The quarter-final round of PFL’s “World Tournament” wrapped up on Thursday night, with heavyweights and light heavyweights starting their year at Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida, USA.
Kicking off bracket runs which are expected to last three fights in total—competing for a grand prize of $500,000—those who won on Thursday are expected to come back just a little over a month from now for their semi-final assignments.
At light heavyweight, it was Phil Davis, Antonio Carlos Junior, Simeon Powell, and Sullivan Cauley who advanced in their fights this week.
The heavyweight bracket included successful performances from recent UFC departures Alexandr Romanov and Rodrigo Nascimento, as well as Valentin Moldavsky and Oleg Popov.
Here’s a recap of it all.
Light Heavyweight Veteran Phil Davis Wins PFL Debut With Second-Round Finish
At 40 years old, “Mr. Wonderful” still has some gas in the tank.
13-fight UFC vet and former Bellator champ Phil Davis kicked off his first-ever PFL tournament run on Thursday night with a big win, taking down 2022 champion Rob Wilkinson in the second round.
Davis showcased his damaging striking in the main event, using boxing to secure his first finish win since 2019. After a calculated opening round on the feet from both 205-ers, a right cross from Davis sent Wilkinson tumbling to the mat just moments into the second frame.
Davis followed up with ground and pound shots, although he didn’t need to score many before referee Kevin MacDonald stepped in to end the bout.
“It was just a matter of committing to that right hand and waiting for the right read,” Davis said afterward.
The win started a new chapter for Davis, who made 15 appearances in Bellator over the course of almost a decade. Since he hadn’t fought since PFL acquired the company in late 2023, Thursday was his first appearance in nearly two years.
Wilkinson has failed to recreate the magic of his 2022 PFL run in recent years, with 2025 being the latest time when he has failed to get another chance in the finals. Previous years have seen him get eliminated in the tournament’s semi-final round and get disqualified early on due to a failed drug test.
In the next round, Davis will go from facing a former champ to a rising contender in the division, Sullivan Cauley.
Cauley had a quick and impressive return to the cage, countering the wrestling of former LFA champ Alex Polizzi with his striking for a finish in the first round. Cauley landed a series of elbows and punches while resisting a takedown attempt from Polizzi just a few minutes into the bout, stunning him in the process. Cauley kept landing shots against a rocked Polizzi until the referee stopped the bout, earning him a win.
Cauley entered this weekend expecting to meet Marcelo Nunes, but plans seemingly changed in just the hours leading up to the show. PFL announced Thursday that Nunes withdrew from his fight, causing Polizzi to get slotted in. Polizzi was previously expected to meet Rafael Xavier in an alternate fight earlier that evening, but of course was moved out of that matchup once a new opponent was needed for the bracket.
2021 light heavyweight champ Antonio Carlos Junior started his quest toward a second title on Thursday night, defeating former Bellator title challenger Karl Moore via split decision. Carlos Junior’s grappling skills, allowing him to get Moore to the ground and control him in both the first and second rounds, did enough to give him a scorecard nod. Moore took over the fight as “Shoeface” started to tire late, but wasn’t able to claw back into the contest after already falling behind on a pair of scorecards.
Carlos Junior has looked to follow up on his impressive 2021 season in recent years, but a second title has eluded him. In 2022, he made it to the promotion’s semi-finals but had to withdraw from the fight beforehand. And last year, he just narrowly missed out on the playoffs after going one-for-two in the regular season.
If he wants to put gold around his waist again, Carlos Junior must get past flashy English striker Simeon Powell.
Powell escaped a clinch-fest against Sweden’s Karl Albrektsson to secure a brutal stoppage win in the second round. After spending a fair amount of the fight being held against the cage by Albrektsson, Powell was able to find separation and unload with his shots. A flurry of strikes ended with a clean elbow to the head which dropped Albrektsson, ending the bout just near the halfway point.
Powell has been in the PFL for years, but Friday’s win kicked off his first-ever tournament campaign on their flagship tour. The 2023 PFL Europe finalist noted afterward that everything is coming together for him amid what could be his biggest year yet as a pro.
“The last couple performances, I just feel like I haven’t been myself, and I truly feel like I’m back,” Powell said in his post-fight interview.
Moldavsky Joins Two Ex-UFC Fighters In Heavyweight Semi-Final Round
Long-time Bellator heavyweight contender Valentin Moldavsky returned to the win column in the co-main event of the night, getting past fellow Russian talent Sergey Bilostenniy in a highly competitive three-round fight.
