Biaggio Ali Walsh, who entered PFL 7 as the card`s most significant favorite by a wide margin, unexpectedly suffered the first professional loss of his career.
The grandson of legendary boxer Muhammad Ali was listed with betting odds as high as -1600 for the event in Chicago on Friday night when he stepped into the cage against Ronnie Gibbs, a 31-year-old local fighter competing in just his second professional bout. Gibbs delivered a stunning upset, securing a second-round arm triangle choke that sent shockwaves through the MMA community.
In the initial minute of the fight, Ali Walsh dropped Gibbs with a powerful right hand, but Gibbs recovered effectively. For a period, it appeared to be only a matter of time until Ali Walsh finished the fight, having hurt his opponent multiple times during the first round.
Gibbs managed to survive the opening round. In the second frame, he successfully took the fight to the ground, where he demonstrated his advantage and ultimately secured the memorable victory over Ali Walsh.
With this impressive win, Gibbs` professional record now stands at 2-0, with both victories coming via finish. His pro debut was in March at a Chicago Cagefighting Championship event, where he won by second-round TKO.
Ali Walsh will need to regroup and reassess his approach following this defeat, which snapped his eight-fight winning streak under the PFL promotion.
