Fight Facts: PFL 2022 Playoffs 8

Fight Facts is a breakdown of all of the interesting information and cage curiosities on every card, with some puns, references and portmanteaus to keep things fun. These deep stat dives delve into the numbers, providing historical context and telling the stories behind those numbers.

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TOTAL NUMBER OF PFL FIGHTS: 801
TOTAL NUMBER OF PFL EVENTS: 85

The 2022 Professional Fighters League Playoffs skipped across the pond to Wales, while competing with Cage Warriors Fighting Championship within the same country and a UFC event on the west coast of the U.S. After some fight week drama, the layout of the brackets changed, but welterweights and heavyweights have determined the finals matches. PFL 8: 2022 Playoffs featured hard work finally paying off for a veteran Swede, a pair of unlikely new finalists and the end of an era for a Canadian fan-favorite…for now.

Peaceful Parity: At the end of the night, no betting favorite closed any higher than -350, when hometown fighter Josh O'Connor faced +290 Emran Sakhizaada and submitted him. This is the first non-Challenger PFL card since PFL 4: 2021 Regular Season to feature such parity on the lines.

Always Be Ready: Although Dilano Taylor and Matheus Scheffel finished the regular season in 7th place in the standings at welterweight and heavyweight, respectively, they stepped in as alternates in the playoffs as five seeds. Both pulled off wins to make them the lowest possible seeds of any remaining participants in the finals.

Welcome to the World of Tough Matchups: Less than three and a half years into his pro career, Taylor knocked Rory MacDonald out to claim a place in the 170-pound finals. It marked just the second stoppage due to strikes recorded by “The Postman,” with the first coming against Hector Olazabal in 2019.

Happy Trails, Rory: After succumbing to strikes in the first round against Taylor, MacDonald hung up his gloves. The Canadian, who will likely join the Ultimate Fighting Championship Hall of Fame when his match with Robbie Lawler is inducted in the future, retires having claimed the Bellator MMA welterweight strap in 2018, retaining it once and defending it another time against Jon Fitch and Neiman Gracie, respectively.

Ante Way Up: For the second time in two PFL tourney appearances, Ante Delija has reached the finals of the heavyweight ladder. He knocked out Renan Ferreira to claim that first spot, while earning his quickest win since putting Tibor Soos away in 90 seconds in 2015.

TKO Due to Fatigue and Punches: Scheffel will be meeting Delija in November with $1 million on the line as well as the gold belt. “Buffa” reached that key matchup thanks to a late knockout of Juan Adams, one that occurred at 3:45 of the third frame. That stoppage clocked in as the fourth-latest in divisional history.

Try, Try Again: A 170-pound mainstay of every tourney season of since PFL’s inception, Sadibou Sy reached the finals of a bracket for the first time ever. Sy topped the surging Carlos Leal Miranda by decision, while tying a career-best streak of three victories in a row.

A Hushed Silence Falls in the Building: To open the main card, Nathan Kelly deflated the Wales crowd by tapping Welshman Ben Ellis in the opening round. Since dropping his first two pro bouts, Kelly has rattled off six straight wins, including five stoppages in Round 1.

Friends Call Him “P.M.”: The final postlim of the night contained a light heavyweight affair between Lee Chadwick and Przemyslaw Mysiala, in which Chadwick pulled off the decision win. It marked only the fourth time in the Polish fighter’s 37-bout career that he had gone the distance, and his first time since a 2015 draw.

Knees Don’t Bend That Way: While fighting Radu Maxim, Vojto Barborik injured his knee and lost the fight by technical knockout. Maxim’s overall finish rate moved to 80% with the unfortunate victory, and he picked up the 10th injury stoppage win in World Series of Fighting-PFL history.

Eye Poke Stoppage Weekend: The postliminary affair between Moktar Benkaci and Francesco Nuzzi ended due to an inadvertent eye poke late into Round 2, resulting in a no contest. Their fight came at 135 pounds, making their match the second since PFL implemented its tourney system to take place at bantamweight.

Nip the Glove in the Bud: The no contest from an eye poke is the second of its kind in company history, with the first between Sy and Nikolay Aleksakhin in 2021.

Giant Finishing Stats: Marcin Wojcik tapped Mick Stanton on their showcase prelim, with “The Giant” recording the stoppage in the first round at 4:04. Wojcik’s finish rate lifted to 87% as a result, and he has seen his last 11 fights end inside the distance, win or lose.

Made His Markes: Opening the prelims, Szymon Bajor claimed a future spot in a PFL event by taking home a decision over Ronny Markes. The Spartakus Rzeszow representative won on the scorecards for the first time since fighting at the fourth Rizin Fighting Federation back in 2016.

Never Say Never Again: Coming into PFL 8: 2022 Playoffs, Ferreira (13 fights) and Ben Ellis (five fights) had never been knocked out, Anthony Salamone had never been defeated (seven fights) and Barborik had never been finished (15 fights).