Josh Silveira punched his ticket to the PFL light heavyweight championship with a nasty highlight reel finish.
In the co-feature of 2023 PFL Playoffs 1 at Boeing Center at Tech Port in San Antonio, Silveira (12-1) scored another first-round finish – the third of his 2023 campaign. Ty Flores (13-5) couldn’t escape Silveira’s clutches in their light heavyweight semifinal bout and was stopped at 4:46 of Round 1.
Silveira was just a step ahead of Flores all the way up to the moment where he caught him in a Thai clinch and began unleashing brutal knees for the first-round finish. It was a brutal moment, which prompted the referee to rush in as soon as the final knee Silveira landed sent Flores stumbling into the fence. Flores debated the stoppage, but Silveira was right there ready to land more punches if the referee did not step in.
Check out video of the finish below (via Twitter):
JOSH SILVEIRA IS GOING TO THE SHIP! #PFLWORLDCHAMPIONSHIP#PFLPlayoffs LIVE NOW
🇺🇸 ESPN
🌎 https://t.co/jPNvomCxHI pic.twitter.com/zbdTqLj0xk— PFL (@PFLMMA) August 5, 2023
Silveira is now set to face Impa Kasanganay in the light heavyweight championship with a $1 million prize on the line. Kasanganay defeated Marthin Hamlet earlier in evening to advance to the final.
All three fights of Silveira’s 2023 PFL run have ended in the first round. He stopped Sam Kei with a submission, won a TKO due to injury against Delan Monte, and stopped Flores with brutal knees Friday evening.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for 2023 PFL Playoffs 1.
