2021 PFL Championship results: Julia Budd cruises, wins debut over Kaitlin Young

Julia Budd is off to a good start under the PFL banner.

At 2021 PFL Championship, Budd (16-3) made her promotional debut in a non-championship preliminary card fight against veteran pro Kaitlin Young (12-12-1) and won via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27).

2021 PFL Championship took place Wednesday at Seminole Hard Rock Casino & Hotel in Hollywood, Fla. The main card aired on ESPN2/ESPN+ after prelims on ESPN+.

Using her strength and grappling in vintage fashion, Budd showed a similar dominant skillset to what she showed for much of her Bellator tenure as champion. In each round, Budd took Young to the canvas. All three rounds ended with Budd on top.

Budd’s takedowns and heavy top game were interspersed with striking exchanges. While Young landed a couple of shots, she was never able to muster up anything significant enough to earn a round on a judge’s scorecard as Budd swept with 30-27s.

The 2021 PFL Championship bout marked Budd’s promotional debut after signing with the promotion earlier this year. Budd entered PFL on back-to-back victories over Jessy Miele and Dayana Silva in Bellator and extended her winning streak to three with Wednesday’s performance.

With the defeat, Young has now lost back-to-back fights and three of her most recent five outings.

The 2021 PFL Championship results include:

• Julia Budd def. Kaitlin Young via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

• Don Madge def. Nathan Williams via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 2:15