Justin Wetzell scored a massive upset at the PFL World Tournament on Friday night, defeating the heavily favored Russian standout Kasum Kasumov.
Much of the opening round was a back-and-forth battle in the clinch with Wetzell pressing Kusamov against the fence on more than one occasion. With less than 30 seconds to go, Kasumov finally sat down Wetzell with a single leg takedown, but didn’t have enough time to accomplish anything on the mat.
It was more of the same in the second stanza, but this time, it was Wetzell who would score a late takedown against his opponent. However, Wetzell only managed to keep Kasumov grounded for a few seconds before the Russian popped back up.
Still, it was likely enough to even up the scorecards going into the third and final round.
Wetzell once again got his man on the mat in the third, but Kasumov quickly turned the tables and shot for his own takedown. Unfortunately for Kasumov, he didn’t end up in a dominant position, finding himself on the bottom of an inverted north-south position.
Wetzell unloaded a series of hammer fists to Kasumov’s body, with the Russian having no choice point to lie there and take it until the final bell.
Official Result: Justin Wetzell def. Kasum Kasumov via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
