Despite entering PFL 7 as the card`s most significant favorite, Biaggio Ali Walsh surprisingly suffered his first professional defeat.
The grandson of legendary boxer Muhammad Ali was a massive favorite heading into Friday night`s event in Chicago, with odds as high as -1600 against Ronnie Gibbs, a 31-year-old local competitor with only one prior professional bout. However, Gibbs stunned the mixed martial arts world by securing an arm triangle choke in the second round, delivering a major upset victory.
Ali Walsh dropped Gibbs with a powerful right hand early in the first minute of the fight, but Gibbs managed to recover well. It appeared at the time that it was just a matter of time before Ali Walsh would finish the fight, as he hurt his opponent on multiple occasions during the opening stanza.
Gibbs survived to see the second round and was able to take Biaggio Ali Walsh to the canvas. On the ground, Gibbs demonstrated a clear advantage, which ultimately led to the memorable submission finish.
With this victory, Ronnie Gibbs improves his professional record to 2-0, with both wins coming by stoppage. His professional debut in March also resulted in a second-round technical knockout win.
Biaggio Ali Walsh must now regroup after his impressive eight-fight winning streak under the PFL promotion was snapped.
Percy Harlow