PFL Charlotte: Complete Fight Night Recap – Knockouts, Submissions & Decisions Galore!

Event Date: Friday, August 7
Location: Bojangles Coliseum, Charlotte, NC
Broadcast: Live coverage began at 6:30 p.m. ET | Main card on ESPN at 10 p.m. ET

What Happened at PFL Charlotte?

The Professional Fighters League (PFL) took over Charlotte with a night full of highlight-reel finishes, technical battles, and grueling decisions. From lightning-fast knockouts to a "body snatch" liver shot and a rear-naked choke that put someone to sleep, this card had it all.

Here’s your beginner-friendly, blow-by-blow breakdown of every fight that went down.

Fight Card Results at a Glance

Note: The final four bouts (including the main event) did not have results or round-by-round scoring published in this play-by-play feed.

Fight-by-Fight Breakdown

1. Trey Waters def. Trukon Carson — TKO (Punches & Elbows), Round 1, 4:37

Weight Class: Welterweight (170 lbs)

• Quick Start: Carson lands heavy low kicks; Waters counters with a vicious one-two combo that drops Carson.
• Knockdown Party: Waters scores three knockdowns in the round:
  1. Right hand early
  2. Another counter one-two
  3. Crushing right uppercut that puts Carson down for good
• Finish: Waters dives into half guard, unleashes hammerfists and elbows, drawing blood and forcing the stoppage.
• Sherdog Highlight: Watch the blitz

ELI5: Waters hit Carson so hard and so many times in the first 5 minutes that the referee had to stop it before Carson got seriously hurt.

2. Maxwell Djantou Nana def. Eduardo Neves — TKO (Punch to Body), Round 3, 2:01

Weight Class: Heavyweight (265 lbs)

• Round 1: Neves wins on the judges’ cards (10-9 across the board) with sharp jabs, leg kicks, and movement.
• Round 2: Nana turns it around — rocks Neves with a left hook, pins him against the cage, and lands body shots. All three judges give it to Nana (10-9).
• Round 3 — The Finish: Nana marches forward, lands knees to the body, then a left hook to the liver that folds Neves instantly. No follow-up needed.
• Sherdog Highlight: Watch the body snatch

ELI5: A "liver shot" hurts so bad your body just shuts down. Nana put Neves on the canvas with one perfect punch to the side.

3. Jonathan Martin def. Wilson Lopshire — Unanimous Decision (30-26, 30-25, 30-27)

Weight Class: Catchweight (160 lbs)

• Round 1: Martin wins 10-9 — better striking, stuffs takedowns, lands check hooks and leg kicks.
• Round 2: Martin drops Lopshire with a right hook, takes his back, mounts him, and rains down hammerfists. 10-9 Martin.
• Round 3: Martin drops Lopshire again with a check hook, controls on the ground, and dominates top position. 10-9 Martin.
• Total Dominance: All three judges scored it 30-27 or wider for Martin.

ELI5: Martin was the better fighter everywhere — standing, wrestling, and on the ground. He won every minute of every round.

4. Bruno Cappelozza def. Valentin Moldavsky — Unanimous Decision (29-28, 30-27, 29-28)

Weight Class: Light Heavyweight (205 lbs)

• Round 1: Moldavsky takes it (10-9) with a takedown and control.
• Round 2: Close! Cappelozza lands brutal leg kicks, a flying knee, and cuts Moldavsky. Two judges give it to Cappelozza, one to Moldavsky.
• Round 3: Cappelozza wins the final round on two cards (leg kicks, clinch work), but Moldavsky gets one judge’s nod.
• Result: Cappelozza takes the decision — leg kicks and volume made the difference.

ELI5: Think of it like a points game. Cappelozza kicked Moldavsky’s legs so much it slowed him down, and the judges noticed.

5. Landry Ward def. Michael Boylan — Split Decision (30-27, 28-29, 30-27)

Weight Class: Lightweight (155 lbs)

• Rounds 1 & 2: Ward dominates — sharp boxing, front kicks, right hands, high output. All three judges: 10-9 Ward.
• Round 3: Boylan rallies — lands combos, a kimura attempt near the end. Two judges give Boylan the round (10-9), one stays with Ward.
• Final Tally: Ward wins 29-28 on two cards; Boylan gets one 29-28.

ELI5: Ward won the first two rounds clearly. Boylan almost stole the last one, but it wasn’t enough to flip the fight.

