PFL 2022 3: Carlos Leal outworks completely overmatched Ray Cooper III

PFL 2022 3: Carlos Leal outworks completely overmatched Ray Cooper III

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.

PFL 2022 3: Kayla Harrison vs. Marina Mokhnatkina takes place on Friday, May 6, 2022, live from the Esports Stadium in Arlington, TX. Follow along with FanSided MMA for all your news and highlights.