PFL Middleweight Showdown: Impa vs. Newman Preview

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00:00Going to be a headline by Impa Kasanganai versus Fabian Edwards at middleweight.

00:04Should be a great striking battle.

00:05Wait, I'm sorry.

00:06No, I'm sorry.

00:07They messed up.

00:07Two weeks ago, we found out that Fabian Edwards is out and Jordan Not Human Newman is in.

00:12Didn't know why, but that fight is changed.

00:13Oh, wait.

00:14No, it's not.

00:15All of a sudden, Edwards is cage side last week.

00:18And now we're back on.

00:19Impa versus Edwards.

00:21How is this one going to go?

00:22Two guys I'd like to strike.

00:23I think this is all about who pushes the pace early because we've seen with Edwards in his

00:26last couple of fights against Eblen and others that, you know, sometimes he takes a little

00:30longer to get going.

00:31And this isn't a five-round fight.

00:33You can't wait till three, four, five.

00:34The whole sudden start getting into the fight.

00:36You got to get him going early.

00:38Who's an early starter?

00:39Impa Kasanganai, former light heavyweight champion, now dropping back down here to middleweight.

00:44I like Impa in this one.

00:45Both these guys can drop either one, but I think he's a quicker starter.

00:48I like him in this fight to get out going fast.

00:51Also middleweight, you got Sadabu Si versus Dalton Rasta.

00:53Si, I see the 38-year-old Sweden.

00:55The Swedish Denzel, 17-8-2 in his career.

00:59A lot of them by KO, TKO, or decision.

01:01He's lost two of his last three fights.

01:02Also coming in on a little bit of a losing streak going against Rasta, the 29-year-old

01:05American who's 9-1 in his MMA career.

01:08He was 7-0 before losing in 2023.

01:10He's got some experience in the big leagues and these big promotions, but no big names.

01:14It's going to be tougher against this longtime vet in Sadabu Si.

01:17He's been fighting in the PFL for a long time.

01:19I think the vet takes the decision victory here.

01:22I'm going to go with the Swedish Denzel Washington.

01:25At lightweight, you have Ghazi Rabatinov versus Mark Diasi.

01:29Diasi, the British, the 32-year-old fighter, is 18-7.

01:3211 decision wins, 6 KO, TKO, long-time UFC fighter.

01:36One fight in Bellator before this.

01:38Rabatinov, the 31-year-old Russian, is 24-4-2.

01:4111 by decision.

01:428 by KO, TKO.

01:44Former Bellator and PFL fighter on a 10-fight win streak.

01:46So how's this one go?

01:48I think either way, you're probably going all three rounds with these two guys.

01:51And I'm leaning towards Rabatinov to get the decision victory in that one and move on.

01:55Also at lightweight, you've got Mads Brunel versus J.J. Wilson on this card.

01:59Brunel, 31-year-old Danish fighter.

02:0120-6, 10 wins by decision, 9 by submission.

02:04Fought in the UFC, Bellator, and PFL.

02:06Has won four of his last five on a good streak.

02:08Going against J.J. Wilson, the 27-year-old from New Zealand.

02:1210-1 in his MMA career.

02:14Almost as one in almost every different way of his fight career.

02:17So, you know, not a guy that you can really pin down so far as being a one-dimensional guy.

02:21He's got it all.

02:229-1 in Bellator.

02:23So almost all of his fights in some, you know, high-level competition here early in his career.

02:29Still, I'm going to roll with Brunel on this one.

02:31This guy's on a streak.

02:32You don't get in the way of a streak.

02:33Especially when he's fought some of the tougher competition that he has.

02:36I think he gets this one.

02:38Another one that probably goes a distance and is in the hands of the judges.

02:40Which is always risky, especially if you're betting it.

02:43On the early card, I like what you've got.

02:45Brett Primas versus Xinyas Sensi.

02:48Primas is a 40-year-old American, 15-4.

02:51Lost his last fight, but won three before that.

02:53He was supposed to fight Alexander Chevely.

02:55But last weekend, we found out that he was out for whatever reason.

02:58So he's fighting the Brazilian Sensi.

03:018-2.

03:01Six wins by submission.

03:03Making his major promotion debut.

03:05A great grappler so far in his career.

03:07But that's not the type of guy you want to put against Primas who wants to take you to the ground.

03:10Although he's older, you know, if he gets into a situation where you get a lot of stand-up fight.

03:13Or where he's fighting off a lot of submission attempts.

03:16You know, from his back and things like that.

03:18That could gas him out.

03:19But I'm going to go with the vet here in Primas to get the victory and move on.

03:23You also have a middleweight battle between Josh Silveria and Mike Shipman.

03:26Silveria, 13-4.

03:27He's got half his wins by submission.

03:29Half his wins by striking.

03:30He's lost three of his last four, though.

03:31Two of those to Imba Kasanganai.

03:33One to Wilkinson.

03:34He's dropping down in weight class here, too.

03:36Going against Shipman, who's 17-4.

03:37He's got a split decision loss to Edwards.

03:40He's won three fights in a row in Bellator before moving over here to the PFL.

03:44I think Silveria's had the tougher competition.

03:46He's the bigger guy.

03:47I'm going to take him to win that fight.

03:49At Lightweight, you also have Clay Colliard versus Alfie Davis.

03:52Davis, a 33-year-old Englishman.

03:54He's 17-5.

03:55Nine wins by decision.

03:57Long-time Bellator fighter.

03:59Hasn't had the big names on his cards so far, despite the long Bellator career.

04:02Colliard, a 32-year-old American.

04:04Long-time UFC and PFL fighter.

04:0625-14.

04:07Not the shiniest of records, and lost four of his last five.

04:11But again, coming in here against a guy who hasn't faced that upper-echelon competition

04:14like he has so far.

04:16It's tough to say.

04:18I think I'm leaning towards Davis, despite not having the big names with the way that

04:22Colliard has not shown up in his last couple fights the way that we want him to.

04:25Middleweight fight also on this card.

04:27Aaron Jeffrey versus Murad Ramazanov.

04:30Jeffrey, the 32-year-old Canadian.

04:3215-5.

04:33Losses to Edwards.

04:33Wins over Lima, Rasa, and Vandaford.

04:35Ramazanov, the 29-year-old Russian.

04:3812-2.

04:39Well-rounded.

04:41Four wins each way.

04:42Submission.

04:43KO.

04:43Decision.

04:44He lost back to Masayev.

04:46Two of his three in the PFL.

04:48So this one, I'm going to roll with Jeffrey, the Canadian.

04:51These Russians are tough, but I think Jeffrey has some better competition that he's shown

04:55up better against.

04:56I'm going to take him to win that one, probably by decision.

04:59There we go.

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