PFL Belfast: Wilson Shocks Kelly With 37-Second KO in Main Event

Wilson Shocks Kelly in 37-Second KO

The main event saw Jay Jay Wilson (12-2) hand Darragh Kelly (9-1) his first professional loss with a 37-second TKO. Kelly was stepping in on short notice for the injured Paul Hughes.

Wilson landed a kick he had drilled repeatedly in camp, forcing Kelly to lower his guard before capitalising with a left hook that dropped the Irishman.

Speaking after the fight, Wilson said: “I was planning to drag the fight on.”

He added that he had named the technique the “Saïd-kick” after teammate Saïd Sowma.

Rhys McKee Wins Co-Main on PFL Debut

Rhys McKee (15-7-1) earned a unanimous decision over Alex Lohoré (26-12) in the co-main, and arguably the people's main event, after three rounds of strong exchanges from both fighters on their respective PFL debuts.

Lohoré drew heavy boos during his walkout, while local favourite McKee had strong crowd support.

Lohoré had early success with calf kicks and clinch work, but McKee responded with consistent pressure, dropping the Frenchman in the third round and dictating the final exchanges to seal 30-27 on all scorecards — his first win that didn’t come via stoppage.

McKee simply said post-fight: “I am that guy.”

Yagshimuradov Survives Late Scare Against Pedro

Opening the main card, Dovlet Yagshimuradov (26-8-1) earned a unanimous decision win over Tyson Pedro (10-6) after a late scare. Yagshimuradov controlled the opening rounds with spinning attacks and a late takedown in round one.

Pedro came back in the third, rocking and dropping the Turkmen multiple times, but Yagshimuradov survived. He secured a takedown and kept Pedro on the ground to earn the decision.

Prelims Deliver Action in Belfast

Closing the prelims, Eoin Sheridan (5-0) stayed undefeated with a decision win over Chris Mixan (7-2). The fight featured heavy exchanges throughout, but the Irish fighter did enough across all three rounds to take the win on the scorecards.

Caolán Loughran (11-3) stole the show by submitting Alan Philpott (21-18) in just 1 minute and 11 seconds, taking Philpott's back and finishing him with a tight face crank. This came shortly after Omran Chaaban (10-1) had earned a second-round TKO over Chequina Noso Pedro (10-5).

Dean Garnett (15-4-1) produced one of the night’s biggest upsets, flattening crowd favourite Ciaran Clarke (10-1) with a spinning back elbow in round one.

Garnett said he had drilled the technique “200 times in camp” and immediately called for a step up in competition.

Pedro Carvalho (15-10) outworked Sergio Cossio (27-12-1) over three rounds in a back-and-forth war, while David Martinez (17-6) secured a second-round submission over Giannis Bachar (9-4) via rear-naked choke.

Sean Gauci (11-1) survived a chaotic striking war with Liam Gittins (13-6), scoring multiple knockdowns to take a unanimous decision.

Both men went shot for shot in wild exchanges that looked close to ending at any moment, giving the Belfast crowd a real show.

Another fighter coming from Ireland with heavy crowd support, Eoghan Masoliver (2-0), kept his perfect record with a first-round standing rear-naked choke over Shane Mullen (1-1).

Opening the card, Chelsea Hackett (5-3-1) dominated early, dropping Andrea Vázquez (8-3) and controlling the grappling to secure a unanimous decision.

PFL Belfast Results (Full Fight Card)

Jay Jay Wilson def. Darragh Kelly — KO/TKO
Rhys McKee def. Alex Lohoré — Unanimous Decision
Dovlet Yagshimuradov def. Tyson Pedro — Unanimous Decision
Eoin Sheridan def. Chris Mixan — Unanimous Decision
Caolán Loughran def. Alan Philpott — Submission
Omran Chaaban def. Chequina Noso Pedro — TKO
Dean Garnett def. Ciaran Clarke — KO/TKO
Pedro Carvalho def. Sergio Cossio — Unanimous Decision
David Martinez def. Giannis Bachar — Submission
Sean Gauci def. Liam Gittins — Unanimous Decision
Eoghan Masoliver def. Shane Mullen — Submission
Chelsea Hackett def. Andrea Vázquez — Unanimous Decision

Final Notes

PFL Belfast results delivered a night of violent finishes and breakout performances at the SSE Arena, headlined by a shocking 37-second knockout in the main event.

Photo Credit: PFL