Fight Facts: PFL 2022 Playoffs 7

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: 788
TOTAL NUMBER OF PFL EVENTS: 84

The 2022 Professional Fighters League Playoffs kicked off on Friday with lightweights and light heavyweights vying for places among the finals. The action was limited throughout the evening, and the term “card order subject to change” certainly proved true at night’s end. When the dust settled, PFL 7: 2022 Playoffs featured the likely end of an extremely rough run for a beloved ex-champ, a Canadian who cannot buy a finish and a burly Brazilian who set a record with his favored sub.

Mid-Tier UFC Names Paying Close Attention: Before the main event even began, the match between Steven Ray and Anthony Pettis guaranteed that – barring a withdrawal – the lightweight and light heavyweight finals will be exclusively composed of former Ultimate Fighting Championship fighters. Ray could not submit Pettis again, but he won a decision over “Showtime” to secure his place in the finals.

Pettis Punished: With just one win across five PFL appearances, Pettis’ .200 winning percentage is among the lowest of all fighters to appear for the organization at least five times. Only Bojan Velickovic (.167) and Mike Kyle (.143) have performed worse with this many fights or more.

Teammate on Teammate Violence: Taking a win over teammate Joshua Silveira, Omari Akhmedov now posts nine wins by decision, eight by knockout and another seven submissions where six of those came by choke. He has ended five bouts due to technical knockout while never amassing a win streak of four in the major leagues. His three wins in a row in 2022 earned him a place in the finals at 205 pounds, where he recorded two finishes and one decision through the season.

The Canadian Decisionator: Olivier Aubin-Mercier snagged the other lightweight final spot by claiming a clear-cut decision over Alex Martinez. “The Canadian Gangster” has fought five times as a PFL fighter and won all five by decision. Only five fighters in organizational history including Andre Harrison and Lance Palmer have racked up more wins on the scorecards than Aubin-Mercier.

Razor-Sharp Rate: Rob Wilkinson scorched Delan Monte with punches and a knee to punch his ticket to the light heavyweight finals. “Razor Rob” now celebrates a career finish rate of 94%, with his last 11 wins all coming inside the distance.

Three-Minute Man: In his unsuccessful effort against Wilkinson, Monte succumbed to strikes in 97 seconds. Throughout his 12-fight pro career, the Brazilian has still never competed beyond 11 minutes, 40 seconds of a fight.

Saving the Postlims: To end the night, Marcelo Nunes hit an arm-triangle on Dylan Potter at 1:47 of the first round. All nine of the Brazilian’s wins have come inside the distance, with seven of those by submission within two rounds.

Easy Record to Snag: The arm-triangle choke of Potter is Nunes’ second since joining the PFL earlier this year, as he previously tapped Bevon Lewis with one on his episode of the Challenger Series. As a result, Nunes is the first fighter in company history to record multiple arm-triangles.

Elvin and the Chipmunks: After three rounds of action, Elvin Espinoza emerged with the decision win over Corey Jackson. The victory marked the first time “The Prodigy” had ever needed three full rounds to win a fight, with his previous six pro fights all stoppages.

Live by the Sebie: Getting clipped and taken out by Itso Babulaidze, all five of Mahmoud Sebie Fawzy’s professional appearances have ended by knockout, win or lose.

Save Yourself, Hamlet: To earn a spot on the 2023 season, Marthin Hamlet topped Cory Hendricks by split decision. Since joining the tourney-based league in 2021, Hamlet has alternated wins and losses every step of the way, with three submission defeats interspersed by four victories.

Never Say Never Again: Coming into PFL 7: 2022 Playoffs, Silveira had never been defeated (nine fights), Monte had never been knocked out (11 fights) and Espinoza had never needed more than 8:03 to win a fight (six fights).