The PFL’s annual World Championship event is here! It will occur at the King Saud University Stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Friday, November 29. This card will feature six championship fights, with the winner of each bout on the Main Card earning $1 million.
2022 Lightweight Champion Brendan Loughnane headlines the card against Timur Khizriev in a five-round bout. The pride of Manchester, England, beat Bubba Jenkins in 2022 to claim gold for the first time in his career. Since that big victory, Loughnane has won four of his previous five fights. But now he is up against undefeated 17-0 Khizriev. Khizriev is the favorite at -298 on DraftKings Sportsbook, while Loughnane is the +240 underdog.
The co-main event features one of the best-rising women’s stars in the sport. Dakota Ditcheva, who is 13-0 with 12 wins by finish, is taking on former UFC title challenger Taila Santos for the Women’s Flyweight Championship. Like Loughnane, Ditcheva is also from Manchester, England. She is only 26 and won the 2023 PFL Europe Women’s Flyweight Championship. Ditcheva is the heavy favorite at -355 against Santos, who is five years older.
2023 PFL Light Heavyweight Champion Impa Kasanganay is 3-0 this season with two knockouts. He is taking on Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov, attempting to claim his second title in a row. Kasanganay most recently beat Josh Silveira by unanimous decision in August. Yagshimuradov picked up a victory over Rob Wilkinson by unanimous decision in his previous fight. Both fighters stand at 5’11”, but Kasanganay has a three-inch edge in reach (75″ vs. 72″). Kasanganay is the favorite at -185 on DraftKings Sportsbook.
The Welterweight Championship features two Russian fighters, Magomed Umalatov and Shamil Musaev. Both fighters are undefeated; Umalatov is 17-0 with 13 finishes, while Musaev is 19-0-1 with 13 finishes. Although Umalatov has the advantage in height (6’1″ vs. 5’10”) and reach (75″ vs. 72″), Musaev is the favorite at -230.
Former Bellator lightweight champion Brent Primus has started his PFL career 3-0. He beat fellow veteran Clay Collard in August. He is facing Gadzhi Rabadanov, who is eight years younger. Rabadanov is 23-4-2 in his MMA career and is also competing in his first PFL season. The pride of Russia knocked out Micheal Dufort to earn his title opportunity. Rabadanov is on a nine-fight win streak, while Primus is unbeaten in his last five contests. Although Primus is the older fighter with championship experience, Rabadanov is a heavy -550 favorite.
The opening bout of the Main Card on ESPN+ is for the Heavyweight championship. This matchup also features two Russian fighters. Denis Goltsov is the more experienced fighter, with 43 total fights, but the younger Popov, who is 19-1, has won 17 straight fights. Popov has 12 finishes in his career and is the slight favorite at -142, while Goltsov is +120 on DraftKings Sportsbook. Goltsov is four inches taller than Popov.
PFL World Championship – 1 p.m. ET
Featherweight Championship
Brendan Loughnane vs. Timur Khizriev
Women’s Flyweight Championship
Dakota Ditcheva vs. Taila Santos
Light Heavyweight Championship
Impa Kasanganay vs. Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov
Welterweight Championship
Magomed Umalatov vs. Shamil Musaev
Lightweight Championship
Brent Primus vs. Gadzhi Rabadanov
Heavyweight Championship
Denis Goltsov vs. Oleg Popov
PFL Mena Championship – 7:15 a.m ET
PFL Mena Featherweight Championship
Abdelrahman Alhyasat vs. Abdullah Al-Qahtani
PFL Mena Welterweight Championship
Mohammad Alaqraa vs. Omar El Dafrawy
Women’s Atomweight – Amateur Bout
Hattan Al Saif vs. Lilia Osmani
PFL Mena Bantamweight Championship
Ali Taleb vs. Rachid El Hazoume
PFL Mena Lightweight Championship
Mohsen Mohammadseifi vs. Georges Eid
Lightweight Bout
Mansour Barnaoui vs. Alfie Davis
Heavyweight Bout
Slim Trabelsi vs. Abraham Bably
Featherweight Bout
Jesus Pinedo vs. Jeremy Kennedy
Featherweight Bout
Asael Adjoudj vs. Jose Perez
Middleweight
Costello Van Steenis vs. Joao Dantas
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