At PFL 4 on Thursday night, Phil Davis returned to the win column in impressive fashion, securing a knockout victory. The former Bellator Light Heavyweight Champion earned his first finish since October 2019 by defeating Rob Wilkinson in the first round of the promotion`s 205-pound tournament.
Davis initiated the bout with striking combinations, quickly followed by a threat of a takedown when Wilkinson moved forward. Wilkinson managed to stun Davis late in the first round with a right hand, but Davis came out in the second round determined to retaliate.
“Mr. Wonderful” connected with a right hand that momentarily rocked Wilkinson, then doubled up with another punch that sent the former PFL champion to the canvas. Davis followed up with ground strikes until the referee intervened, stopping the contest one minute into the second round. This marked Davis`s first knockout win since he stopped Karl Albrektsson at Bellator 231 on October 25, 2019.
Looking ahead, Davis is scheduled to face Sullivan Cauley in the tournament semifinal. Cauley secured his spot by finishing last-minute replacement Alex Polizzi. Polizzi, stepping in for Marcelo Nunes on fight day, immediately attempted a takedown and held the position against the cage. This allowed Cauley to land brutal elbows to the side of the head, leading to a TKO stoppage in just 96 seconds.
On the other side of the light heavyweight bracket, one-time PFL season champion Antonio Carlos Junior advanced to meet Simeon Powell in the second semifinal.
“Shoeface” wasted no time taking Karl Moore to the ground with a single leg and worked from half guard before Moore attempted to return to his feet. However, during this transition, the Brazilian landed an illegal knee to the head while Moore still had a knee on the ground. After a replay review, the referee issued a “hard warning” instead of deducting a point.
Another replay was necessary in the second round when Junior complained of a low blow. The video confirmed the knee was legal, and action resumed. Junior landed a solid right hand before securing another single leg takedown, controlling the remainder of the round from half guard. Moore needed a finish in the third round and found some success against a visibly tired Junior, but he couldn`t secure the stoppage. Ultimately, Junior advanced via split decision.
Simeon Powell earned his semifinal berth by dismantling Karl Albrektsson in the second round of their fight. Albrektsson had a stronger start, landing the more effective strikes, but Powell caught his attention late in the first with sharp elbows from the clinch. Round two began with Powell returning to the clinch elbows, overwhelming Albrektsson for a knockout victory.
The PFL 4 co-main event featured a heavyweight quarterfinal between former interim Bellator champion Valentin Moldavsky and fellow Russian Sergey Bilostenniy. Aside from a brief pause in the opening round due to a lights issue, Moldavsky and Bilostenniy maintained a surprisingly high pace for heavyweight fighters.
Moldavsky briefly hurt Bilostenniy standing and attempted to finish, but was immediately tagged back and appeared hurt himself. Bilostenniy couldn`t capitalize. The striking battle continued into round two. Moldavsky adjusted his game plan in the final five minutes, opting to clinch without landing significant strikes or pursuing a takedown. 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. Romanov, a native of Moldova, quickly defeated Tim Johnson in a battle of UFC veterans. The heavyweights were exchanging on the feet when Romanov secured a standing guillotine choke. He held the position, pushing Johnson against the cage and lifting him off the ground, forcing a quick tap. This was Romanov`s 11th professional submission win.
On the opposite side of the heavyweight tournament bracket, fellow UFC veteran Rodrigo Nascimento dug deep in his PFL debut to advance to the semifinals, where he is set to face Oleg Popov.
Abraham Bably dominated the opening round against Nascimento with heavy body punches that clearly affected the Brazilian. Bably`s pace slowed in the second and third rounds, though Nascimento continued to bleed from his nose. However, Nascimento landed the more effective strikes in the later rounds, earning the nod on two of the three scorecards.
Oleg Popov wrestled his way into the semifinals against Karl Williams. He spent the first round attempting takedowns, finally getting Williams down in the final seconds. Williams defended the shots better in the second round but struggled to stay out of danger in the final 10 minutes. While Williams landed better strikes overall, the judges declared Popov the winner via split decision, improving his professional record to 20-2.
Percy Harlow