Adam Keresh earned a heavyweight contract for the 2022 PFL Regular Season on Friday night after a successful performance at the promotion’s “Challenger Series” show.
Keresh was selected over fellow finalist Marcelo Nunes along with successful fighters Daiqwon Buckley and Giacomo Lemos for the contract on Friday night.
Keresh’s victory on the card was a finish win against Chad Johnson in the first round. The bout came to an end after Keresh landed a damaging punch on the ground that flattened Johnson.
Johnson dropped from all fours to laying on the ground as a punch to the head from Keresh landed. This sudden shot, which looked to have landed near the right eye of Johnson, caused the referee to step in and end the fight as Johnson looked alarmingly hurt suddenly.
Keresh now has five wins as a pro, including three previous appearances in Bellator.
Johnson, a former LFA and “Dana White’s Contender Series” competitor, is now on a three-fight losing streak.
Nunes Submits Former UFC Fighter Lewis
Marcelo Nunes showcased his grappling skills in the final bout on the card, submitting former UFC fighter Bevon Lewis in the second round with an arm triangle choke.
Nunes first started working towards a finish after sweeping Lewis on the ground, taking side control on top. He then went into a half guard position to look for an arm triangle choke, then went back into side control before Lewis tapped to end the fight.
Lewis was able to land strikes on Nunes earlier in the fight and also scored many takedowns.
Nunes won his previous fight by arm triangle choke as well, defeating Anthony Garrett on a CFFC card late last year.
Lewis, a former UFC middleweight, was competing for the first time since 2020.
Lemos Finishes Bellator Alum Swanson
Giacomo Lemos scored a finish win to keep his undefeated record going, stopping Billy Swanson in the second round with punches.
Swanson was dropped due to a jab from Lemos as part of a combination of strikes in the second round. Lemos succeeded with his striking earlier in the fight as well, although Swanson was also able to get the fight to the ground at times as a counter.
Lemos’ record is now a flawless eight wins as a pro. UFC looked to book Lemos for a fight in 2019, although he was later removed from the promotion due to a failed drug test.
Swanson took a first-round stoppage loss in his previous bout, losing to Marcelo Golm on a Bellator card.
Buckley Finishes Cunningham For Second Win
Daiqwon Buckley had a dominant win over Jon Cunningham for his second pro win to open the main card.
Buckley finished Cunningham with punches from a full mount position in the second round. This finish came after a dominant opening round that saw Buckley charge forward with flurries of punches.
While Cunningham showcased his toughness by enduring strikes from Buckley, the bout became one-sided before it came to a close.
Buckley won his pro debut late last year, defeating former NBA player Royce White via unanimous decision.
Cunningham was also coming off his first pro win, which was a quick finish victory last year on a Fury FC card.
Quick Results
Main Card (9:00PM EDT) (FuboTV)
Bout 4: Marcelo Nunes def. Bevon Lewis via Submission, Arm Triangle Choke (RD 2, 2:39)
Bout 3: Giacomo Lemos def. Billy Swanson via TKO, Strikes (RD 2, 0:33)
Bout 2: Adam Keresh def. Chad Johnson via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 3:34)
Bout 1: Daiqwon Buckley def. Jon Cunningham via TKO, Strikes (RD 2, 1:46)
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