Preview: PFL 9, 2022 Playoffs

Prelims

Heavyweights

Stuart Austin (15-8, 0-2 PFL) vs. Sofiane Boukichou (9-4, 0-0 PFL)

ODDS: Boukichou (-135); Austin (+105)

Matchmaking hasn’t been kind to Austin, who has suffered a pair of first-round KO/TKO defeats at the hands of Bruno Cappelozza and Renan Ferreirain two PFL appearances thus far. That makes seven career knockout defeats for the British judoka, who has proven to be hittable during his MMA career. Austin owns a notable win over UFC heavyweight talent Tom Aspinall and has held titles in regional organizations such as Eite MMA Championship and the British Association of Mixed Martial Arts. If he can avoid leaving his chin exposed, he possesses decent power as well as the ability to execute throws and trips from the clinch. France’s Boukichou is a small-ish heavyweight who has won three straight under the UAE Warriors banner. Perhaps most impressively, Boukichou has rebounded from a horrendous leg break suffered in a loss to Aspinall in Cage Warriors in 2019. Boukichou hasn’t shown himself to be a prolific knockout artist, and that works in Austin’s favor. Austin delights the English crowd and gets a finish.

Welterweights

Omar Hussein Abufarah (9-3, 0-0 PFL) vs. Alexsandrs Chizovs (9-1, 0-0 PFL)

ODDS: n/a

Abufarah is backed by a solid camp in Team Alpha Male and has acquired some solid experience in the UAE Warriors promotion, so the future could be promising for the 26-year-old known as “187.” A title holder in the World Warriors Fighting Championship promotion, Chizovs likes to throw powerful hooks with bad intentions while mixing in the occasional leg kick. If the Latvian can get Abufarah moving backward, it could work to his advantage and create openings for the knockout. If Chizovs can limit grappling exchanges, he’ll win via KO or TKO.

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Harrison vs. Jindrova
Wade vs. Loughnane
Pacheco vs. Kolesnyk
Kudo vs. Jenkins
Main Card
Qualifiers