Pearl City’s Ray Cooper repeats as PFL champion with devastating knockout victory
COURTESY COOPER NEILL / PROFESSIONAL FIGHTERS LEAGUE
Ray Cooper celebrated his knockout victory over Magomed Magomedkerimov to repeat as the Professional Fighters League welterweight champion tonight in Hollywood, Fla.
Ray Cooper looked out on his feet.
Then Magomed Magomedkerimov was out cold.
Cooper made it back-to-back welterweight titles in the Professional Fighters League with a third-round knockout of Magomedkerimov in the co-main event of the 2021 PFL Championships today in Hollywood, Fla.
#AndNow 2021 PFL Welterweight World Champion @raycooperiii!!#PFLChampionship pic.twitter.com/eyzhyl0zLE
— PFL (@PFLMMA) October 28, 2021
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Cooper, bleeding from the mouth after taking a beating on the feet in the third round, landed one right hook and then another right that put Magomedkerimov on the mat before two right hands put him to sleep to end the fight at 3 minutes, 2 seconds.
Cooper (24-7-1, 11-2-1 PFL) earned a $1 million check for winning the 170-pound tournament for a second time.
“I know I’m the best. I’ll take on the UFC champion, the Bellator champion … put me against anybody and I’ll take them all out,” Cooper said in a post-fight interview in the cage.
Ray Cooper III Shuts Down Magomed!#PFLChampionship pic.twitter.com/bOgZpphY5G
— PFL (@PFLMMA) October 28, 2021
The fight was a matchup of the last two winners of the welterweight title.
Cooper was choked out by Magomedkerimov in the second round of the 2018 final.
Magomedkerimov suffered an injury that kept him out of the 2019 playoffs that Cooper won with a second-round TKO of David Michaud in the final.
Magomedkerimov (28-6, 10-1) hadn’t lost in 10 PFL fights and had never been knocked out in 33 professional fights.