6. Cheyanne Bowers def. Elora Dana — Technical Submission (Rear-Naked Choke), Round 1, 3:36

Weight Class: Women’s Flyweight (125 lbs)

• Early Action: Dana takes Bowers down, takes her back, hunts a choke.
• The Twist: Bowers escapes, reverses position, takes Dana’s back, locks in her own rear-naked choke (RNC).
• Finish: Dana goes unconscious — referee stops it instantly.
• Sherdog Highlight: Watch the choke

ELI5: Dana tried to choke Bowers. Bowers said "no thanks," flipped it around, and choked Dana out cold instead.

7. Cheyden Leialoha def. Robbie Ring — Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Weight Class: Featherweight (145 lbs)

• Round 1: Leialoha secures a takedown, controls in half guard, drops heavy ground-and-pound (elbows, punches). 10-9.
• Round 2: Ring catches a knee, gets a takedown — but Leialoha reverses to full mount, unloads hammerfists, elbows, nearly gets an armbar. 10-9.
• Round 3: Leialoha takes Ring down again, moves to back mount, north-south, mounted crucifix — total grappling clinic. Ring survives but loses every round.

ELI5: Leialoha wrestled Ring like a ragdoll for 15 minutes. Ring was tough, but he spent the whole fight defending.

8. Josh Fremd def. Jhony Gregory — TKO (Punches), Round 2, 1:44

Weight Class: Middleweight (185 lbs)

• Round 1: Gregory starts aggressive, hurts Fremd with leg kicks and punches. Fremd clinches to survive. 10-9 Gregory.
• Round 2: Fremd pressures forward, walks through an overhand right, cracks Gregory with two overhand rights — Gregory collapses. Referee jumps in.

ELI5: Gregory won round one. Round two? Fremd turned into a bulldozer and knocked him out cold.

Fights Without Published Results (Yet)

The following bouts were scheduled but did not include round-by-round scoring or official results in this live play-by-play feed:

Want the main event result? Check the PFL official site or ESPN+ for the full replay.

Key Takeaways – What You Should Remember

Finishes Rule the Night
5 of 8 completed fights ended inside the distance (3 TKOs, 1 submission, 1 body-shot KO). PFL Charlotte was not a decision-heavy card.

Leg Kicks = Strategy
Cappelozza, Nana, and Gregory all used calf kicks to slow opponents and win rounds. In modern MMA, damage accumulates — and judges see it.

Grappling Reversals Change Fights
Bowers and Leialoha both turned defensive positions into offense — Bowers from bottom to choke, Leialoha from scramble to mount. Position before submission isn’t just a saying — it wins fights.

Early Pressure ≠ Early Win
Gregory, Dana, and Carson all started fast — but gas tanks and chins mattered more. Fremd, Bowers, and Waters weathered the storm and struck back harder.

Summary

PFL Charlotte delivered action-packed MMA with something for every fan:

• Knockout artists (Waters, Nana, Fremd)
• Submission wizardry (Bowers)
• Wrestling dominance (Leialoha, Martin)
• Technical striking battles (Cappelozza vs. Moldavsky, Ward vs. Boylan)

While the main event and three other bouts await official results in this feed, the first eight fights gave us four finishes, four decisions, and zero boring moments.

Whether you’re new to MMA or a seasoned viewer, this card reminded us: one punch, one kick, one choke — that’s all it takes to change everything.

FAQ – Your Questions Answered

1. What does "TKO" mean?

Technical Knockout — the referee stops the fight because a fighter can no longer intelligently defend themselves (even if they’re not unconscious). It counts as a knockout on the record.

2. What’s a "rear-naked choke" (RNC)?

A blood choke applied from behind the opponent, wrapping one arm around the neck and squeezing the carotid arteries. It cuts off blood to the brain — unconsciousness in seconds if not tapped.

3. Why do judges score 10-9, 10-8, etc.?

The 10-Point Must System: the round winner gets 10, loser gets 9 (or 8 if dominated). Three judges score each round; totals decide the winner if no finish occurs.

4. What’s a "liver shot" and why does it hurt so much?

A punch/kick to the right side of the abdomen (liver area). It triggers a vagal nerve response — sudden drop in blood pressure, nausea, legs give out. The body refuses to work. Legal and devastating.

5. Where can I watch the full event replay?

• ESPN+ (main card)
• PFL MMA YouTube / App (prelims & highlights)
• Sherdog.com for play-by-play, highlights, and official results

Stay tuned for the main event result — Battle vs. Rosta could shake up the middleweight playoff picture!