CHICAGO: The Professional Fighters League returned to “The Windy City” on Saturday, where fans at Wintrust Arena were treated to a dramatic night of action during which Mitch McKee (11-0) scored a unanimous decision win over No.1-ranked Sergio Pettis (25-8).
The two-time NCAA Division I All-American used his wrestling to neutralize Pettis’s game plan, threatening several finishes against the former Bellator champion.
With the victory over the division’s top-ranked bantamweight, McKee is expected to enter the Top 10 in the next release of rankings.
In the co-main event, two-time NCAA Division II champion Raufeon Stots (21-4) faced No.6-ranked Renat Khavalov (12-0) in a clash of elite grapplers. The bout was closely contested throughout, with both fighters finding success and doing damage in dominant positions.
The biggest moment came in the third round, when Stots landed a powerful knee that dropped Khavalov. Despite that, all three judges scored the fight in favor of Khavalov, as the Dagestani standout maintained the unbeaten to start his career.
In a battle of UFC veterans, No.10-ranked Viviane Araujo (13-7) and Shanna Young (11-8) battled it out for 15 minutes, with both women having their moments. But it was Araujo who started to pull away, earning a 30-27 unanimous decision win on her PFL debut.
The main card opened with No.4-ranked Gabriel Braga (17-3) taking on Cheyden Leialoha (11-3) in a featherweight bout. Early on, the Hawaii native relied on his strong grappling to neutralize Braga’s dangerous striking.
Braga weathered the early pressure and began to take control as the fight progressed, with a strong second and third round securing the Brazilian a unanimous decision victory.
The middleweight bout between No. 5-ranked Jordan Newman (8-0) and No.6-ranked Josh Silveira (15-5) was cancelled after Newman withdrew from the contest.
