Kiwi Genah Fabian has suffered the first loss of her mixed martial arts (MMA) career.
Fabian came up short by unanimous decision against undefeated Bobbi Jo Dalziel in New York City.
The Muay Thai specialist is competing in the US$1million format, where fighters earn points over the regular season, before a playoff format kicks in later in the year.
Despite Friday’s (NZT) loss, Fabian still has a chance to earn an enormous paycheck, but she will be disappointed with her performance against the Canadian lightweight.
Fabian struggling to establish her slick striking game against the aggressive Dalziel, who landed more than 100 strikes on her way to victory.
The judges scored the bout 30-27, 29-28 and 29-28 in favour of Dalziel, extending her unbeaten run to five.
"That was definitely the toughest fight of my life, but exactly what I expected," Dalziel said. "I had so much fun and I'm happy to earn the three points towards a potential playoff spot."
In its second season, the PFL is run by famed Kiwi kickboxer Ray Sefo. The format has been applauded by MMA pundits as different to the likes of the UFC and Bellator.
Athletes compete in a football-like league, with qualifiers for semi-finals, just two wins away from the biggest payday of their careers.
Fabian, the only New Zealander across the six different divisions, is based at the Combat Sports Academy, near San Francisco, alongside UFC veterans Dustin Ortiz and Alexis Davis.
Fabian falls to 2-1 as a mixed martial artist.
Newshub.
