PFL Europe fighter flattens opponent with jaw-dropping KO of the Year candidate

Originally posted on MMA on SI | By Drew Beaupre | Last updated Jul 5, 2025 4:15 PM ET

(PFL)

A six-fight run of finishes to start this year’s PFL Europe 2 closed out with what might be the most vicious knockout of the year.

With the matchups for this year’s PFL Global Tournament finals now set to take place across three events in August, the PFL returned to Europe this weekend for an event at ING Arena in Brussels, Belgium after PFL MENA 2 also took place the day before in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Capped off by a welterweight matchup between undefeated Belgian welterweight Patrick Habirora and UFC veteran Danny Roberts, PFL Europe 2 kicked off with five-straight finishes before bantamweights Gustavo Oliveira and Anas Azizoun entered the cage for their quarterfinal matchup.

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Anas Azizoun Gustavo Oliveira

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Gustavo Oliveira Scores Incredible Spinning Elbow KO

Both newcomers to the PFL, Oliveira and Azizoun were originally supposed to meet in Paris, France in May before that card was cancelled and the pair were rebooked to meet in Brussels.

Oliveira was making his return to MMA for the first time since 2023 following two fights with Karate Combat and a Muay Thai bout in Poland, while France’s Azizoun started his professional MMA career at 5-0 before being stopped by Baris Adiguzel in his last outing in late 2024.

Already established as a proven finisher throughout his own MMA career, Oliveira booked his place in the PFL Europe bantamweight semifinals with an absolutely jaw-dropping spinning elbow knockout in the opening round of his fight with Azizoun.

KNOCKOUT OF THE YEAR??

Gustavo Oliveira sleeps Anas Azizoun with a nasty spinning elbow!#PFLBrussels | LIVE NOW
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“Heart” put his full body into a strike that left Azizoun flat on his back, and thankfully Oliveira knew the fight was over and showed no intention of throwing any follow-up strikes before the referee jumped in to wave things off.

The Portuguese fighter will now face Jan Ciepłowski in the PFL Europe bantamweight semifinals after Ciepłowski extended his undefeated record to 9-0 with a first-round finish of his own against Julien Pierre Lopez on the same card.