Sullivan Cauley dominates Phil Davis in PFL 7 co-main event to book his spot in the PFL finals. Cauley impressed with sharp striking and pressure, earning a big win to move one step closer to PFL gold.
The co-main event of PFL Semifinal delivered exactly what fans were hoping for-classic battle between experience and youth. In one corner stood Phil Davis, a former Bellator light heavyweight champion with years of high-level MMA under his belt. In the other, rising contender Sullivan Cauley, an unbeaten prospect known for his power and wrestling pedigree.
Davis brought with him a wealth of experience and a professional record of 25-7-0. He came off a huge knockout win over Rob Wilkinson at PFL 4, reminding everyone that even late in his career, he’s still got the skills and the power to compete with the best.
On the other side, Sullivan Cauley walked into this fight with an undefeated record, all wins coming by finish. The former Arizona State wrestler had burst onto the scene with raw aggression and vicious ground-and-pound, most recently making headlines with a dominant TKO win over Alex Polizzi earlier in the season.
The action kicked off fast as Cauley landed a body shot, and Davis answered with a low kick. Cauley fired back with a solid right hand. Davis kept coming with kicks and punches, but Cauley stayed sharp, landing a few clean shots of his own. Both men were trading strikes early, feeling each other out. Davis connected with a heavy low kick and avoided Cauley’s counter. He threw a big uppercut that missed, but landed a body kick as Cauley moved forward.
Cauley tried to build momentum, flashing his hands before Davis closed the distance and clinched him against the cage. Davis worked to control him and eventually scored a trip takedown. Cauley got up, but Davis quickly brought him back down. Eventually, Cauley reversed the position and pressed Davis against the cage. Davis briefly threatened a choke, then threw a jumping kick before eating a hard right hand from Cauley that got his attention.
Both fighters started to settle in. Cauley landed a sharp jab, and the two traded punches. Davis landed a body kick, and Cauley fired back with a one-two and a right hand on the inside. Davis missed a front kick, then threw another body kick. Cauley tried to catch it and go for a takedown, but Davis slipped out. Still, Cauley landed a strong right that clearly made Davis feel the power. Davis responded with a low kick, then pressured forward and scored another takedown.
As Cauley tried to stand, Davis landed two knees, one of them opening up a cut on Cauley’s cheek. Davis stayed glued to him, trying to take the back, but Cauley used the SmartCage to escape. With about 90 seconds left in the round, Cauley broke free. Davis missed a punch and that’s when Cauley pounced. He unloaded a nasty combination and landed a head kick that stunned Davis. A huge right hand followed, dropping Davis to the mat.
Davis, hurt, grabbed onto Cauley’s legs in desperation. He managed to pull off a takedown and briefly got to Cauley’s back, cranking on the neck, but couldn’t hold the position. Cauley got back to his feet before the bell but took a few shots on the way up.
The final round opened with Davis throwing a body kick, but Cauley answered with crisp jabs. Davis tried a high kick that didn’t quite land, and Cauley started landing clean punches again especially a right hand that landed directly on Davis. Davis missed a few wild shots, while Cauley stayed composed and worked his jab. At one point, Cauley caught a kick and pushed Davis against the fence, but Davis reversed and controlled the body lock for a bit before Cauley broke free.
Cauley kept the pressure on with quick jabs. Davis went for another takedown but couldn’t keep him down. Cauley landed a nice combo ending with a strong right hand. He kept pushing forward, landing clean lefts and rights. Davis tried another takedown, but Cauley defended well, even landing a hard elbow in the process. Davis managed to press him against the cage once more, but Cauley broke free and threw a switch knee just before the final bell. The judges read the scorecards and all in favor of Cauley.
The Prelims featured Alexandr Romanov and Valentin Moldavsky in the heavyweight semifinals of the 2025 PFL World Tournament. Romanov showcased his size advantage early, landing a belly-to-belly suplex and controlling the ground game. Moldavsky managed to escape and the two traded heavy strikes on the feet. However, the bout ended abruptly at 4:26 of round one after Romanov suffered an accidental groin strike that left him unable to continue. Despite the fight being ruled a no contest, Romanov advanced to the finals via judges’ decision. He was stretchered out due to the the injury.
Check out the PFL 7 results below:
Main card
Fabian Edwards def. Josh Silveira via unanimous decision
Sullivan Cauley def. Phil Davis via unanimous decision
Sergio Pettis def. Raufeon Stots via unanimous decision
Dalton Rosta def. Aaron Jeffery via split decision (29-28 x2, 27-30)
Antonio Carlos Junior def. Simeon Powell via unanimous decision
Prelims
Valentin Moldavsky vs. Alexandr Romanov, ruled no-contest (injury, groin strike) (R1, 4:26), Romanov moves on to finals
Ronnie Gibbs def. Biaggio Ali Walsh via sub (arm-triangle choke) (R2, 2:45)
Oleg Popov def. Rodrigo Nascimento via unanimous decision (30-27 x3)
Rafael Xavier def. Karl Albrektsson via first-round TKO (0:27)
