The PFL heavyweight tournament took a dramatic and unfortunate turn when Alexander Romanov was forced to leave the SmartCage on a stretcher following an accidental groin strike from opponent Valentin Moldavsky.
The incident occurred with just 34 seconds remaining in the opening round of what had been an intense back-and-forth battle. Romanov, a Moldovan wrestling specialist with an impressive 16-0 start to his career, had been controlling much of the action through his grappling prowess before the contest took an unexpected turn.
Moldavsky, a protégé of MMA legend Fedor Emelianenko, delivered what appeared to be an unintentional knee strike to Romanov’s groin area during a clinch exchange against the cage. The impact immediately dropped Romanov to the canvas in visible agony.
“That really shows you how much pain he’s in, in his abdomen, his midsection,” observers noted as medical personnel rushed to attend to the fallen heavyweight. The severity of Romanov’s condition became apparent when he was unable to recover despite receiving medical attention.
“One thing I will say is we might need Randy Katori in there with the stretcher to give him a hand for carrying this big boy out,” commentators remarked as the situation unfolded. “Man, that’s an unfortunate circumstance.”
The bout was officially ruled a no contest due to the accidental foul, but tournament officials implemented a unique protocol to determine advancement. Under PFL World Tournament rules, three judges were asked to evaluate which competitor had demonstrated the superior performance up to that point.
Despite being the victim of the foul, Romanov was awarded the decision to advance based on his dominant wrestling display throughout the majority of the round. The former Combat Sambo champion had showcased his ground control with takedowns and submission attempts before the unfortunate ending.
Romanov’s advancement means he will face Oleg Popov in the heavyweight tournament finals, where a championship title awaits. The outcome represents both triumph and adversity for the finishing specialist, who has secured 16 of his 19 career victories by stoppage.
For Moldavsky, the result marks a disappointing conclusion to his tournament run despite his impressive credentials, which include European and World Combat Sambo championships and a stint as Interim Bellator Heavyweight Champion.
