In a dramatic turn of events at PFL 7, Biaggio Ali Walsh, who entered the cage as the card`s most significant favorite, was handed the first professional defeat of his career.
Muhammad Ali`s grandson was listed with staggering odds, ranging from -1100 on FanDuel to as high as -1600 with some bookmakers, when he faced off against Ronnie Gibbs. Gibbs, a 31-year-old fighter local to Chicago competing in only his second professional bout, delivered a monumental upset by securing an arm triangle choke submission in the second round, sending shockwaves through the MMA world.
The fight started strongly for Ali Walsh, who knocked Gibbs down with a powerful right hand within the opening minute. Gibbs, however, displayed considerable toughness and recovered. For much of the first round, it appeared Ali Walsh was on the verge of finishing the fight, hurting his opponent multiple times.
Despite the early pressure, Gibbs managed to survive the first round. In the second frame, he successfully took the fight to the ground, an area where he demonstrated control and ultimately found the fight-ending submission.
With this memorable victory, Ronnie Gibbs advances his professional record to 2-0, with both wins coming via finish. His professional debut earlier this year in March also resulted in a second-round TKO win at a Chicago Cagefighting Championship event.
Biaggio Ali Walsh will now need to regroup and reassess his path forward after this loss snapped his impressive eight-fight winning streak under the PFL banner.
Marcus Blakely