Valentin Moldavsky’s Electric Finish Gains 6 Points in PFL 2024 Season Opener

Valentin Moldavsky's finishes may be rare, but they’re electric.

The former Bellator MMA heavyweight surged onto the Professional Fighters League scene with a first-round TKO win over 2022 PFL king Ante Delija in the 2024 Season Opener main event on Thursday at Boeing Center in San Antonio, Texas.

Moldavsky hasn’t finished an opponent since 2018 but wasted little time taking out Delija. With a body kick midway through the first round, Moldavsky stunned the former champ and pounced until the fight was stopped (2:17). With the win, Moldavsky picked up six points and is headed to the top of the PFL playoff standings.

Denis Goltsov took his first step back toward the PFL heavyweight crown after TKOing former Bellator title contender Linton Vassell in the third round (3:11). Goltsov was worked over for most of the opening period but turned the tide once Vassell’s energy ran out in the second. Neither man could barely stand, but Goltsov found enough energy to push for the finish. With the win, Goltsov (33-8) got back on track and picked up a vital four points in the heavyweight standings. Vassell suffered his first loss since 2019.

Liz Carmouche has had Juliana Velasquez’s number since Velasquez was the former Bellator flyweight queen. Carmouche took her title, beat her again, and just went up 3-0 on Velasquez for good measure.

Carmouche (21-7) shined in her SmartCage debut with a gritty unanimous decision win over Velasquez. After being upstaged by Taila Santos and Dakota Ditcheva’s first-round finishes, Carmouche blitzed Velasquez at the start of each round before settling into a clinch-heavy attack. Carmouche dominated on the ground and nearly caught Velasquez with an armbar in Round 2. Unfortunately for Carmouche, she wasn’t able to break through Velasquez’s guard and was forced to settle for three points.

Ditcheva ran through the PFL Europe circuit last year, but now the Manchester, England, native has her eyes set on the world stage. The 25-year-old phenom made a statement win of the tournament with a first-round demolition of PFL Challenger Series alum Lisa Mauldin.

Ditcheva (11-0) looked like the best striker in the field during her win. Using teeps and leg kicks, Ditcheva controlled distance and kept Mauldin’s back against the cage. With her distance and timing set, Ditcheva pieced Mauldin up with hard combinations before knocking her down and out with a vicious body shot. Post-fight, Ditcheva let it be known that she fears nobody in the bracket and that more punishment awaits whoever faces her next. “I don’t care who I get,” she said. “I’m going to win anyway, so give me anyone.”

Daniel James is going to haunt Marcelo Golm’s dreams for a long time. In their first meeting last year, Golm controlled most of the fight before James rallied to knock him out in the third round. One year later, Golm expected to fight Tyrelle Fortune but on three days' notice, found out that he’d get the chance to avenge his loss to James.

Like the first fight, Golm took James down quickly and dominated near the fence. Golm was on his way to a 10-8 round before James walked the cage and reversed the 264-pound Brazilian. Sensing the urgency, James pummeled Golm with his right-hand before the fight was stopped with one second left in the round (4:59). With the win, James (15-7-1, 1 NC) picked up only five points in the standings because he came in with a 1-point penalty after missing weight (267 pounds).

Heavyweight sluggers Blagoy Ivanov and Sergey Bilostenniy brought the bombs into their heavyweight slugfest. After three back-and-forth rounds that left both men exhausted, Bilostenniy’s hands were raised in victory via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28).

Bilostenniy (12-3) came over from Bellator and picked up his second straight win against the former UFC fighter. Using a stiff jab, Bilostenniy controlled the distance and got the better of Ivanov on the outside but ate a lot of leather on the inside. By the end of the second round, both men were hunched over, hands on knees, and gasping for breath. That wouldn’t stop them from leaving it on the line and producing one of the best fights of the night.

Former Ultimate Fighting Championship title challenger Santos cemented herself as an early favorite to win the women’s flyweight $1 million grand prize after cruising to a first-round finish over Ilara Joanne. Santos (20-3) is known for her heavy hands (10 knockouts), but the Brazilian showed she can counter well against the aggressive Joanne.

After cracking her with a left hand, Santos effortlessly took Joanne to the mat and threatened her with an array of submission attempts. All Joanne could do was scramble and squirm until Santos eventually sunk in a rear-naked choke for the six-point finish.

Oleg Popov (17-1) surrendered a seven-inch height disadvantage to the 6-foot-8 heavyweight Steve Mowry, but it didn’t matter. After getting off to a slow start, Popov defended his 14-fight win streak with a second-round TKO (3:47) win.

Mowry (10-2-1, 1 NC) is a skilled grappler who’s finished six opponents by submission. He took Popov’s back early, but the Russian made him work on the ground. By the start of the second period, Mowry’s gas tank was depleted, and there was little the Kill Cliff FC standout could do to hold off Popov. Popov took Mowry to the mat and trapped his arm in a crucifix. Popov reigned down punches with his left hand free until referee Kerry Hatley was forced to intervene.

Kana Watanabe is an underrated contender in the women’s flyweight tournament. A former Bellator world title challenger, Watanabe has only lost twice and could be a frustrating matchup to anybody in the field. Shanna Young learned this the hard way after she was dominated en route to a unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27).

Watanabe landed over 40 more strikes and took Young down six times throughout the fight. She never found the finish but Watanabe’s maturity allowed her to control the pace throughout. Watanabe has already faced Carmouche, Joanne and Denise Kielholtz, so her experience in this tournament makes her a threat.

Former Bellator prospect Jena Bishop left a definitive statement in her PFL debut after submitting Chelsea Hackett via armbar in the opening stanza (4:45). Bishop, 38, is a former International Brazillian Jiu-Jitsu Federation No-Gi world champion and she had little trouble walking down Hackett.

Despite being a former muay thai world champion, Hackett (4-2, 1 NC) cautiously circled the cage while Bishop (7-0) closed the distance. It was just a matter of time before she got snatched. Bishop rode Hackett’s back before eventually closing the show with a nasty armbar. With the win, Bishop picked up three points and received an additional three points for the first-round finish.

There was no place like home for San Antonio native Dimitre Ivy on Thursday night. Ivy (13-7) won the biggest fight of his career in front of hometown fans after upsetting previously unbeaten Lucas Brennan by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28).

Ivy dropped Brennan (9-1) early and controlled the first round with his explosive combinations. Brennan took Ivy’s back and threatened a rear-naked choke in the second to tie up the fight. The final round wasn’t as explosive, but Brennan spent most of the period with his back pinned against the cage in part to Ivy’s strength in the clinch.

Undefeated bantamweight Bryce Meredith opened the preliminary card against scrappy grappler Ty Johnson. Meredith, a former three-time NCAA Division I All-American wrestler, showcased his punching power early by dropping Johnson in the first round, but the finish eluded MMA Lab prospect.

Johnson (13-7) entered the fight on a seven-fight win streak and didn’t let go of it easily. Johnson threatened Meredith’s heel all fight but never sank in the lock. Despite Johnson’s persistence, Meredith’s power and ground control separated the two on the scorecards. Meredith improved to 6-0 by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27).