PFL’s “Challenger Series” will wrap up on March 25th with a series of heavyweight matchups. Four fights were revealed by the promotion Thursday, giving eight fighters a chance to fight their way into the 2022 PFL Regular Season.
The top fight on the card is an interesting one for many, as it sees former UFC middleweight Bevon Lewis make his heavyweight debut. Lewis competed on the UFC roster from 2018 to 2020, eventually departing the promotion after one win and three losses.
Lewis will face Marcelo Nunes, a pro fighter who has attained two stoppage wins in CFFC recently. Coincidentally, Nunes has fought down two weight classes before as well. He most notably fought in 2016 against Rafael Lovato Jr., who would later go on to become a Bellator champion before retiring.
Undefeated prospect Giacomo Lemos will compete on the card when facing Brett Martin. Lemos joined the UFC roster in 2019 but quietly left the promotion before making a debut. He was issued a two-year suspension while with the UFC, as the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency registered a positive test for banned substance drostanolone on him.
Lemos has picked up one win since then, defeating Jose Rodrigo Guelke on a card in August 2021.
Martin is joining the PFL event after putting together six consecutive wins. This includes two LFA fights in 2019 and a recent win in XFC.
Another undefeated fighter will appear lower on the card, as Adam Keresh will meet Chad Johnson. Keresh has earned four wins since turning pro, including three in the Bellator card.
Johnson has lost two consecutive fights via first-round stoppage. This included a fight on the 2020 season of “Dana White’s Contender Series” and a recent fight in LFA.
Both coming off a recent pro debut win, Daiqwon Buckley and Jon Cunningham are set for the opening bout of the card. Buckley spoiled the MMA debut of former NBA player Royce White in December, defeating him via decision at LFA 120. Cunningham made his pro debut at Fury FC 55, stopping Jacob Bradley Williams in the first round of a fight.
Full Lineup
Bout 4: Bevon Lewis (7-3) vs. Marcelo Nunes (7-1) (Heavyweight)
Bout 3: Giacomo Lemos (7-0) vs. Brett Martin (10-1) (Heavyweight)
Bout 2: Adam Keresh (2-0) vs. Chad Johnson (6-3) (Heavyweight)
Bout 1: Daiqwon Buckley (1-0) vs. Jon Cunningham (1-0) (Heavyweight)
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