LI’s Chris Wade advances to semifinals in dominant fashion at PFL 5 at Nassau Coliseum

In the Karate Kid movie, the motto of the Cobra Kai gym is, “Strike First, Strike Hard, No Mercy.” Long Island’s Chris Wade lived by that motto at PFL 5 inside NYCB Live’s Nassau Coliseum.

The Islip-born Wade (13-4) soundly defeated Yuki Kawana in the first round via guillotine choke at 4:20. He received six points, catapulting him into the semifinals of the Professional Fighters League. It was a dominant win for the man who was looking to let off some steam after a loss to Natan Schulte at PFL 2.

As Wade said during the open workouts this past week, he had to start off early in order to beat Yuki (14-3) to the punch. A swift kick to the face certainly did the trick. It was one of the most beautifully produced moves to come out of a PFL match. Practicing the move all week, Wade wanted a straight kick, but settled with a knee. He went the ground and pound after before putting Yuki in a guillotine. Remarkably enough, that was not the end of the fight.

“I told my corner and my brothers I was coming straight across the cage with a flying kick to the head.” Wade said. “I saw him do it in his last fight so I knew he’d give me what I wanted”

Home sweet home! @CWadeMMA secures the first round submission win, earning 6 points and a spot in the PFL Lightweight Playoffs. #PFL5 #PFLmma pic.twitter.com/6lyu3YCc7B

— #PFLmma (@ProFightLeague) August 3, 2018

Yuki was able to get out of the hold, and pushed Wade towards the cage for several minutes. Eventually Wade was able to get the guillotine back on, and it was strong enough for Yuki to tap out.

With the first step out of the way, Wade knows the competition will be getting tougher. The quarter and semifinals take place on the same night in October, putting any fighter in a disadvantage. With two rounds each, the first round in Wade’s mind is the tiebreaker. That is where he hopes to thrive, as long as he applies the pressure once again.

With UFC Lightweight Champion Khabib Nurmagomedov in the audience, Wade was hoping to end the fight early to get some pointers from the man from Dagestan.

In regards to pulling off that flying kick move again, with a smile on his face, Wade was confident it wasn’t a one-shot deal. He’s making it his business to show that Chris Wade is here to stay.

“I’m just going to start bombing people, because I’m more athletic than everyone in this tournament. It is time to start showing it.”