The PFL’s first Challenger Series event saw Brazilian Bruce Souto earn a full PFL contract after registering a highlight-reel finish in Orlando, Florida.
Competing in the second bout of the night at Universal Studios, Souto finished American Travis Davis with a spectacular flying knee and follow-up punches to claim the fastest finish of the night.
Also claiming an impressive finish was Josh Silveira. Unbeaten Silveira is the son of renowned American Top Team coach Conan Silveira, and showed off some of the grappling skills learned under his father tutelage as he submitted South Sudan’s Mohamed Juma in the third round to extend his perfect professional record to 8-0.
However, despite his lineage and undefeated record, Silveira’s victory was not considered good enough to earn the one contract on offer at the event, with the panel of former NFL star Ray Lewis, ex-UFC champion Tyron Woodley and Hollywood star Jeremy Piven deciding instead to go with the fan vote and award the contract to Souto, who also banked an additional $5,000 for the “Move of the Night.”
In the night’s other two bouts, Taylor Johnson edged a unanimous decision over Alexander Poppeck, while Karl Williams enjoyed a more straightforward win on the scorecards, as he claimed a shutout win over Miles Amos.
PFL Challenger Series 1: Official Results
- Josh Silveira def. Mohamed Juma via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 3, 1:52
- Taylor Johnson def. Alexander Poppeck via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Bruce Souto def. Travis Davis via knockout (flying knee) – Round 1, 4:43
- Karl Williams def. Miles Amos via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-26, 30-27)