Tale of the Tape
Result Summary
Rafael do Nascimento submitted Lewis McGrillen-Evans via rear-naked choke at 2:07 of the second round in their bantamweight bout at PFL Austin: Eblen vs. Kasanganay 2 on July 18, 2026. McGrillen-Evans, the 2024 PFL Europe bantamweight champion, had stepped in as a replacement and entered with a 12-1 record, but had no answer for do Nascimento's grappling once the fight went to the ground. Do Nascimento worked his way to the back and locked in the choke, giving McGrillen-Evans no route to escape. The victory improved do Nascimento's professional record to 13-3 in his PFL debut.
Fight Overview
British bantamweight Lewis 'The McGrizzla' McGrillen-Evans carries a near-perfect 12-1 record into his first PFL co-main event against experienced Brazilian veteran Rafael 'Mulisha' do Nascimento, 12-3, who has competed at the LFA title level. McGrillen-Evans has built his record on finishing performances and looks to prove he belongs among the top tier of PFL's stacked bantamweight division.
Keys to Victory
Lewis McGrillen-Evans
- Establish his jab early and use it to set up takedown entries that shift the fight to the ground.
- Secure back position in scrambles and hunt for the rear naked choke that has ended his fights before.
- Manage the pace and use his conditioning to build a significant lead if the fight extends into late rounds.
Rafael do Nascimento
- Apply relentless forward pressure and volume striking to test whether McGrillen-Evans handles experienced offensive output.
- Stay active in scrambles and work back to his feet rather than conceding extended control positions on the mat.
- Look for an early finishing sequence with strikes before McGrillen-Evans can settle into his preferred grappling game.
Last 5 fights
Lewis McGrillen-Evans
Rafael do Nascimento
- W Shuya Kamikubo
- W Arnold Jimenez
- W Brandon Altomare
- L John Sweeney
- W Jordan Winski
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AI-generated This analysis was generated with AI and may contain errors.