Freeport’s Harrison reaches PFL playoffs

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Referee, Dan Maragliotta, raised Andre “The Bull” Harrison’s arm in the air after winning his 19th MMA bout.
Referee, Dan Maragliotta, raised Andre “The Bull” Harrison’s arm in the air after winning his 19th MMA bout.
Peter Frutkoff/Herald

The Professional Fight League, formerly known as the World Series of Fighting, hosted its first mixed martial arts event on Long Island, using a new regular-season point format, July 19 at the Nassau Coliseum.

“PFL 4,” as it was called, delivered a night of exciting and technically skilled fights for an enthused Long Island crowd. And there was no one the crowd was more eagerly anticipating seeing, and supporting, than Freeport’s own undefeated Andre “The Bull” Harrison, who clinched a playoff berth with a unanimous-decision victory over Argentina’s Nazareno Malegarie in the card’s co-main event.

“They came out for me — it was cool,” Harrison said of the fans after the fight. “I met a woman on the way over here who flew in from San Diego. People came from all over the place to watch me.”

Harrison, the former WSOF world featherweight champion, soaked in the adulation during his walkout, but was quick to flip the switch and focus on the three-round fight with a game opponent. He controlled the center of the cage and managed the distance well. The former Freeport High School wrestling standout, a 2006 graduate, repeatedly fought off takedown attempts by the jujitsu-based Malegarie before riding out a front facelock. After throwing a few knees and controlling the Argentine before returning to his feet, “The Bull” had done enough to win the opening round.

Harrison opened the second round with a stiff one-two combo before Malegarie answered with a few jabs and a left hook. Harrison threw a thundering leg kick before unsuccessfully attempting a takedown, and soon found himself with his back against the cage before reversing position and landing a big right hand on a break from the clinch. A flurry ensued, and Harrison stayed poised with a well-timed head kick and kept Malegarie on his back foot, enough for the judges to award him the second round.

“I’ve seen guys get other guys hurt and then blitz in and get clipped . . . that poise comes with experience,” Harrison said.

In the third and final round, he fended off a few more left hooks from Malegarie and landed some overhand rights while controlling the pace. Harrison took that round as well, sealing his 19th win in as many fights.

Chants of “Freeport!” echoed through the arena during the fight, but Harrison was cognizant of more than just the fans support. “Crazy enough, I looked over at one point and said, ‘There’s Al Iaquinta. There goes Aljamain Sterling. Wow, it’s Gian [Villante],’” he said. “Although we train at different gyms, if one of us fights, we all come out to support.”

Harrison’s gym, Bellmore Kickboxing, was celebrating the 20th anniversary of its opening. Asked if he could think of a better present to give coach Keith Trimble on the birthday of his gym, Harrison answered simply, “No.”

PFL officials are aware of the passion Long Islanders have for MMA. “The New York crowd, their chants . . . it’s great being here,” said the league’s president, Carlos Silva. Silva and Ray Sefo, president of fighter operations, expressed their excitement about a return to the Coliseum on Aug. 2 for “PFL 5.”