On Friday, Oct. 5, the Professional Fighters League kicked off its 2018 playoffs, holding its eighth event from the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans.
The heavyweight bracket had some familiar faces for UFC fans, including Francimar Barroso, Josh Copeland, Jack May, Alex Nicholson and Jared Rosholt. There were a few up-and-comers in the tournament as well, including Philipe Lins, Caio Alencar and Kelvin Tiller. Barroso and Tiller were neck and neck for the top spot in the regular season standings, but the Brazilian edged the American by just one point.
In the featherweight division, the UFC alumni include Steven Siler, Nazareno Malegarie and Tuerxun Jumabieke. Meanwhile, the up-and-coming talent here was an overwhelming group that includes Andre Harrison, Alexandre de Almeida, Alexandre “Popo” Bezerra, Lance Palmer and Max Coga. While Harrison’s perfect 19-0 mark stands out among the competition, it was Siler who landed the top spot when the dust settled on the regular season.
The first portion of the card aired live on Facebook at 7:30 p.m. ET. The remaining quarterfinal bouts and the entire semifinal round aired live on NBC Sports at 10 p.m. ET.
Steven Siler def. Alexandre de Almeida by disqualification (illegal upkick). Round 2, 0:52 – featherweight semifinal bout
Philipe Lins def. Jared Rosolt by TKO (strikes). Round 2, 0:45 – heavyweight semifinal bout
Lance Palmer def. Andre Harrison by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28) – featherweight semifinal bout
Josh Copeland vs. Francimar Barroso ruled a unanimous draw (19-19 x3, Copeland advances after winning first round) – heavyweight quarterfinal
Steven Siler vs. Nazareno Malegarie ruled a majority draw (20-18, 19-19, 19-19, Siler advances after winning first round) – featherweight quarterfinal
Alex Nicholson def. Jack May by TKO (strikes). Round 1, 2:03 – heavyweight quarterfinal
Alexandre Almeida def. Jumabieke Tuerxun by majority decision (20-18, 20-18, 19-19) – featherweight quarterfinal
Philipe Lins def. Caio Alencar by submission (guillotine choke). Round 1, 0:58 – heavyweight quarterfinal
Andre Harrison def. Alexandre Bezerra by majority decision (20-18, 20-18, 19-19) – featherweight quarterfinal
Jared Rosholt def. Kelvin Tiller by unanimous decision (20-18, 20-18, 20-18) – heavyweight quarterfinal
Lance Palmer def. Max Coga by unanimous decision (20-18, 20-18, 20-18) – featherweight quarterfinal
Muhammed DeReese def. Mike Kyle by verbal submission (strikes). Round 1, 2:38 – heavyweight tournament reserve bout
Jeremy Kennedy vs. Marcos Galvao – featherweight tournament reserve bout