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SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS – April 4, 2024 – The Professional Fighters League (PFL), the fastest growing and most innovative sports league, kicked off the highly anticipated 2024 PFL Global Season with athletes from the Heavyweight and Women’s Flyweight divisions entering the PFL SmartCage at Boeing Center in San Antonio, Texas.
Tonight’s main event saw Valentin Moldavsky TKO 2022 PFL Heavyweight Champion Ante Delija in the 1st round. Moldavsky overwhelmed Delija, landing heavy strikes en route to the stoppage in his PFL debut. The former Bellator World Champion currently sits atop the Heavyweight division with six points.
In the co-main event of the evening, 2023 PFL Heavyweight runner-up Denis Goltsov faced Linton Vassell in Season action. The two Heavyweights went back-and-forth, with Goltsov securing a 3rd round TKO victory and earning four points in the standings.
Bellator veterans Liz Carmouche and Juliana Velasquez faced off in Women’s Flyweight action with Carmouche defeating Velasquez via unanimous decision. The victory gave Carmouche her third win over Velasquez and three points in the PFL Global Season standings while improving her career record to 21-7.
2023 PFL Europe Women’s Flyweight Champion, Dakota Ditcheva, battled 2023 PFL Challenger Series finalist Lisa Mauldin in a Women’s Flyweight contest. Ditcheva made quick work of Mauldin with a 1st round TKO and earned six points in the division, improving her undefeated record to 11-0.
“The toughest test in mixed martial arts, the PFL Global Season, returned to action tonight showcasing the best fighters from around the world,” said PFL CEO Petery Murray. “In the Professional Fighters League, every fight matters as these elite athletes embark on their $1 million dollar world championship journey, and the 2024 PFL Global Season promises to be the biggest yet.”
“The Heavyweight and Women’s Flyweight divisions kicked off the 2024 PFL Global Season and delivered excitement only the PFL can provide,” said Ray Sefo, President of Fighter Operations at PFL. “The PFL continues to show how deep our amazing roster of talent is and we are looking forward to Light Heavyweight and Lightweight action on April 12 in Las Vegas.”
Heavyweights Daniel James and Marcelo Golm closed out the night’s undercard action. James defeated Golm by 1st round TKO (4:59), yet only earned five points in the standings after he received a one point penalty for missing weight.
Further Heavyweight action saw Sergei Bilostenniy defeat Blagoy Ivanov via unanimous decision and earned three points in the Heavyweight Division. Bilostenniy’s career record now stands at 12-3.
In Women’s Flyweight action, Taila Santos submitted Ilara Joanne at 3:57 in the 1st round via rear-naked choke. The victory improved Santos’ professional record to 20-3 and earned her six points in the standings.
2024 PFL Global Season Heavyweight action began with Oleg Popov facing Steve Mowry. Popov, making his Professional Fighters League debut, defeated Mowry by TKO at 3:47 of the 2nd round. The win was Popov’s 15th straight, giving him five points in the Heavyweight standings.
Judo black belt Kana Watanabe matched up with Shanna Young in an exciting Women’s Flyweight division contest. Watanabe earned the unanimous decision victory in her PFL Global Season debut and secured three points in the division.
The PFL’s first Women’s Flyweight Division matchup of the 2024 PFL Global Season featured Australia’s Chelsea Hackett and Bellator veteran, Jena Bishop. Bishop locked Hackett in an armbar forcing Hackett to tap at 4:50 of the opening round and the victory earned Bishop six points.
In a Featherweight Showcase bout, Dimitry Ivy handed Lucas Brennan his first career loss via unanimous decision and pushed his career record to 13-7.
In a Bantamweight Showcase bout, Bryce Meredith made his PFL debut and defeated Ty Johnson by unanimous decision, moving his undefeated career record to 6-0.
2024 PFL Global Season action returns on Friday, April 12 at The Theater At Virgin Hotels in Las Vegas with Light Heavyweight and Lightweight action.
All 2024 PFL Global Season events are live across ESPN platforms in the U.S. and DAZN in Canada and Europe with additional international premium sports platform distribution reaching 160 countries globally.
COMPLETE RESULTS
PFL San Antonio Main Card Results:
Valentin Moldavsky (13-3-1 NC) def. Ante Delija (24-6) 1st round TKO (2:17)
Denis Goltsov (32-8-0) def. Linton Vassell (23-8) 3rd round TKO (3:11)
Liz Carmouche (20-7) def. Juliana Velasquez (12-2) unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Dakota Ditcheva (11-0) def. Lisa Mauldin (6-3-0) 1st round TKO (3:54)
Early Card Results:
Daniel James (14-7-1, 1 NC) def. Marcelo Golm (10-4) 1st round TKO (4:59)
Sergey Bilostenniy (12-3) def. Blagoy Ivanov (19-7-1 NC) unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Taila Santos (20-3) def. Ilara Joanne (11-9) 1st round submission (3:57)
Oleg Popov (17-1) def. Steve Mowry (10-2-1, 1 NC) 2nd round TKO (3:47)
Kana Watanabe (13-2-1) def. Shanna Young (9-6) unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Jena Bishop (7-0) def. Chelsea Hackett (4-2-1) 1st round submission (4:50)
Dimitre Ivy (13-7) def. Lucas Brennan (9-1) unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Bryce Meredith (6-0) def. Ty Johnson (13-7) unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
*James missed weight – 1-point penalty applied to total points earned in fight
*Young missed weight – 1-point penalty applied to total points earned in fight
PFL is the only organization in MMA with the sports-season format, where individual fighters compete in a Regular Season, Playoffs, and Championship each year. The combined roster of PFL and Bellator boasts 30% of its fighters independently world-ranked in the top 25 of their respective weight-class, the same percentage as UFC. PFL has an expansive global vision for the sport and is building the “Champions League of MMA” with PFL Europe, PFL MENA, and more international leagues in development. PFL leads in technology and innovation, with its proprietary PFL SmartCage, powering fight analytics, real-time betting, AI scoring, and a next- generation viewing experience.
ABOUT PROFESSIONAL FIGHTERS LEAGUE
Professional Fighters League (PFL) is a global powerhouse in MMA and the fastest-growing sports league worldwide. PFL has five live fight franchises, offering year-round content: PFL League Season, PFL PPV Super Fights, PFL Challenger Series, PFL International Leagues, and Bellator. Founded in 2018, PFL is backed by major blue-chip investors including SRJ, Ares, Knighthead, Luxor Capital, Waverley Capital, Elysian Park Ventures, and numerous NBA, MLB, NHL, and MLS team owners. MMA is the growth sports business of this decade, with 650 million fans worldwide, the youngest audience demographic, and true global revenue streams.
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