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Light Heavyweights
Antonio Carlos Jr. (14-5, 3-0 PFL) vs. Bruce Souto (15-4, 0-1 PFL)Matched against the lightly regarded Delan Monte, Carlos Jr. performed exactly as a defending champion should, winning via brabo choke in just 29 seconds against the biggest underdog on the PFL 1 card. There is not much else to be taken from the performance other than the fact that the UFC veteran is sitting pretty with six points in the light heavyweight standings, which bodes well for his playoff chances. Souto’s flying-knee finish of Travis Davis on the PFL Challenger Series might have generated some unwarranted hype, because the 32-year-old Brazilian appeared to be out of his depth against Rob Wilkinson at PFL 1. After being taken down repeatedly in the opening stanza, Soutu was rocked as he carelessly waded forward, leading to a stoppage early in Round 2 and the end of his nine-bout winning streak. Flying knee finish aside, Souto is not the kind of fearsome knockout artist to give Carlos Jr. pause on the feet. That will likely spell trouble for “Soldado de Cristo,” because unless he is able to land something big early, he will end up having to defend against constant forward pressure from Carlos Jr., who will work behind his punches to force clinches and takedowns. Souto showed some decent scrambling ability against Wilkinson, but he was unable to separate himself consistently. Carlos Jr. is on an entirely different level, and he is excellent at taking the back, locking in a body triangle and hunting for rear-naked chokes. Souto’s best chance for success is to deny Carlos Jr. in grappling exchanges and keep the fight upright, where his opponent is much improved since early in his UFC tenure but still not elite. It will take longer than half a minute, but expect Carlos Jr. to gradually wear Souto down on his way to another submission victory.
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Collard vs. Martinez
Carlos Jr. vs. Souto
Manfio vs. Aubin-Mercier
Stephens vs. Price
The Prelims