SALT LAKE CITY — Lightweight (The Canadian Badass) Michael Dufort advanced to the Professional Fighters League playoffs despite losing a split decision to American Adam (The Bomb) Piccolotti on Friday's PFL5 undercard.
The judges scored the bout 29-28, 28-29, 29-28 for Piccolotti, a 35-year-old Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt from California.
Cagenomics, which keeps statistics for mixed martial arts promoters, projected Dufort to have a 92-35 advantage in strikes, with 31 of those coming on the ground. Inside the cage, the 30-year-old Montreal native shook his head at the decision.
Unlike other mixed martial arts organizations, the Professional Fighters League's schedule incorporates a regular season and playoffs.
A win of any kind on Friday would have clinched a playoff berth for Dufort (13-5-0), while Piccolotti (15-6-0) needed a win to cross the finish line to keep a playoff berth in sight.
But other results on Friday worked in Dufort's favor, and he's earned a spot in a playoff as the No. 3 seed against No. 2 Gadzhi Labadanov of Russia. No. 1 Brent Primus will face No. 4 (Cassius) Clay “Clay” Collard in the other 155-pound semifinal. This will be an all-American showdown.
The lightweight division has 10 fighters and is awarded points for wins and finishes. After the regular season, the top four fighters advance to a playoff, where the last surviving fighter will win the title and $1 million.
Dufort, who won his first fight of the PFL season in April, is looking to capture the title from his former training partner (and 'The Canadian Gangster') Olivier Aubin-Mercier, the Montreal native who retired after winning his second consecutive PFL lightweight championship in November.
Aubin-Mercier watched Friday's bout cageside.
Piccolotti scored with kicks in a cautious first round, taking Dufort down midway through the round, before Dufort turned the tide by grabbing Piccolotti's neck from below to blunt his attacks.
Dufort was busier in the second round, landing more strikes, and the two fighters ended the round grappling on the fence while Piccolotti escaped a choke hold on the ground.
Piccolotti upped the tempo and landed some strikes early in the third round, but Dufort pressed him against the fence and forced a lengthy clinch. It was Piccolotti who came forward in the final minute.
In the main event at the Jon M. Huntsman Center, Denmark’s Mads Burnell (18-6-0) defeated Collard (25-13-0, 1 win by default) by unanimous decision, 29-28.
Collard, a Utah native, lost to Aubin-Mercier in the 155-pound final last year.
Dufort submitted Burnell in their season opener in April, then forced Burnell to tap via guillotine choke 63 seconds into the second round.
Dufort previously competed on the PFL Challengers circuit with a win over American Art Pogosyan in March 2022, the start of a five-fight winning streak that was snapped on Friday.
On Friday, Canadian lightweight boxer Anthony (The Genius) Romero (12-3-0) lost a unanimous decision to Italy's Sergio (Darko) Coccio, both of whom are alternates in the 155-pound division.
The 27-year-old from Welland, Ontario, dominated in the second round before Cosio (19-9-1) came out strong in the third round in a closely fought bout. All three judges scored the bout 29-28 in favor of Cosio.
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 21, 2024.
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