Moldavsky was given the scorecard win after a fight where it seemed like each round was narrowly won by either fighter. The first round was a close stand-up battle which Bilostenniy might have stolen in the closing moments with a combo of punches that left Moldavsky wobbled. The back-and-forth battle continued in the second, with it being hard to determine who got the better of the five-minute frame.
Moldavsky kept Bilostenniy against the cage for most of the third round, providing him a fair amount of control in a fight where big moments for either talent were few and far in-between.
Former interim Bellator champ Moldavsky took his first crack at a PFL season last year, but had his tournament run cut short due to an injury. He has momentum behind him after handing Bilostenniy just his second loss since moving over to the U.S. scene back in 2023.
Moldavsky will now meet Alexandr Romanov in the semi-finals, a talent who had a much faster path to victory on Thursday.
Romanov, one of three ex-UFC fighters who were making their PFL debut on Thursday, had a quick night at the office. He caught Bellator and UFC vet Tim Johnson in the second minute with a standing guillotine choke, ending a bout that was at kickboxing range prior to the sudden finish. It became clear afterward that Johnson was seemingly also battling a rib injury, clutching his side after the fight stopped.
Romanov exited a 10-fight UFC run last year, leaving the promotion after facing notable talents like Jailton Almeida, Marcin Tybura and Alexander Volkov. The 34-year-old Moldovan was a massive favorite against Johnson, who has now been finished within a round in three consecutive bouts.
2024 heavyweight finalist Oleg Popov scored somewhat of a controversial win on the prelims, sneaking by former UFC fighter Karl Williams in a close split decision. Popov relentlessly chased takedowns throughout the three rounds, getting Williams to the mat briefly at numerous points of the bout. But Williams was the more active of the two in the damage department, often piecing together numerous shots while resisting takedowns from Russia’s Popov.
However, it was the control of Popov that the judges deemed to be more effective, earning him two rounds on a pair of scorecards. The result brought some momentum back for Popov, who had a streak of over a dozen wins broken when he was stopped by Denis Golstov last year. Williams was hoping to make a run in PFL’s tournament shortly after a four-fight UFC campaign, which shockingly came to an end after just one defeat in the promotion.
Popov will go from facing one former UFC talent to another when he meets Rodrigo Nascimento in the heavyweight semi-finals later this year.
Nascimento overcame U.K. prospect Abraham Bably in a tight split decision result. While Bably found success during clinch positions, Nascimento was able to connect at range and trade with him in dirty boxing exchanges.
Nascimento was fighting for the first time since an eight-bout UFC run, which suddenly came to an end following back-to-back losses last year. The Brazilian was facing notable heavyweight names even near the end of his time with the promotion, meeting Derrick Lewis in a main event bout just under a year ago. Bably, who was signed by the PFL as an undefeated prospect, now has back-to-back losses.
Heavyweight Semi-Finals
Rodrigo Nascimento vs. Oleg Popov
Alexandr Romanov vs. Valentin Moldavsky
Light Heavyweight Semi-Finals
Simeon Powell vs. Antonio Carlos Junior
Sullivan Cauley vs. Phil Davis
Main Card (8:00PM EDT) (ESPN2 / ESPN+)
Bout 8: Phil Davis def. Rob Wilkinson via TKO, Strikes (RD 2, 0:51) (Light Heavyweight Quarter-Final)
Bout 7: Valentin Moldavsky def. Sergey Bilostenniy via Decision, Unanimous (Heavyweight Quarter-Final)
Bout 6: Antonio Carlos Junior def. Karl Moore via Decision, Split (Light Heavyweight Quarter-Final)
Bout 5: Simeon Powell def. Karl Albrektsson via TKO, Strikes (RD 2, 2:05) (Light Heavyweight Quarter-Final)
Preliminary Card (5:30PM EDT) (ESPN2 / ESPN+)
Bout 4: Alexandr Romanov def. Tim Johnson via Submission, Guillotine Choke (RD 1, 1:53) (Heavyweight Quarter-Final)
Bout 3: Oleg Popov def. Karl Williams via Decision, Split (Heavyweight Quarter-Final)
Bout 2: Sullivan Cauley def. Alex Polizzi via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 1:36) (Light Heavyweight Quarter-Final)
Bout 1: Rodrigo Nascimento def. Abraham Bably via Decision, Split (Heavyweight Quarter-Final)
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