Alexei Pergande, who won a contract during the PFL Challenger Series in 2022, returns to the PFL SmartCage for another Featherweight Showcase bout. His opponent, Akeem Bashir, makes his PFL debut in just his second professional MMA bout.

 

Round 1

Bashir starts with a leg kick, but Pergande fires off a couple of one-twos. Bashir goes for another leg kick but gets another one-two. Pergande comes forward with great pressure, firing off a small flurry as he looks for a finish early. Bashir recovers and fires off a body kick.

 

Pergande drops Bashir with a big head kick, which drops him. Pergande fires off ground-and-pound! Bashir throws up his legs and looks for a triangle choke, but Pergande is able to fend him off and gets into full guard.

 

Pergande lands on top, as Bashir looks to keep him locked in guard. Pergande postures up and is able to land some heavy shots from the top position before passing over into side control. Pergande pressures on the ground and locks up a D’Arce choke, and it’s enough to get Bashir to tap!

 

 

OFFICIAL RESULT

 

Alexei Pergande def. Akeem Bashir via first-round submission (D’Arce choke, 3:40)

 

Please enable Javascript to view this content