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PFL 3 2024: Koreshkov vs. Umalatov Takeaways and Thoughts
April 22, 2024
The UFC may have taken the week off last week after their historic UFC 300 card, but PFL put on a fun show on Friday that featured a lot of familiar names from Bellator. The matchups featured some tough fighters, which resulted in some fun back and forth fights and highlight finishes. Let’s take a look at how the results shook out…
Main Card
Magomed Umalatov def. Andrey Koreshkov via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Brendan Loughnane def. Pedro Carvalho via TKO (punches) — Round 1, 1:26
Shamil Musaev def. Logan Storley via knockout — Round 2, 0:27
Gabriel Braga def. Justin Gonzales via knockout (punch) — Round 1, 4:59
Goiti Yamauchi def. Neiman Gracie via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Kai Kamaka III def. Bubba Jenkins via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Prelims
Adam Borics def. Enrique Barzola via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Timur Khizriev def. Brett Johns via unanimous decision (30-37, 30-27, 30-27)
Murad Ramazanov def. Laureano Staropoli via submission (rear-naked choke) — Round 1, 4:06
Don Madge def. Brennan Ward via submission (rear-naked choke) — Round 1, 1:02
Tyler Diamond def. Otto Rodrigues via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-27)
Thad Jean def. Romain Debienne via knockout — Round 1, 2:07
The Prelims
As usual, the Prelims ended up being worth the watch. With some tough matchups and standings ramifications, the PFL Prelims usually have the fighters going after points. Here’s some things that ended up being noteworthy…
Thad Jean, Don Madge, and Murad Ramazanov all had big time finishes in their fights. Jean had a highlight reel KO in the first round in the first fight that got the night started nicely. Madge and Ramazanov both got rear-naked choke submissions over very tough opponents. All three of these men put themselves back on the map to watch as we go forward in 2024.
Timur Khizriev and Adam Borics had hard fought unanimous decisions that got their seasons on the right track. Khisriev had the more decisive victory, which was impressive because it was over the extremely tough Brett Johns. Both winners proved that they can grind out a nice win, but they will have to get some more points to help themselves in standings.
Kai Kamaka III vs. Bubba Jenkins
With his cousin, Ray Cooper, cheering him on, Kai Kamaka III got a big win to kick off his 2024 season. Bubba Jenkins has been really tough in recent PFL seasons and was a big test for Kamaka. However, Kamaka established control early in the fight and basically dominated all the rounds. The only thing missing from this performance was a finish, which would have given Kamaka some extra points in the standings. Bubba Jenkins now has some work to do, and will need some luck, in order to stay in contention.
Goiti Yamauchi vs. Neiman Gracie
Yamauchi didn’t get the same KO finish he got the last time these two men did battle, but he did get a nice unanimous decision. Gracie hung in the fight, but Yamauchi ended up beating him on the scorecards with his all around attack and defense.
Gabriel Braga vs. Justin Gonzales
In his first fight back since his father’s death, Gabriel Braga got the emotional win over the scrappy Justin Gonzalez. The KO came in the last seconds of the first round, not only securing Braga the win, but 6 points in the standings. This was a great start to the 2024 season for Braga after a tough, emotional few months.
Shamil Musaev vs. Logan Storley
Logan Storley is a very tough fighter who had never been finished…until Friday. Shamil Musaev got a big upset win over Storley to get some big time points in the standings. This is why you fight the fights, friends. Most people had Storley as the clear favorite, but Musaev used his power nicely and got a huge win on national television. Storley will continue to be tough this season, but Musaev has set himself up to make a huge splash in 2024.
Brendan Loughnane vs. Pedro Carvalho
After a surprising upset loss in the 2023 season, Brendan Loughnane came into the 2024 season looking to prove that he is still someone to worry about. He did just that. He completely overwhelmed Pedro Carvalho and got the finish in the first round. A motivated Brendan Loughnane is a force. The thing is - he’s always motivated. 2024 just has him extra motivated to get back into the playoffs and finish as a winner.
Magomed Umalatov vs. Andrey Koreshkov
This was a really fun, back and forth main event. I was really excited for this fight and it definitely delivered a tough fought matchup. There were moments where Andrey Koreshkov looked poised to win, but Umalatov did a great job of having more output and a strong ground attack to secure the win. Umalatov will be tough in the 2024 season and Koreshkov will be motivated to bounce back and get some big points in his next matchup.
My Picks
I went 8-4 with my picks on this card - not too bad. I ended up not betting anything, though…not that I would have made too much (I only bet $1 of each fight). That Musaev pick would have been impressive on the bet slip, though…
Overall, this was a strong showing for PFL while the UFC was off. It was nice to see a lot of familiar Bellator names make their PFL debuts. It’ll be a couple of months before we see PFL back on our screens, but Bellator will be back next month.
What did you think of this card? Did you watch or did you just miss having the UFC around? Let me know at matt.tenhoeve@gmail.com. I’ll be back later this week to preview UFC Fight Night: Nicolau vs. Perez. See you then!
