Preview: PFL 3 ‘Aubin-Mercier vs. Burgos’

Welterweights

Carlos Leal Miranda (17-4, 1-1 PFL) vs. David Zawada (18-7, 0-0 PFL)

ODDS: Miranda (-245), Zawada (+195)

Leal had a solid 2022 campaign with a pair of victories on the PFL Challenger Series and an upset over two-time PFL champ Ray Cooper III before falling to eventual welterweight king Sadibou Sy in the postseason. While Leal likely benefitted from facing an overweight and sluggish Cooper, the Brazilian did not compile an 11-bout professional winning streak by accident. Leal is an aggressive fighter who will pressure opponents with consistent forward movement and heavy punches. While his striking is not always the most technical, he can connect with power or use his punches to force his way into the clinch, where he will land knees and work for takedowns. Leal’s forward-first style leaves him open to absorbing punishment, but his chin typically holds up well.

Zawada is only one fight removed from a 1-4 UFC tenure that was not as bad as his record might indicate. The German dropped a pair of split decisions to Danny Roberts and Ramazan Emeev, and if those had gone his way, he might still be competing under the UFC banner. The KSW veteran is an offense-first fighter with solid durability—a combination which lends itself to exciting fights. The downside is Zawada tends to absorb enough damage to end up on the wrong side of the judges’ scorecards against higher caliber opposition. Still, his style also allows him to pull off the occasional surprise, as he did when he submitted Abubakar Nurmagomedov with a triangle choke at UFC Fight Night 163 in November 2019.

This seems like a stylistic matchup that could produce fireworks. Both men have decent wrestling ability, but their willingness to throw and absorb strikes could lead to some spirited exchanges. If Zawada can keep his cool under duress and be somewhat technical, Leal’s tendency to throw wild, winging strikes could work in his favor. Expect a close fight, maybe even another split decision, but this time, Zawada gets the nod.

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