PFL returned to Newcastle Upon Tyne last Saturday (June 8) and delivered a blockbuster card, with athletes securing their places in the semi-final of the 2024 European Championships.
Savannah Marshall found success in her MMA debut in a back and forth one round war against Mirela Vargas in the main event, as she peruses a bout with Claressa Shields inside the SmartCage. The co-main event saw Dylan 'The Nuke' Tuke claim a unanimous decision win against Kane Mousah after a technical 15 minute affair.
The card saw the opening round of the men's Bantamweight Championship, Women's Flyweight Championship and the final bout of the opening round of the Welterweight division.
Jack Grant secured the final space in the with a first round finish against Charlie Leary. After a stunning suplex, Grant followed up with several hard strikes which forced the referee to step in and call time on proceedings.
Dean Garnett was set to compete near the top of the bill but his bout against Ayton De Paepe was pulled at the 11th hour after complications with De Paepe's weight cut led to him being unable to compete. Because of this, Garnett was awarded a walk over and will face 2023 European Champion Khurshed Kakhorov after the German stopped Tuomas Grönvall in the third round of their Bantamweight affair.
On the other side of the bracket, Alexander Luster made light work of Alperen Karabulut to advance to the semi-finals where he will face Frenchman Julien Lopez, who pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the night when he choked out Dominic Wooding.
The opening round of the women's Flyweight division kicked things off inside the Utilita Arena with Paulina Wiśniewska stopping Dee Begley in the first round of their bout to advance to the semi-finals. It will be an all Polish affair as Wiśniewska faces Karolina Wójcik in Glasgow. Wójcik stepped into the tournament on late notice and defeated Lizzy Gevers by way of unanimous decision.
2023 European finalist Valentina Scatizzi booked her place in the semi-finals with a dominating victory against Marie Loiseau. Shanelle Dyer made a big statement in her championship debut when she knocked Mariam Torchinava unconscious with a brutal head kick in the very first round.
Elsewhere on the card, Lewis McGrillen got back to winning ways after a gruelling three round against Matiss Zaharovs. Claudio Pacella handed the surging Mark Ewen his first loss with a unanimous decision and Ben Woolliss secured a first round finish in his promotional debut.
