2021 Champ Antonio Carlos Jr. Withdraws From PFL Playoffs Due to Knee Injury

BREAKING: Antonio Carlos Jr. is out of his Light Heavyweight Semifinals bout. #5 in the standings @jmdasilv enters the #PFLPlayoffs against ATT teammate Omari Akhmedov! pic.twitter.com/KsqGUks1gc

— PFL (@PFLMMA) July 8, 2022

The Professional Fighters League light heavyweight bracket has just experienced a massive shakeup.

Per the promotion on Friday morning, Antonio Carlos Jr. will no longer be vying for the million-dollar prize in the 205-pound division. In his own statement on Instagram, Carlos Jr. explained that he suffered a knee injury that will require surgery and keep him out action for quite some time. In his stead will be fellow American Top Team teammate, unbeaten Joshua Silveira (9-0), who will be squaring off with Omari Akhmedov (23-7-1), with the latter a member of ATT as well. The two light heavyweights will square off at PFL 7: 2022 Playoffs on Aug. 5 at the Hulu Theater in Madison Square Garden in New York.

Winner of the 2021 PFL season, Carlos Jr. looked to make another run at the $1 million check. In his two appearances this year, “Cara de Sapato” tapped Delan Monte in under 30 seconds and then overcame Bruce Souto by decision to earn nine points and the no. 3 seed. His replacement, Silveira, has yet to taste defeat as a pro. Silveira ended his season as the fifth seed, making the most of his lone PFL tourney outing by scorching Marthin Hamlet in the first round to pick up six points. Silveira initially joined the PFL ranks as a member of the Challenger Series, and a win in a foul-filled match over Mohamed Juma did not earn him a spot on the roster. A replacement opportunity against Hamlet, and now a replacement for Carlos Jr., will put Silveira two wins away from claiming a million dollars and a major title.

Akhmedov’s season went swimmingly, as he racked up 11 points by knocking out Viktor Pesta and then putting Teodoras Aukstuolis to sleep with an arm-triangle choke. The two stoppages were not enough to grant him a top seed, as Rob Wilkinson did so quicker to snag that no. 1 seed position. The two victories righted the ship for the Russian, as he competed for PFL in the 2021 Championships and suffered a knockout to Jordan Young in his promotional debut. The longtime Ultimate Fighting Championship competitor left its roster in 2021 to seek out the prize atop the PFL mountain, amassing a UFC record of 9-5-1 with at one time an unbeaten streak of six straight.

The first of three playoff events, PFL 7: 2022 Playoffs, will take place on Aug. 6 at the Hulu Theater in Madison Square Garden. The New York-based event will place lightweights and light heavyweight in contention for the finals that will likely be held in November. Atop the card is a lightweight rematch between Anthony Pettis and Stevie Ray, with the latter submitting Pettis at the beginning of July. The match between Akhmedov and Silveira will serve as the co-main event for this ESPN show.

PFL 7 Lineup:

Anthony Pettis vs. Stevie Ray – lightweight semifinal
Omari Akhmedov vs. Joshua Silveira – light heavyweight semifinal
Olivier Aubin-Mercier vs. Alexander Martinez – lightweight semifinal
Rob Wilkinson vs. Delan Monte – light heavyweight semifinal
Cory Hendricks vs. Marthin Hamlet – light heavyweight
Marcelo Nunes vs. Adam Keresh – light heavyweight
Brahyan Zurcher vs. Ricardo Jimenez – lightweight
Elvin Espinoza vs. Corey Jackson – lightweight
Alexei Pergande vs. Elvis Lebron Quiles – lightweight
Lucas Barbosa vs. TBA - lightweight