Marina Mokhnatkina made quick work of Amber Leibrock in the first PFL Semifinal battle at the Hulu Theater in Madison Square Garden on Friday night.
She will now face the winner of the show’s co-main event, which is the third meeting between defending champion Larissa Pacheco and Olena Kolesnyk.
Mokhnatkina and Leibrock engaged in an intense armbar battle, but the 35-year-old Russian, former Sambo champion was clearly the more experienced grappler. Mokhnatkina stayed patient, and ultimately won the scramble for an advantageous position on the ground. Here is a look at the finish:
It appeared Leibrock had trained for this attack from her opponent, but it wasn’t enough to prevent the loss. Leibrock was forced to tap out as Mokhnatikina locked in the armbar.
The fight looked a lot like some of Ronda Rousey’s early fights in Strikeforce and the UFC when she had most of her opponents so outclassed on the ground that it was only a matter of time before she forced them to submit.
That ‘s about how dominant Mokhnatkina looked on the ground.
The victory didn’t just ensure Mokhnatkina’s spot in the PFL Championships, which carries a $1 million prize for the winner, it also improved her professional MMA record to 11-3.
Leibrock dropped to 7-6 with the loss.
She suddenly finds herself on a two-fight losing street having been finished in the first round in both of the losses. Leibrock suffered a defeat to Pacheco via first-round KO in June. Had she defeated Mokhnatkina on Friday night, she might have found herself on a collision course with Pacheco.
That won’t be the case as Pacheco now has to avoid the upset loss to Kolesnyk to join Mokhnatkina in the championship. At the very least, PFL fans should get a fresh matchup in the featherweight championship.
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