Ryoji Kudo had his first fight in Professional Fighters League (PFL) end prematurely after an accidental clash of heads led to a gruesome cut.
Kudo was welcomed to the SmartCage by Brendan Loughnane, a featherweight semifinalist from the previous season. The Japanese fighter fared quite well in his inaugural appearance under the PFL banner, finding success in most of the striking exchanges. After being dropped early in the first round, Loughnane fought on, utilizing his wrestling and pursuing several takedowns against Kudo, who was difficult to get and hold down.
Takedown attempts were traded in the third round, but one of them proved costly for Kudo.