Sullivan Cauley’s return to the professional fighting ranks went about as well as could be hoped.
It also went quickly.
Cauley, a Minden native and Reno High graduate, used elbows to drive opponent Alex Polizzi to the ground, then finished him off with a series of strikes to win his first-round match Thursday at the Professional Fighters League event in Orlando, Fla.
Cauley, in his first PFL fight, improved to 7-1 as an MMA professional. He moves on to the semifinals of the PFL’s 2025 light heavyweight tournament, where he’ll face either Phil Davis or Rob Wilkinson.
Polizzi, a late substitute for Brazil’s Marcelo Nunes, dropped to 11-5.
Cauley was officially credited with a TKO at the 1:36 mark of the first. He was taken down near the cage early in the fight, but slowly worked his way upright and began landing left elbows to Polizzi’s bowed head and shoulders. After a few following right hands, referee Kevin MacDonald waved off the bout.
It was Cauley’s first fight since August of 2023. While he was away from the sport recovering from a torn ACL, his former home at Bellator was taken over by the PFL.
All eight of Cauley’s professional fights have ended in the first round. He began his career with five straight first-round knockouts.
The PFL semifinals for the light heavyweights are scheduled for June 27 at Wintrust Arena in Chicago.