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Matthew Wells

2023 PFL 6 results: 2022 season winners Olivier Aubin-Mercier, Sadibou Sy score highlight-reel knockouts

PFL 6 Anthony Romero Sadibou Sy Shane Mitchell Jarrah AlSilawi Nayib Lopez Olivier AubinMercier Shane Burgos Abdullah AlQahtani Alexander Martinez

2023 PFL 6 took place Friday and MMA Junkie provided live and official results throughout the entire card.

The event featured lightweight and welterweight regular season bouts at Overtime Elite Arena in Atlanta. The main card aired on ESPN at 9 p.m. ET following prelims on ESPN+ beginning at 6 p.m. ET.

In the main event, 2022 lightweight season winner Olivier Aubin-Mercier (19-5) took on Anthony Romero (12-2). Mercier competed for the second time in the 2023 season, following a unanimous decision win over Shane Burgos at 2023 PFL 3. Romero, a 2023 PFL Challenger Series competitor, entered his first regular season bout, hunting for a playoff spot.

In the co-feature, 2022 welterweight season winner Sadibou Sy (15-6-2) took on Shane Mitchell (13-6). Sy finished Jarrah Al-Silawi in the second round at 2023 PFL 3, while Mitchell looked to rebound from a unanimous decision loss to Nayib Lopez.

Full 2023 PFL 6 results include:

Abdullah Al-Qahtani vs. Lamar Brown

Records: Abdullah Al-Qahtani (6-1), Lamar Brown (4-2)
Division: Featherweight
Broadcast: ESPN+
Referee: Brent McKeehan
Result: Abdullah Al-Qahtani def. Lamar Brown via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 1:35
Points: N/A
Notes: This showcase bout didn’t last long once Al-Qahtani found the back of Brown while standing. He latched on the rear-naked choke and squeezed tight to get the early tap in the first round of his PFL debut.

 

Mike Bardsley vs. Brahyan Zurcher

Records: Mike Bardsley (3-1), Brahyan Zurcher (6-0)
Division: Featherweight
Broadcast: ESPN+
Referee: Gary Copeland
Result: Brahyan Zurcher def. Mike Bardsley via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 4:45
Points: N/A
Notes: Zurcher’s pressure kept Bardsley on the back foot throughout the first round. Despite a change in tempo in the second frame, Zurcher found the chin with a beautiful punching combo to put Bardsley down, prompting the referee to rush in to call a stop to the fight.

Jarrah Al-Silawi vs. Solomon Renfro

Records: Jarrah Al-Silawi (18-6), Solomon Renfro (14-4)
Division: Welterweight
Broadcast: ESPN+
Referee: Bryan Miner
Result: Solomon Renfro def. Jarrah Al-Silawi via knockout (punches) – Round 2, 1:44
Points: 5
Notes: Renfro needed a finish in the first round and Al-Silawi needed a finish by 1:14 of Round 2 in order to stay alive in the playoff race. While he didn’t get it done in the first, Renfro found the chin of Al-Silawi in the second to put him down and out, earning five points in his debut. He debuted at welterweight on short notice, and has designs on taking on the lightweight division next PFL regular season.

Alexander Martinez vs. Bruno Miranda

Records: Alexander Martinez (10-5), Bruno Miranda (16-3)
Division: Lightweight
Broadcast: ESPN+
Referee: Brent McKeehan
Result: Bruno Miranda def. Alexander Martinez via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Points: 3
Notes: To reach the playoffs, Martinez needed a win in any fashion, whereas Miranda needed a finish in any round to clinch his spot.

Both men hit the canvas in the back-and-forth opening round. Martinez started off on fire with hard punches and kicks, but Miranda answered back with a cracking left hook that scored a knockdown. The heated exchanges continued over the next two rounds, with both men having their moments until the final horn in a hard-to-score battle.

Raush Manfio vs. Natan Schulte

Records: Raush Manfio (17-5), Natan Schulte (25-5-1)
Division: Lightweight
Broadcast: ESPN+
Referee: Gary Copeland
Result: Natan Schulte def. Raush Manfio via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Points: 3
Notes: In this fight between best friends, both men needed a finish to clinch a playoff spot. However, the fight unfolded like a sparring match, with neither fighter trying to hurt the other. The crowd wasn’t happy with it and neither were the fighters. This one was bizarre.

Carlos Leal vs. Dilano Taylor

Records: Carlos Leal (19-4), Dilano Taylor (10-5)
Division: Welterweight
Broadcast: ESPN+
Referee: Bryan Miner
Result: Carlos Leal def. Dilano Taylor via knockout (punches) – Round 2, 1:13
Points: 5
Notes: Leal needed a win or a draw to clinch a playoff spot, while Taylor was mathematically eliminated when he stepped into the cage due to missing weight by 0.2 pounds. After a competitive first round, Leal charged forward early in the second and rocked Taylor with a clean punch. Taylor was all but out on his feet, and Leal poured on the strikes until he put Taylor on the canvas.

