Movlid Khaybulaev Weathers Early Storm, Secures Split Decision Win Over Jeremy Kennedy – PFL 1 Highlights
Movlid Khaybulaev escaped with a closely contested split decision win over Jeremy Kennedy in the first round of the PFL World Tournament in Orlando.
Kennedy nearly finished things in the opening round, catching Khaybulaev early before unleashing a barrage of strikes up against the fence. With Khaybulaev’s nose gushing blood, the Russian fought back, forcing Kennedy to clinch up and take a breather before unloading another combination.
Unable to get the finish, Kennedy opted to land a late takedown, putting a punctuation mark on his dominant first-round performance.
But as good as things went for Kenndy in the first, things quickly turned disastrous in the second. Near the two-minute mark of the stanza, Khaybulaev connected with a booming right hand that had the Canadian on wobbly legs. Khaybulaev rushed in looking for a highlight-reel finish, but couldn’t get it done, opting to take Kennedy down and even things up on the scorecards.
The third round saw both fighters put their grappling and clinch-work on display with neither gaining a significant advantage over the other.
Official Result: Movlid Khaybulaev def. Jeremy Kennedy via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
Khaybulaev will move on to face Tae Kyun Kim in the featherweight semi-final.
