PFL 2 Results: Marcirley Alves Upsets Leandro Higo

The PFL's second event of the season showcased intense competition at Universal Studios Florida in Orlando. This event marked the opening rounds of both the bantamweight and women's flyweight tournaments, with several expected frontrunners experiencing early exits.

In the main event, Marcirley Alves stepped in on short notice to secure a significant victory over Leandro Higo, previously a Bellator title challenger. Alves was not the original opponent; he replaced both Magomed Magomedov and Josh Rettinghouse before the fight. Initially slated for an alternate bout, Alves seized the opportunity, demonstrating remarkable takedown defense and striking speed, which left Higo visibly unsettled.

Alves will move on to face Jake Hadley in the next stage of the tournament. Hadley drew attention with an impressive performance, securing a win against Mattheus Mattos via submission using the Scottish Twister technique in the third round. This submission is notably rare in the PFL context, with Hadley becoming only the second fighter to utilize it since its most famous practitioner, Stevie Ray.

In the co-main event, Liz Carmouche showcased her striking skills against Ilara Joanne, swiftly advancing to the semifinals of the women’s flyweight bracket. Carmouche sought a body shot finish, and she achieved this goal by landing a knee strike that floored Joanne, followed by a series of effective body shots that led to a first-round stoppage.

Next, Carmouche will face Elora Dana, who earned her place by submitting Diana Avsaragova with a neck crank in the opening fight of the night.

The evening also included Mando Gutierrez and Justin Wetzell advancing in their respective matches. Gutierrez submitted Francesco Nuzzi through a rear-naked choke in the first round. Wetzell, on the other hand, dominated Kasum Kasumov to take a unanimous decision victory. The two will now face each other in the semifinals set for June.

Notably, in a featured preliminary bout, former Bellator women’s flyweight champion Julianna Velasquez faced a setback against Ekaterina Shakalova. Velasquez was decisively submitted with a rear-naked choke just over two minutes into the first round, marking a significant upset in the tournament.

Shakalova will next compete against Jena Bishop, who secured a win over Kana Watanabe earlier in a competitive decision fight. Below is a summary of the results from PFL 2:

Fight	Result
Marcirley Alves vs. Leandro Higo	Alves def. Higo via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Liz Carmouche vs. Ilara Joanne	Carmouche def. Joanne via TKO (knee and punches to the body) — Round 1, 1:25
Mando Gutierrez vs. Francesco Nuzzi	Gutierrez def. Nuzzi via submission (rear-naked choke) — Round 1, 4:13
Justin Wetzell vs. Kasum Kasumov	Wetzell def. Kasumov via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
Ekaterina Shakalova vs. Julianna Velasquez	Shakalova def. Velasquez via submission (rear-naked choke) — Round 1, 2:05
Jake Hadley vs. Matheus Mattos	Hadley def. Mattos via submission (Scottish twister) — Round 3, 2:16
Jena Bishop vs. Kana Watanabe	Bishop def. Watanabe via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Elora Dana vs. Diana Avsaragova	Dana def. Avsaragova via submission (neck crank) — Round 1, 4:48

The tournament's competitive nature sets the stage for exciting matchups in the upcoming rounds.