Rafael do Nascimento submitted Lewis McGrillen-Evans with a rear-naked choke at 2:07 of Round 2 at PFL Austin on Saturday, July 18, 2026, inside Moody Center in Austin, Texas.
The bantamweight bout aired on the ESPN2 main card. McGrillen-Evans entered at 12-1 and came in at 135.6 pounds; do Nascimento was listed by PFL at 12-3 before his promotional debut and weighed 135.4 pounds.
Watch the highlights below.
WHAT A FINISH FOR RAFAEL DO NASCIMENTO 😱#PFLAustin | 📺 MAIN CARD LIVE NOW ON ESPN 2 pic.twitter.com/aSw0Qs2tTW
— PFL (@PFLMMA) July 19, 2026
Rafael do Nascimento and Lewis McGrillen arrive for tonight's co-main event 🔥#PFLAustin | 📺 Prelims LIVE NOW on the ESPN App | Main Card 8PM EST on ESPN 2 pic.twitter.com/1nRmCznItr
— PFL (@PFLMMA) July 18, 2026
⚖️ #PFLAustin Official Weigh Ins
Lewis McGrillen: 135.6 lbs
Rafael Do Nascimento: 135.4 lbs#PFLAustin | Saturday, July 18th | 📺Prelims 5:30 PM EST on the ESPN App | Main Card 8PM EST on ESPN 2 pic.twitter.com/oGcFkhNXdL— PFL (@PFLMMA) July 17, 2026
It’s always a party whenever Lewis McGrillen enters the PFL cage
Lewis McGrillen clashes with Rafael Do Nasicmento as he makes his US debut in Austin, Texas!
Lewis McGrillen | By The Numbers
B2YB @arkham #PFLAustin | Saturday, July 18th | 📺Prelims 5:30 PM EST on the ESPN… pic.twitter.com/p8JspjyQSJ
— PFL (@PFLMMA) July 15, 2026
Do Nascimento Took The Back In Round 2
Round 1 gave do Nascimento the cleaner grappling moments. McGrillen-Evans opened with forward pressure, but do Nascimento answered with leg kicks, completed takedowns, attacked the legs in scrambles, and finished the round from top position with short punches and elbows.
McGrillen-Evans had a better start to Round 2. He missed a flying knee, landed an overhand left, added pressure with another left hand and an elbow, and forced do Nascimento to work through the pace before the finish arrived.
Do Nascimento changed the fight with the takedown that followed. He moved to the back as McGrillen-Evans stood, kept control through the scramble, dropped him back to the canvas, and finished the rear-naked choke for the tap.
Do Nascimento won his PFL debut, while McGrillen-Evans took his first loss since joining the promotion. McGrillen-Evans had won the 2024 PFL Europe bantamweight tournament and was making his U.S. debut after Sergio Pettis withdrew from the original matchup.
PFL Austin also included Gamid Khizriev’s first-round submission of Biaggio Ali Walsh, Johnny Eblen vs. Impa Kasanganay 2, and PFL Dubai title results.
