BELFAST: A raucous crowd at the SSE Arena Belfast crowd witnessed a dramatic night at PFL Belfast on Thursday as local hero Darragh Kelly failed in his effort to maintain an unblemished record.
Most of those attending hoped no. 8-ranked Kelly would remain unbeaten, but New Zealand’s no. 7-ranked Jay Jay Wilson had other plans. An efficient combination of a left body kick followed by a left hook sent Kelly to the canvas just 37 seconds into the bout.
It silenced the home crowd and put the entire lightweight division on notice, with Wilson capitalizing on the opportunity after Paul Hughes, his original opponent, was forced out due to injury.
Ballymena’s Rhys McKee impressed in his PFL debut with a unanimous decision victory over Alex Lohore. The opening two rounds were measured, with both fighters trading calf kicks early. Lohore found success controlling positions, pressing McKee against the fence, landing knees, and mixing in takedown attempts. McKee adjusted in the second, improving his range and briefly reversing position, though Lohore continued to dictate stretches with his clinch work.
The fight turned decisively in the third; McKee dropped Lohore with a right hand, then dominated the remainder of the round with control, threatening a D’arce choke and taking the back. Despite Lohore’s defensive resilience, McKee’s strong finish secured a clear 30-27 unanimous decision victory on all three scorecards.
In the opening bout of the evening, no. 2 Dovlet Yagshimuradov defeated PFL newcomer and UFC veteran Tyson Pedro, ranked no. 9, via unanimous decision. Yagshimuradov leaned on his wrestling to control much of the fight, though Pedro had a dangerous moment in the third round, landing a massive shot that rocked Yagshimuradov and following up with a flurry of heavy strikes and hammer fists.
Despite the late surge, the judges awarded the pride of Turkmenistan two rounds, securing his first victory since winning the 2024 PFL Light Heavyweight World Tournament.
