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PFL 2 2024: Kasanganay vs. Polizzi Takeaways and Thoughts
Before we were treated to the highly anticipated UFC 300 card on Saturday, the weekend kicked off for fight fans with PFL 2 2024: Kasanganay vs. Polizzi on Friday. Despite Dana White explaining how no one in Las Vegas cared about the PFL card, it did supply us with a fun show that was filled with finishes and anticipation for future matchups in the 2024 season. Let’s take a look at the results…
Main Card
Light Heavyweight Regular Season Main Event: Impa Kasanganay def. Alex Polizzi via TKO (punches): R1, 3:29
Light Heavyweight Regular Season: Rob Wilkinson def. Tom Breese via TKO (punches): R1, 1:10
Lightweight Regular Season: Clay Collard def. Patricky Pitbull via TKO (punches): R2, 1:32
Lightweight Regular Season: Michael Dufort def. Mads Burnell via submission (guillotine choke): R2, 1:03
Light Heavyweight Regular Season: Josh Silveira def. Sadibou Sy via TKO (injury): R1, 1:14
Prelims
Light Heavyweight Regular Season: Antônio Carlos Junior def. Simon Biyong via submission (rear-naked choke): R1, 4:34
Light Heavyweight Regular Season: Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov def. Jakob Nedoh via TKO (punches): R1, 2:54
Lightweight Regular Season: Brent Primus def. Bruno Miranda via submission (rear-naked choke): R2, 1:49
Lightweight Regular Season: Gadzhi Rabadanov def. Solomon Renfro via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Lightweight Regular Season: Elvin Espinoza def. Adam Piccolotti via KO (flying knee): R3, 2:23
Heavyweight Showcase: Marcelo Nunes def. Jordan Heiderman via submission (armbar): R1, 2:40
The Prelims
While nothing, at least for a while, will compare to the Prelims that UFC 300 gave us, I will continue to go on record that even the Prelims of “regular” shows are worthy of a look. Friday was no different.
Adam Piccolotti was doing exactly what I expected him to do from my preview last week. He was trying, and succeeding, in getting Elvin Espinoza to the ground and looking for neck submissions. He came close. However, sometimes - a well-timed counter strike is all that is needed. Espinoza drilled Piccolotti with a beautiful knee, as Piccolotti was trying to change levels and get a takedown, to get the finish in the third round. Very impressive.
Brent Primus showcased why he is going to be tough in the Lightweight Division this season. It was a roller coaster of emotions to finish 2023 with the biggest victory of his career getting taken away. 2024 is a fresh start and Primus showed that he continues to improve and fight at a high level.
Jakob Nedoh came in with a little bit of hype with what he had done coming into the 2024 season, but Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov was hearing none of that. He immediately showcased why the attention should be on him going forward. This was an impressive performance to open up some eyes on Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov.
Antonio Carlos Junior fought, and won, for the first time in almost two years. This was a beautiful return to form and an excellent way to start the 2024 season.
Josh Silveira vs. Sadibou Sy
I was really looking forward to this matchup with Sy moving up in weight (and still looking huge). Silveira was going to be a tough test for him and this was a great fight to open the Main Card with. Although Silveira got the big points here, I’m sure it’s not the way he wanted it to happen. Sy, unfortunately, dislocated his thumb early in the fight and couldn’t continue. The dislocation looked pretty nasty. I saw and heard some people saying that he should have just sucked it up and continued, but that is way easier said than done. I don’t think I could have done it, so I don’t think it’s fair to ask it of someone else. Sy’s season is not done, but he’ll need some lucky things (including the healing of his thumb) to happen to get enough points to have a chance at winning this season.
Michael Dufort vs. Mads Burnell
In what was probably the least-hyped Main Card matchup, Michael Dufort had an impressive victory over the tough Mads Burnell. Dufort never let Burnell get comfortable enough to utilize his power and got the impressive submission victory.
Clay Collard vs. Patricky Pitbull
I was super excited to see Clay Collard vs. Patricky Pitbull pop up on this card and it didn’t disappoint. Clay Collard got back on track with a big win over the proven, tough veteran Patricky Pitbull. In the first round, it looked like those who placed a bet on Pitbull (the betting underdog) were going to more than double their money. He found his range early and had Collard on his heels. Collard recovered late in the first round and then finished things off in the second. Collard not only got the impressive win, but picked up some points in the standings and successfully played gatekeeper over the longtime Bellator mainstay.
Rob Wilkinson vs. Tom Breese
Tom Breese came in as a tough replacement for Phil Davis. Breese and Davis are two very different types of fighters, so I was interested to see how Wilkinson would deal with the change on top of the long layoff. Any doubts I had were quickly squashed, though, as Wilkinson made very quick work of Tom Breese, earning the first round TKO. Not only did Wilkinson get the strong win, but he took little to no damage, which will greatly help him going into his next fight in the season. This was a very impressive return for Rob Wilkinson.
Impa Kasanganay vs. Alex Polizzi
After winning the 2023 season in the Light Heavyweight Division, Impa Kasanganay had a tough, split decision loss to Johnny Eblen at the PFL vs. Bellator show in February. He was looking to get back on track, but Alex Polizzi was motivated to make a big statement after coming in from Bellator. Impa played gatekeeper nicely and got his points in a nice win over Polizzi. Polizzi is very tough, but Impa used his spacing well and was able to find his shots against Polizzi for the TKO. Impa will continue to be tough this season and is a big time favorite to repeat in the division.
My Picks
Overall, I went 8-2 with the last second changes to the Prelim matchups factored in. Not too shabby! This weekend definitely got me out of my slump when it came to picking fights.
I was looking forward to this card going into the weekend and it ended up delivering on my expectations. It served as a great appetizer to the UFC 300 show, which most of the attention was on in the fight world. It had some really impressive finishes and back and forth fights. The only thing that I would have loved to see was for the Silveira/Sy to end with a clear winner and not a freak accident. I hope that they get matched up again down the road as it is sure to be a banger.
What did you think of the show? How are you enjoying the 2024 PFL season? Let me know at matt.tenhoeve@gmail.com. I will be back soon to talk about what happened at UFC 300 and to preview this week’s PFL show. See you then!
