Edwards’ rapier-like striking and range control kept Silveira exactly where the former title challenger wanted him, and he used his striking superiority to bust up Silveira en route to a clear decision win, with all three judges scoring the bout 29-28 to “The Assassin.”
Edwards will face American Dalton Rosta, who edged Canadian contender Aaron Jeffery via split decision in their middleweight semi-final. Interestingly, the one dissenting judge scored all three rounds to Jeffery for a 30-27 scorecard to the Canadian, but he was overruled by the other two judges, who both had it 29-28 to Rosta, who moves on to thte $500,000 tournament final, and a bout with Edwards.
At light heavyweight, Sullivan Cauley sprung something of a shock as he defeated former Bellator world champion Phil Davis via unanimous decision, while Antonio Carlos Jr. edged past England’s Simeon Powell after three rounds, with all three judges scoring the bout 29-28 to the Brazilian.
The heavyweight final still needs to be confirmed after the night’s second heavyweight semi-final ended in a no contest. An accidental groin shot by Valentin Moldavsky late in the first round rendered Alexandr Romanov unable to continue.
The night’s other heavyweight semi-final did produce a winner, however, as Oleg Popov outworked Rodrigo Nascimento to punch his ticket to the heavyweight finale.
PFL World Tournament Chicago: Official results
MAIN CARD
- Fabian Edwards def. Josh Silveira via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Sullivan Cauley def. Phil Davis via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
- Sergio Pettis def. Raufeon Stots via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Dalton Rosta def. Aaron Jeffery via split decision (29-28, 27-30, 29-28)
- Antonio Carlos Jr. def. Simeon Powell via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
PRELIMINARY CARD
- Valentin Moldavsky vs Alexandr Romanov ruled a no contest (accidental groin strike) – Round 1, 4:26
- Ronnie Gibbs def. Biaggio Ali Walso via submission (arm-triangle choke) – Round 2, 2:45
- Oleg Popov def. Rodrigo Nascimento via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Rafael Xavier def. Karl Albrektsson via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 0:27
