Many fans, including myself, were looking forward to seeing Anthony Pettis make his debut in the PFL on April 23rd. Clay Collard -however- had other plans as he just defeated the former UFC champion in an extremely exciting fight that saw Collard getting his hand raised via unanimous decision.

Collard came out strong in the first round and his boxing experience seemed to pay off as his hands looked incredibly sharp. He cleanly out struck Pettis in the first round and secured the round on all judges scorecards.

The second round is really where Collard proved himself as he dropped Pettis twice with a flurry of combinations ending in powerful hooks. The fight was nearly stopped but Pettis showed his fighting spirit and refused to quit and survive the round.

The third and final round is where Pettis started to find his rhythm and as he began to pressure Collard midway into the second round he landed a signature head kick followed by a knee that almost put Collard away. Pettis then pursued Collard with a wrestling exchange that lasted till the end of the fight.

The PFL 1 main card was filled with upsets, including Clay Collard’s victory over Anthony Pettis. While this ending was definitely not the outcome many fans expected for the night, I’m excited to see how the rest of the regular season will play out, with PFL 2 set to take place on Thursday, April 29th.