Usman Nurmagomedov dominated and submitted Alfie Davis in four rounds to retain his PFL lightweight title at a packed Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai on Saturday night.
Nurmagomedov (21-0, 1 NC) once again demonstrated how far he is ahead of the competition as he made light work of the No 2-ranked Davis, softening him up with kicks and then taking it to the mat and locking in a fight-ending choke. Afterwards, he thanked the crowd for their support, describing Dubai as his “second home”.
Davis had told The National before the fight that he felt Nurmagomedov was a “rich boy” who crumbled under pressure, but the Dagestani denied the comments had bothered him.
“It was fine because I know where I am from, and I know who I am, so it's fine,” said Nurmagomedov, who received a pre-fight boost when former heavyweight boxing champion Anthony Joshua visited his dressing room.
On his win, the 27-year-old champion added: “I always like to finish the fight but sometimes it is very difficult when you fight against high level fighters.
“You have to be smart, you can't rush, with Alfie I can't rush. I can't because this guy is doing some crazy stuff, you never know what he is going to do next, he is giving you elbows, knees, it's very hard to catch him.
“I stay focused and did my job and [knew] the finish would come. I had the option to take him down, and I did.”
The victory was the fifth time Nurmagomedov had defended the 155-pound title he originally won in 2022. Efforts will now step up to sign the PFL's pound-for-pound No 1 to a new contract, with him reportedly having just one fight left on his current deal. Asked about his promotional situation on Saturday, Nurmagomedov said: “Skip.”
The PFL commentator Dan Hardy says it is “essential” the franchise retains their top star and Dubai headliner. Hardy told MMA Junkie: “It think everybody is of the same mindset. I know people within the PFL want him to stick around. From what I understand from his camp, they're very much considering staying with the PFL with his future and seeing where that can go.
“Khabib (Nurmagomedov) said a couple of things recently about the fact that it's not a meritocracy in the UFC any more. They're releasing people coming off wins now. You can't necessarily just be a winning fighter, you have to be the right type of winning fighter. You just never know whether the UFC are going to value Usman in the same way that we would.”
In Saturday's co-main event, No 2-ranked Ramazan Kuramagomedov (14-0) became the inaugural PFL welterweight world champion with a unanimous decision victory over fellow Russian Shamil Musaev (20-1-1).
Kuramagomedov applied relentless forward pressure throughout the fight, using his championship-round experience to dictate the pace and deny No 1-ranked Musaev any opportunity to settle into a rhythm, a dynamic that ultimately defined the contest.
Following the win, Kuramagomedov told Hardy in the PFL cage that he may have sustained a broken arm during the fight and even suggested the possibility of retirement.
The welterweight division was treated to a show, as No 5-ranked Abdoul “Lazy King” Abdouraguimov (20-1) returned with a victory over Kendly “The Highlander” St Louis (11-6), which brings his winning streak to 10 straight victories. Cartwheeling his way to the cage, Abdouraguimov's creative submission attempts and big strikes kept the American at bay, with the Frenchman picking up the split decision victory.
In a featherweight bout, PFL newcomer Salamat Isbulaev (10-0) extended his undefeated record in emphatic fashion, maintaining his 100 per cent finish rate. The Kazakhstani started cautiously, respecting the power of former champion Jesus Pinedo (25-8-1), but a takedown and transition into the crucifix position proved decisive. From there, he unleashed a barrage of elbows that forced a TKO stoppage over the Peruvian powerhouse.
In the main card opener, No 8-ranked Pouya Rahmani (6-0) once again showed why he is one of the most dangerous heavyweights in the sport, with the Dubai-based Iranian contender submitting Karl Williams (10-5) with a dominant arm-triangle choke in the second round.
