Victory FC 54 results: Holdorf and Emerson take titles, Roberts retires

Kassius Holdorf (9-3) was out for revenge against Maki Pitolo (8-3) at Victory FC 54’s headlining affair. And, after a thunderous knockout in the early seconds of the second round, he managed to not only avenge a loss but also take the promotion’s 170-pound belt in the process.

The fight capped off Friday’s Victory FC 54 event, which streamed live on UFC Fight Pass from Baxter Arena in Omaha, Neb.

Pitolo seemed off to a good start, using good head-body combinations in the first minutes of the scrap to pressure a seemingly flustered Holdorf. Momentum, however, shifted after the first couple of minutes, with Holdorf landing heavy shots and ultimately dropping Pitolo just as the round ended.

The bell might have saved Pitolo once, but Holdorf seemed highly unwilling to let that happen again. Within five seconds of the beginning of the second round, the challenger landed a right-handed uppercut that ended Pitolo’s hopes of a welterweight reign.

Afterward, Holdorf pleaded for UFC boss Dana White to offer him a deal.

“Call me, Dana,” said the new welterweight champ after what was his ninth professional win.

The night’s co-main event also ended in a finish, albeit a somewhat anti-climactic one, when an injured Ryan Roberts (21-12) was rendered unable to get past the first minutes of his 145-pound title bout against 135-pound champ Robert Emerson (18-11) – now a two-division belt holder.

Roberts came out aggressive and even managed a takedown early on, but Emerson made good use of the butterfly guard to stay out of trouble and quickly get the fight back on the feet. Shortly after, Roberts took a big shot to the head and promptly collapsed but, as he held on to his knee, it was clear something was wrong.

Roberts later disclosed he had torn his ACL during practice a week before, and only went ahead with the fight because it was bound to be his last.

“I’m retired after tonight,” Roberts said. “I’m going to focus on my family.”

Emerson, in turn, apologized to the crowd for the manner in which the fight ended but, sporting both his Victory FC belts on his shoulders, the UFC vet asked for another chance in the octagon.

Four more finishes in five early bouts

The finish-filled main card had two other clean first-round knockouts, by the hands of Bryce Logan (5-2) and Arnold Berdon (5-1). Berdon needed only 21 seconds to finish Terrence Almond (1-1), while Logan took out Robby Ostovich (3-3) in their contest with a right hand at the 3:32 mark of the first round.

Now on a 3-0 professional run after a successful amateur run, Sodiq Yusuff (3-0) was also one of the night’s standouts, bloodying up a tough but ultimately helpless Devin Turner (3-4) with quick and powerful punches throughout a severely unilateral affair.

The single decision went to Mike Plazola (12-7), who simply refused to give Peter Petties (4-2) the space he needed to land his arsenal of flashy strikes. Relying on fence pressure, takedowns and top control, Plazola managed to stay cool through Petties’ submission attempts to earn a split decision call, drawing some blood along the way.

Victory FC 54 results include:

• Kassius Holdorf def. Maki Pitolo via knockout (punch) – Round 2, 0:05 to claim vacant welterweight title
• Robert Emerson def. Ryan Roberts via TKO (injury) – Round 1, 1:34 to claim vacant featherweight title
• Arnold Berdon def. Terrence Almond via knockout (punch) – Round 1, 0:21
• Mike Plazola def. Peter Petties via split decision (30-27, 28-29, 29-28)
• Bryce Logan def. Robby Ostovich via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 3:32
• Sodiq Yusuff def. Devin Turner via TKO (strikes) – Round 2, 2:25
• Corey Davis def. Lucas Dias via TKO (strikes) – Round 1, 1:50

For more on Victory FC 54, check out the MMA Events section of the site.