Professional Fighters League lightweight contender
Clay
Collard embodies the rare breed of fighter who has done a
decent job of traversing between mixed martial arts and boxing.
With a presence in the fight game dating back to 2011, Collard
embarked on his grappling journey at the age of 6 and swiftly
integrated boxing into his repertoire at 11. His high school tenure
was distinguished by wrestling accolades, laying the foundation for
a solid career in the fight game. For his next assignment,
“Cassius” will take on
Patricky
Freire at
PFL 2 this Friday inside The Theater at Virgin Hotels in Las
Vegas.
Ahead of the clash, a look at some of the notable rivalries of
Collard’s career to this point:
Having amassed a decent 9-3 run, Collard first crossed paths with
Buchholz at
Showdown Fights 8 on Aug. 25, 2012. He lost the fight via
guillotine choke submission in the third round. That victory set
off a three-fight winning streak for Buchholz under the Showdown
Fights banner. He also defeated
David
Castillo to lay his hands on the organization’s lightweight
strap. Collard would have his chance at redemption at
Showdown Fights 12. He won the hard-fought clash against
Buchholz via split decision, snapping his opponent’s streak and
seizing lightweight gold in the process.
Collard pulled off a stunning upset against the former
Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight king when he took a
unanimous decision from Pettis in the headlining bout of the PFL’s
season-opening showcase in 2021. Despite Pettis’ reputation for an
explosive style, Collard’s relentless attack proved insurmountable.
Collard dictated the pace of the contest, sending Pettis to the
canvas twice in Round 2 and resiliently enduring a head kick
knockdown in the third. The judges scored the bout 29-27, 29-27 and
29-28 in his favor, adding to his track record of impressive
triumphs.
Collard faced his fair share of setbacks in the PFL season.
Impressive wins over Pettis and
Joilton
Lutterbach in 2021 were overshadowed by a semifinal loss to
Raush
Manfio. In 2022, Collard pulled off an electrifying triumph
over famed hard-hitter
Jeremy
Stephens but stumbled against
Alexander
Martinez in the following bout. Against Ray in 2023, Collard
weathered early grappling assaults from the Scottish submission
specialist, harnessing his boxing finesse to secure his spot in the
PFL playoffs. In the second round, having hurt and dropped Ray,
Collard landed a punishing shot to the midsection of his adversary
as soon as he invited him back to his feet and followed up with a
barrage of punches. He continued the assault on the ground and
pounded out the finish at the 1:04 mark in Round 2.
While Collard will take on Freire riding a slump of two consecutive
defeats, prior to that, the Utah native triumphed over Burgos in
their 2023 semifinal clash at
PFL 9. Regarded as a potential “Fight of the Year,” the matchup
showcased blistering striking exchanges. Collard’s relentless
pressure and sharp combinations earned him the unanimous 29-28
scores from the judges. Despite Burgos’ initial success with kicks,
Collard asserted dominance with pinpoint strikes, even managing to
endure a knockdown. In the final frame, both fighters maintained
the frenetic pace, showing no signs of slowing down, as Collard
booked his first-ever berth in a PFL final in an instant classic.