Shields Dropped By Cooper At PFL 3

The fighter looked at as a cornerstone of the PFL would take a major step backwards tonight, as Jake Shields would lose to Ray Cooper III at PFL 3.

Shields, who defeated Cooper’s father early in his pro career, would step into the cage at the PFL’s debut in Washington D.C. looking towards the PFL Playoffs.

Ray Cooper III sought revenge for his father, who split two fights with Shields over a decade ago.  Cooper III would rise from the ashes of his father’s loss and devastate Shields, leading to a TKO at the 2:09 mark of the second round.

Cooper III would walk away with five points within the PFL scoring system, and possibly playing spoiler to Fitch’s goal of winning the $1 million prize.

14 years later, the Cooper family exacts their revenge! Ray Cooper III defeats Jake Shields in Round 2 by TKO earning 5 points.#PFL3 #MMA #PFLmma #WhatDoYouFightFor #DC pic.twitter.com/ws95qUVUfA

— #PFLmma (@ProFightLeague) July 6, 2018

“There was a lot of history going into that fight,” Cooper III said. “I wanted to get back at Jake. He’s one of the toughest guys in the sport. Stepping in to the cage, I was just getting into the zone. And now I’m already getting back to rehearsal for the next fight.”

An uppercut would lead to Shields’ demise in the second round, sending him down and then trying to force Cooper to the ground, but refree Mario Yamasaki would force a stand-up after little to no action.

A left hook took Shields to the canvas, where Cooper III would attempt to paint a masterpiece against the former UFC challenger, causing the referee to stop the fight.

 

Main card

Ray Cooper III def. Jake Shields via second-round TKO (2:09)

Pavel Kusch def. Abubakar Nurmagomedov via second-round submission (rear-naked choke)

Rick Story def. Yuri Villefort via unanimous decision (30-27 X3)

Shamil Gamzatov def. Eddie Gordon via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28 X2)

John Howard def. Gasan Umalatov via second-round submission (rear-naked choke, 2:59)

Undercard

Magomed Magomedkerimov def. Herman Terrado via first-round submission (rear-naked choke, 4:54)

Joao Zeferino def. Paul Bradley via first-round TKO (1:58)

Bruno Santos def. Sadibou Sy via unanimous decision (29-28 X3)

Louis Taylor def. Anderson Goncalves via third-round TKO (0:56)

Rex Harris def. Andre Lobato via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

Abusupiyan Magomedov def. Danillo Villefort via first-round TKO (3:37)

Bojan Velickovic def. Jonatan Westin via second-round TKO (2:50)