PFL 3 Weigh In at the Esports Stadium Arlington in Arlington, Texas, Thursday, May 5, 2022. (Cooper Neill / PFL)
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Carlos Leal takes advantage of an uncharacteristically quiet Ray Cooper III, scores unanimous decision win at PFL 3
Carlos Leal continues his momentum and scores perhaps the biggest win of his MMA career thus far, defeating the two-time defending PFL welterweight champion, Ray Cooper III, in the co-main event of PFL 3.
Leal, who has now won 11 straight, wasn’t in trouble for a second, as he took advantage of a seemingly fatigued and injured Cooper, who missed weight for this bout by over five pounds.
PFL 3: Carlos Leal scores one-sided victory over defending PFL welterweight champion Ray Cooper III
Leal — who won the Welterweight Grand Prix at LFA 112 and earned a PFL contract through the PFL Challenger Series — was the busier fighter in the opening round, with Cooper barely throwing much at all.
That continued into the second frame, a round in which Leal did a lot of stuffing Cooper III’s attempts to wrestle to success. Leal did noticeable damage to the head and body of Cooper while on the ground — and nearly put the fight away with a choke.
Leal continued to batter Cooper on the feet in the third round, but Cooper managed to not be stopped. With about a minute left in the fight, Cooper threw some desperate power shots that stunned Leal briefly, but it was far from enough.
The judges scored the contest in Leal’s favor, 30-26, 30-27 and 29-27.
