Friday night in Hollywood anyone? Don’t worry your boys got you covered with something to do. As PFL take over the Hard Rock to showcase a exciting 5 fight card, which includes the lightweight and light heavyweight semi finals. Its WIN OF GO HOME!

Opening up the main card is a lightweight fight which includes an athlete that no doubt was throwing punches from day one.

BIAGGIO ALI WALSH V BRIAN STAPLETON. 

When you have the name “Ali” as a fighter, questions are always asked are they related to “The Greatest” Muhammad Ali. Biaggio is just that. He is the grandson of the legendary heavyweight boxer.

Boasting a solid 6-1 amateur career, Ali Walsh heads into his second pro fight off a win last time out on the PFL V Bellator card earlier this year.

His opponent Brian Stapleton is making his pro debut here, following a 4-4 amateur career. I’m calling this fight as I see it. It’s a lay up fight. Meaning it’s designed to give Ali Walsh what should be a showcasing win. Ali Walsh won’t want a repeat of his decision win on his pro debut, so I’d expect a fast start, with him hunting the finish from the off. From what I have been able to find on Stapleton tape wise, he doesn’t have anything Ali Walsh should be afraid of. In fact I’ll be shocked if this goes past round 1. If it does, Ali Walsh probably isn’t the force the PFL are hoping he is going to be. This is about as easy an opponent you can have, at the level the PFL operates at. Might even be done inside 60 seconds.

PREDICTION – BIAGGIO ALI WALSH TO WIN VIA KO.

From here on out it’s all about the PLAYOFFS. It’s simply a case of WIN OR GO HOME for the fighters remaining in this seasons play offs. We get the lightweight semi finals under way with an absolute banger of a fight!

BRENT PRIMUS V CLAY COLLARD.

Does anyone not like Clay Collard? I mean what’s not to love about this guy. He’s a proper blue collar fighter to me. He doesn’t have the most amazing set of skills, but what he lacks in any area he makes up for it with heart, hard work and the will to win! But I have to put that to aside and state the facts. Collard is lucky to be here. He has lost 3 of his last 4, and enters this off the back of a decision loss to Mads Brunel. He is certainly going to have to turn around his recent form to progress here.

Brent Primus even at age 39 is enjoying a great run of late, winning his last 3 fights, and 2 of those came via submission. He is nearly 8 years older than Collard, but enters the fight as the betting oddsmakers favourite. He does posses a decent striking game, but his bread and butter is his grappling. I’d expect having an old head on his shoulders, he will be trying to exploit that against the boxing style attacks of Collard.

I do think this will be a great fight. If Collard can keep it on the feet for the majority of the fight. Should he finds himself dumped to the ground by Primus early in the round, he might be stuck there. Collards path to victory is to keep it at range, use his speed and striking to take a decision win. The Kryptonite to that plan is Pimus’s bread & butter. Takedowns, grappling and submission threats. For me, I think Primus continues his Indian Summer tour and advances to the finals.

PREDICTION – BRENT PRIMUS TO WIN VIA DECISION.

Next up we stay in the lightweight division with our second semi final.

GADZHI RABADANOV V MICHAEL DUFORT.

Gadzhi Rabadanov is a problem. He enters this fight on an impressive 8 fight win streak and is undefeated under the PFL/Bellator banner. He has 11 wins via finish in his 28 fight career. He is a grinder of a fighter who likes to lean on his grappling and combat sambo style.

Michael Dufort from Canada will be a big underdog entering this fight. But that doesn’t mean he can’t win. He has a solid record at 13-5, and is coming off a close split decision loss to Adam Piccolotti. Before that he submitted Mads Burnley via guillotine choke. Which is why he’s still a live underdog! 10 wins for Dufort by submission. Which means at some point he could well manage to grab hold of one of Rabadanovs limbs, and get the tap.

However for this degenerate, I will be riding with the favourite. He’s just looked to good, to slick and to powerful to slip up here.

PREDICTION – GADZHI RABADANOV TO WIN VIA DECISION.

LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHTS ON DECK!!!

ROB WILKINSON V DOVLET YAGSHIMURADOV.

Now let’s get one thing clear. If anyone reading this thinks I’m spelling out Dovlet’s surname more than in the title, you need to start drinking earlier in the day. He will simply go by Dovlet.

So with that been said. Dovlet is riding a 5 win streak coming into the semi finals. He was born in Turkmenistan, but fights out of Ukraine. Like many Eastern European fighters he has a combat sambo style. He isn’t a fighter I love watching if I’m honest! He doesn’t scream excitement. He does get finishes, but not against anyone of note. Plus his ground game isn’t elite in my eyes. But he’s solid.

Rob Wilkinson is just fun to watch. 17 of his wins have come by finish in his 19 fight career. He has some great offence, and I love it in particular when he throws a flying knee up the middle! He is riding a 8 fight win streak and last time out beat Josh Silviera. Who is in Fridays other LHW semi final.

Now I’d love to see Rob come out and win this via stoppage! He might well do it. But I just think Dovlet is going to prioritise defence, with take down attempts mixed in. I fancy this to be an entertaining fight with a clash of styles. However I don’t think a stoppage comes, and Rob Wilkinson gets his hand raised on the judges scorecards. It might even be close enough for a split decision depending on if Dovlet can land a takedown or 2.

PREDICTION – ROB WILKINSON WINS VIA DECISION.

It’s time for the final fight of the evening. The main event. Semi final number two in the LHW division playoffs.

IMPA KASANGANAY V JOSH SILVEIRA.

Impa Kasanganay is the current reigning PFL light heavyweight champion. Who did he beat to win it? Josh Silveira.

These two fighters met just over 8 months ago and not a lot has changed since then really. The last fight was a good scrap and Impa won a close 5 round fight. But he still won unanimously on the scorecards. It just had a few rounds in the 5 that could have maybe gone either way. I just aren’t excited to see it again, especially over the 3 round format for the semi finals. But that’s the PFL structure. Sometimes fighters can meet again quickly due to the way the formats set up.

I think Josh is a good fighter and super likeable guy. He’s got good boxing, solid cardio, decent ground game. Problem is, Impa is just better than him in all of those areas. The only way I think Josh can win this is if Impa is fatigued from a very busy schedule this last year. 6 fights in the last 12 months.

Don’t take my tone to mean this will be a terrible fight. I just aren’t to excited about a fight where nothings changed. The only thing I am pumped to see this time round is if Impa can get it done by finish. If he does he will be the first man to stop Josh in his pro career.

PREDICTION – IMPA KASANGANAY WINS VIA DECISION.

Enjoy the violence.

Phil.