Clay Collard vs. Stevie Ray

Records: Clay Collard (23-10), Stevie Ray (25-13)
Division: Lightweight
Broadcast: ESPN, ESPN+
Referee: Brent McKeehan
Result: Clay Collard def. Stevie Ray via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 1:04
Points: 5
Notes: Both fighters had playoff-clinching scenarios: Collard needed a finish, while Ray needed to get the job done in the first round.

Knowing what he needed to do to reserve his playoff spot, Ray wasted little time getting into the clinch game, and quickly took the back. Collard worked free though, and let his hands and feet go in the stand-up game. Ray kept trying to keep the fight in the clinch, which made for some exciting exchanges.

In the second round, though, Collard’s hands became too much for Ray to handle. Collard blitzed with strikes, and put Ray on the canvas for the playoff-clinching finish.

 

Nayib Lopez vs. Magomed Umalatov

Records: Nayib Lopez (16-1), Magomed Umalatov (14-0)
Division: Welterweight
Broadcast: ESPN, ESPN+
Referee: Gary Copeland
Result: Magomed Umalatov def. Nayib Lopez via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-27)
Points: 3
Notes: Umalatov poured on the offense early and put Lopez in danger with a deep arm triangle submission. After Lopez defended, Umalatov smashed Lopez with heavy punches on the mat. Somehow, Lopez remained in the fight despite clearly being rocked as the referee was moments away from stepping in. Lopez even found a way to get a takedown to stop Umalatov’s offense.

Umalatov continued to be effective, but slowed his offense and became more patient over the next two rounds after realizing that getting Lopez out of the fight early was tougher than expected.

The win places Umalatov in the welterweight playoffs.

 

Magomed Magomedkerimov vs. David Zawada

Records: Magomed Magomedkerimov (32-6), David Zawada (18-9)
Division: Welterweight
Broadcast: ESPN, ESPN+
Referee: Bryan Miner
Result: Magomed Magomedkerimov def. David Zawada via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 3:54
Points: 6
Notes: Magomedkerimov calmly waited for his opening and cracked Zawada with a hard right hand and then pushed him to the canvas. He rushed in and timed a few follow-up punches that landed well, prompting the referee to stop the fight in the first.

The six-point finish sends Magomedkerimov to the welterweight playoffs in the No. 1 seed.

Shane Burgos vs. Yamato Nishikawa

Records: Shane Burgos (15-4), Yamato Nishikawa (21-4-6)
Division: Lightweight
Broadcast: ESPN, ESPN+
Referee: Brent McKeehan
Result: Shane Burgos def. Yamato Nishikawa via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-26)
Points: 3
Notes: This one was a playoff elimination bout. Both fighters could have clinched a playoff spot with a first-round finish, but the winner in any fashion kept their hopes alive. Once the fight reached the second round, Bruno Miranda clinched his playoff spot. The story was the same in the third round, with Burgos bludgeoning Nishikawa from the top for nearly the entire frame.

After a few opening exchanges, Burgos took the fight to the mat and controlled from top, landing ground-and-pound strikes as much as he could before the end of the round. Early in the second, Burgos took the fight right back to the ground, and spent the remainder of the frame working from top position.

Shane Mitchell vs. Sadibou Sy

Records: Shane Mitchell (13-6), Sadibou Sy (15-6-2)
Division: Lightweight
Broadcast: ESPN, ESPN+
Referee: Gary Copeland
Result: Sadibou Sy def. Shane Mitchell via knockout (wheel kick) – Round 3, 1:35
Points: 4
Notes: Playoff-clinching scenarios for this one: Sy needed any win, a draw, or even a loss after the second round; Mitchell needed a first or second-round finish.

The first round was an all-striking affair. Sy just missed the mark with a lightning-fast wheel kick, which would have been an incredible highlight. Mitchell landed a few good shots, but Sy scored more often with a higher volume.

Sy wobbled Mitchell in the second and stormed in for the finish, but it wouldn’t come. He then showed off some of his grappling prowess with a few takedowns.

In the third round, though, Sy went back to the spinning wheel kick. This time he landed it, and got the highlight knockout he was hunting for earlier.

Olivier Aubin-Mercier vs. Anthony Romero

Records: Olivier Aubin-Mercier (19-5), Anthony Romero (12-2)
Division: Lightweight
Broadcast: ESPN, ESPN+
Referee: Bryan Miner
Result: Olivier Aubin-Mercier def. Anthony Romero via knockout (knee) – Round 3, 0:28
Points: 4
Notes: Playoff-clinching scenarios: Aubin-Mercier needed a win or a draw; Romero needed a finish in any round.

Both fighters were rocked early in the opening round. Aubin-Mercier cracked Romero with a clean right hand, but a moment later Romero returned the favor by finding a home for a crescent kick.

The second round saw a number of accidental headbutts that led to a few paused in the action. Neither fighter was docked a point due to both of them closing in at the same time in each instance.

In the third, Aubin-Mercier was going for a left kick, but Romero changed levels, resulting in a brutal knee knockout.

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