PFL Europe 3 – Lightweight and Bantamweight Tournament Semifinal Results From Nantes
PFL Europe heads to France on Friday for a loaded card featuring semifinal matchups in the lightweight and bantamweight tournaments.
After a solid undercard punctuated by another stellar performance from Irish prospect Darragh Kelly, fans in the Pays de la Loire region of western France were treated to a quartet of entertaining tournament bouts, including a highly anticipated 155-pound clash between Connor Hughes and Gino van Steenis, the younger brother of current PFL middleweight champion Costello van Steenis.
Lightweight Tournament Semifinal – Claudio Pacella vs. Aleksandr Chizov
Chizov dominated the first two rounds, pumping his jab and busting up Pacella’s face. Likely sporting a broken nose ahead of the third round, Pacella was checked out by the cageside physician before allowing the final five minutes to start.
In desperate need of a finish, Pacella came out swinging and caught Chizov early with a booming right hand. Near the halfway point of the third, Pacella punched his way inside and scored a takedown near the fence. Chizov quickly gave up his back, nearly finding himself in an RNC before rolling through and climbing back to his feet. Chizov was content to ride out the remainder of the round clinching against the fence, likely knowing he’d done enough to secure a win on the scorecards.
Official Result: Aleksandr Chizov def. Claudio Pacella via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28).
Bantamweight Tournament Semifinal – Jan Ciepłowski vs. Dean Garnett
After utilizing his grappling to dominate much of the first two rounds, Garnett managed to cinch in a guillotine choke in the early moments of the third, forcing Ciepłowski to tap out.
It was an impressive showing for the 37-year-old Garnett, who not only punched his ticket to the PFL Europe bantamweight tournament final but also became the first fighter to hand Ciepłowski a loss in his mixed martial arts career.
Official Result: Dean Garnett def. Jan Ciepłowski via submission (guillotine choke) at 0:38 of Round 3.
Lightweight Tournament Semifinal – Connor Hughes vs. Gino van Steenis
Though things got off to a relatively quiet start between the two fighters, Hughes would eventually deliver another highlight-reel knockout, throwing a high kick near the cage that caught van Steenis clean on the chin, separating him from his consciousness and bringing an end to the bout.
Official Result: Connor Hughes def. Gino van Steenis via KO (head kick) at 2:56 of Round 1.
Hughes will now face Aleksandr Chizov in the PFL Europe lightweight tournament final on December 13.
Bantamweight Tournament Semifinal – Julien Pierre Lopez vs. Baris Adiguzel
Adiguzel came out firing on all cylinders, throwing back-to-back head kicks before uncorking a nasty uppercut that caught Lopez early.
Lopez attempted to push through, but he ended up eating another uppercut, this one putting his back on the mat. Smelling blood in the water, Adiguzel swarmed in and dropped bombs, forcing the referee to step in and bring a stop to the bout in under a minute.
Official Result: Baris Adiguzel def. Julien Pierre Lopez via KO (uppercut to ground and pound) at 0:36 of Round 1.
With the win, Adiguzel will face Dean Garnett in the PFL bantamweight tournament final in Lyon, France.
