrektsson (14-7) started strong and stayed in Powell’s face for
most of the first round, but a flushly-landed elbow near the end of
the round, showed Powell a path to victory. The London native kept
that in mind heading into the second and
pieced Albrektsson up on the inside with looping elbows and body
shots. Albrektsson was out on his feet before Powell
flattened him on his back.
Powell (11-1) fell short of championship glory in the PFL Europe
bracket, but is making the most of his opportunity in the world
tournament.
Romanov Punches Ticket to Semis
Former UFC fighter Alexander
Romanov quickly finished his PFL debut with a first-round
guillotine choke (1:53) over veteran Tim
Johnson.
Johnson (18-12) has been submitted in the first round in three
straight fights, and his performance against Romanov may have been
his worst. The 40-year-old Johnson traded a few punches before
falling into an awkward bent position along the cage.
Romanov attacked the neck, but Johnson was more affected by his
rib, which had been tweaked in the melee.
With the win, Romanov (19-3) picked up his second straight
victory.
Popov Edges Late Replacement Williams
Oleg
Popov didn’t bring the fans out of their seats, but that didn’t
matter to the 33-year-old Russian heavyweight who edged out late
replacement Karl
Williams by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28).
Popov spent most of the fight pressing Williams to the cage while
slapping shots off the side of his head. Williams, who filled in
for Linton
Vassell on four days’ notice, was frustrated by Popov’s
stubborn grappling, but found success in the clinch. Popov’s
control time, while dominant, caused minor damage, and it was
anybody’s guess how the scorecards would read.
With the win, Popov (20-2) bounced back from his PFL championship
loss last season. Williams (10-3) dropped his second straight.
Cauley Rebounds from ACL Tear
Former Northwestern University wrestler Polizzi did all he could to
try to hold down Cauley throughout their light heavyweight clash,
but Cauley was in no mood to wrestle.
The 28-year-old Arizona native stopped Polizzi with a storm of
elbows in the first round (1:36) to punch his ticket to the light
heavyweight semifinals. Polizzi (11-6) exploded out of the gate and
took Cauley to the mat, but couldn’t hold him down. While looking
to snatch a single leg against the cage,
Polizzi left himself open to multiple unanswered
elbows. Cauley dropped the shot over and over again
until Polizzi’s knees buckled and gave, causing referee MacDonald
to stop the bout.
Cauley (7-1) secured his seventh first-round finish, but it was a
long time coming: He’s been out of the cage for nearly two years
due to a torn ACL, but made a definitive statement in his SmartCage
debut.
‘Yogi Bear’ Edges Bably
Ultimate Fighting Championship veteran Rodrigo
Nascimento grinded out a hard-fought split decision over
English brawler Abraham
Bably (29-28, 28-29, 28-29) in the opening bout to advance to
the heavyweight semifinals.
Bably (5-2), off the heels of his first professional loss, took
control of the fight early and used his low center of gravity to
bully the Brazilian against the cage. Bably worked Nascimento’s
body and imposed his physical will, but the tide would quickly
shift. Nascimento proved to be the fresher fighter and backed up
Bably with his snapping jab. Breathing heavy, Bably looked to slug
and land a big shot, yet he was routinely beaten to the punch by
Nascimento’s fundamental left. Round 3 was a back-and-forth affair,
but Nascimento’s turnaround was too impressive to ignore on the
cards.
In his PFL debut, Nascimento picked up his first win since 2023.