Phil Davis returned to the win column at PFL 4 on Thursday night, and he did it with a knockout.
The former Bellator champion secured his first finish since October 2019 by defeating Rob Wilkinson in the first round of the promotion’s 205-pound tournament.
Davis initiated the fight with a one-two combination followed by a body kick, immediately threatening a takedown as Wilkinson advanced. Wilkinson momentarily stunned Davis with a right hand late in the first round, but Davis came out for the second round determined to retaliate.
“Mr. Wonderful” landed a right hand that made Wilkinson briefly step back, and Davis doubled down with another punch that dropped the former PFL champion. Davis continued to unleash punches until the referee halted the contest, ending the fight just one minute into the second round. This marked Davis’s first knockout victory since stopping Karl Albrektsson at Bellator 231 on October 25, 2019.
In the semifinal, Davis is set to face Sullivan Cauley, who earned a stoppage win over last-minute replacement Alex Polizzi. Polizzi, stepping in for Marcelo Nunes on fight day, immediately shot for a takedown. Polizzi maintained the position against the cage for so long that it created an opening for Cauley to deliver brutal elbows to the side of the head, resulting in a TKO stoppage in only 96 seconds.
On the other side of the light heavyweight bracket, former PFL season champion Antonio Carlos Junior advanced to face Simeon Powell in the second semifinal bout.
“Shoeface” wasted no time taking Karl Moore to the ground with a single leg and worked from half guard before allowing Moore to stand up. However, before Moore got to his feet, the Brazilian landed an illegal knee to the head while Moore still had a knee on the canvas. After reviewing the replay, the referee opted for a “hard warning” instead of deducting a point.
The replay was also necessary in the second round after Junior complained about a low blow. The video confirmed the knee was legal, and the action resumed. Junior connected with a solid right hand before securing another single leg takedown, controlling the fight from half guard for the remainder of the round. Moore needed a finish in the third round and had some moments against a fatigued Junior, but couldn`t stop the Brazilian. Ultimately, Junior advanced via split decision.
Powell secured his semifinal spot by dismantling Karl Albrektsson in the second round of their fight. Albrektsson had a better start, landing more accurate strikes, but Powell drew his attention in the final seconds with effective elbows from the clinch. As the second round began, Powell returned to the clinch elbows, overwhelming Albrektsson for a knockout win.
The co-main event of PFL 4 featured a heavyweight quarterfinal clash between former interim Bellator champion Valentin Moldavsky and his fellow Russian, Sergey Bilostenniy. Apart from a brief pause in the opening round when the lights went out mid-fight, Moldavsky and Bilostenniy maintained an incredibly high pace for heavyweights.
Moldavsky momentarily hurt Bilostenniy on the feet and rushed for the finish, only to be tagged back almost immediately. Moldavsky was hurt, and Bilostenniy threw a series of punches that weren`t enough to end the fight. The striking battle continued in the second round, but Moldavsky adjusted his strategy for the final five minutes, opting for the clinch without landing significant strikes or attempting takedowns. The fight went the distance, with all three judges scoring it 29-28 in favor of Moldavsky.
Moldavsky will now face Alexandr Romanov in the semifinal after the Moldovan quickly defeated Tim Johnson in a contest between UFC veterans. The heavyweight pair was exchanging strikes when Johnson was caught in a standing guillotine choke. Romanov maintained the hold, pressing Johnson against the cage and literally lifting him off the ground, prompting a quick tap. This marked Romanov`s 11th submission victory as a professional.
On the opposite side of the heavyweight tournament bracket, another UFC veteran, Rodrigo Nascimento, dug deep in his PFL debut to advance to the semifinals, where he will now face Oleg Popov.
Abraham Bably dominated the opening round against Nascimento with heavy punches that caught the Brazilian`s attention, attacking the body in the clinch. Bably slowed down in the second and third rounds, but Nascimento`s nose was still bleeding profusely. Nevertheless, Nascimento landed more effective strikes and earned the nod on two of the three scorecards.
Popov wrestled his way into the semifinals against Karl Williams, spending the first round attempting takedowns but only managing to put Williams down in the final seconds. Williams defended the attempts more successfully in the next round but struggled to stay free from the grappling threats in the final 10 minutes. Williams landed the better strikes, but the judges declared Popov the winner via split decision, bringing his professional record to 20-2.
