Phil Davis secured his spot in the PFL World Championship semifinals on Thursday, after defeating Rob Wilkinson in the second round.
In his first fight since June 2023, Davis (25-7) knocked down Wilkinson with a right hand near the ropes, ending the fight with a left hand. This is Davis’s first knockout since 2019.
It was just a matter of committing to that right hand. Waiting for the right read, waiting for him to have the right placement of his right foot.
Phil Davis
This victory is significant for Davis, who will turn 41 this year. The former UFC and Bellator MMA champion was forced to withdraw from a fight against Wilkinson (19-4) last year due to an injury. He will now face Sullivan Cauley (7-1) in the semifinals in June.
Cauley advanced on Thursday with a TKO victory over Alex Polizzi.
On the other side of the light heavyweight bracket, Simeon Powell (11-1) will face Antonio Carlos Jr. (17-6). For Carlos Jr., this is his second time in the PFL semifinals, where he won the tournament in 2021.
Heavyweight Quarterfinals
The heavyweight quarterfinals were also featured at Thursday’s event. Former Bellator interim champion Valentin Moldavsky (14-4) defeated Sergey Bilostenniy (13-4) by unanimous decision.
Moldavsky will face Alexandr Romanov (18-3), who submitted Tim Johnson in the first round. Oleg Popov (20-2) and Rodrigo Nascimento (12-3) also advanced with split decisions.
The PFL World Tournament semifinals will continue in June, with events in Nashville, Tennessee; Wichita, Kansas; and Chicago.
