Gleison Tibau will miss the 2021 PFL playoffs, but that didn’t stop him from creating drama with a huge upset win over Rory MacDonald.
In the main event of 2021 PFL 5, MacDonald (22-7-1) found himself on the wrong end of a split decision to Tibau (35-15). 2021 PFL 5 took place at Ocean Casino Resort in Atlantic City, N.J. The main card aired on ESPN2 following prelims on ESPN+.
For most fighters on the card, this event was all about securing the most points possible to lock in their spot for the playoffs. Entering the cage on Thursday with six points on the board and a spot in the playoffs already clinched, MacDonald did not share that concern. His opponent Tibau, however, needed a first or second-round finish to earn a spot in the playoffs.
Tibau started the first round aggressively, looking to land hard strikes, knowing his playoff life was on the line with time against him. MacDonald stayed light on his feet and circled on the outside while landing strikes of his own.
An accidental eye poke from MacDonald occurred in the middle of the opening round, but Tibau continued after a short break to recover.
When the action resumed, Tibau continued to swing for the fences, but MacDonald wanted to bring the action to the mat to slow his opponent down. He would end up on Tibau’s back and attempt a rear-naked choke, but Tibau defended it well before the round ended.
Perhaps liking the success in the closing moments of the first, MacDonald immediately went for the takedown at the beginning of the second round. Tibau would break free and the pair exchanged strikes in the center of the cage.
MacDonald continued to look for takedown attempts, but Tibau’s defense held strong. Both fighters found the mark for hard strikes, with Tibau blitzing forward with a nice combination to end the round.
Even though he couldn’t secure a finish within the first two rounds, Tibau continued to throw heavy punches in the third. MacDonald controlled the action early by controlling the center of the cage, while landing quick strikes of his own.
MacDonald accidentally poked Tibau’s eye for the second time, halting the action briefly. When the action resumed, Tibau continued to pressure forward and a few strikes were exchanged, but nothing too significant before the fight came to an end.
Two judges scored the bout in favor of Tibau with scores of 29-28, while one judge scored the fight 29-28 for MacDonald, giving Tibau the huge upset victory by split decision.
Tibau was on the wrong end of a unanimous decision against Joao Zeferino at 2021 PFL 2 in April, but on Thursday, the judges were on his side.
In the co-main event of the evening, 2019 PFL champion Ray Cooper III ground out a hard-fought decision victory over Nikolay Aleksakhin to clinch a playoff spot, despite losing a point for missing weight.
Thursday’s event featured fights between welterweights and light heavyweights to determine who would advance to the playoffs.
Full results of 2021 PFL 5 are below:
MAIN CARD
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Gleison Tibau def. Rory Macdonald via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
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Ray Cooper III def. Nikolay Aleksakhin via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
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Emiliano Sordi vs. Dan Spohn declared a unanimous draw (28-28, 28-28, 28-28)
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Chris Camozzi def. Cezar Ferreira via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-27)
PRELIMINARY CARD
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Antonio Carlos Junior vs. Vinny Magalhaes ends in no contest (groin strike) – Round 1, 2:45
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Cory Hendricks def. Marthin Hamlet via submission (rear naked choke) – Round 3, 4:09
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Joao Zeferino def. Jason Ponet via submission (arm triangle) – Round 2, 2:16
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Magomed Magomedkerimov def. Curtis Millender via submission (Ezekiel choke) – Round 1, 1:57
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Tom Lawlor def. Jordan Young via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
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Sadibou Sy def. Aleksei Kunchenko via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
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