The opening night of the 2022 PFL season, PFL 1, featured a Clay Collard vs. Jeremy Stephens showdown that lived up to all the hype
The PFL returned for its 2022 season with several degrees of violence shown at PFL 1. And it was topped off by quite an excellent pairing, as Clay Collard and Jeremy Stephens put on a wild display that saw Collard ultimately get his hand raised.
After a back-and-forth opening frame between the two former UFC fighters, Stephens seemed to rock Collard during the second round, and he went in for the finish, but couldn’t get it. As Stephens slowed down, Collard went after him with a flurry. In a display of swagger late in the round, Collard turned a takedown attempt into a complete drop of Stevens — only to walk away and not follow Stephens to the ground.
Collard seemed to work more on the back foot in the third round, however, as Stephens tried to pressure him with his jab. For the final five minutes, the two continued to trade, though Stephens seemed to get the better of Collard in this round.
By the end, according to the PFL’s stat trackers, Collard landed 145 of 317 strikes thrown and two takedowns, while Stevens landed 133 of 179 strikes.
Ultimately, all three judges scored the bout in Collard’s favor, with Collard sweeping the scorecards.
MMA Twitter loved every minute of the Clay Collard vs. Jeremy Stephens fight from PFL 1
Collard, who competes in both professional MMA and boxing, joined the PFL last year and scored decisions over Anthony Pettis and Joilton Lutterbach before dropping a decision to 2021 PFL lightweight champion Raush Manfio.
Stephens has now lost four straight and is winless in his last seven fights. His most recent win was a second-round knockout of Josh Emmett in February 2018. This was Stephens’s first fight since parting ways with the UFC in late January.
PFL 1 took place on Wednesday, April 20, from the Esports Stadium in Arlington, TX. The season kicked off with competitors in the lightweight and light heavyweight divisions.