Magomed Umalatov has been one of the Professional Fighters League’s biggest secrets for the past three years, but after ragdolling former Bellator MMA welterweight champion Andrei Koreshkov in three rounds on Friday night Very few people will miss it.
Umalatov (15-0) won by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) in the main event of PFL 3: 2024 Regular Season at Wintrust Center in Chicago. Despite knocking Koreshkov down in the first round, Umalatov’s ineffectiveness cost him the round on the judges’ scorecards. “Prince” will never make such a mistake again. For the next 10 minutes, Koreshkov dominated him on the mat, shutting down any potential attacks. Both men had 23 knockouts going into the fight, but Umalatov wisely decided to turn the fight into a wrestling match. The win gave Umalatov three points in the welterweight standings, but he fell behind Murad Ramazanov and Don Mudge, who each had six points in the 2024 PFL welterweight regular season standings.
PFL 2022 featherweight tournament winner Brendan Loughnane (27-5) has been patiently waiting to return to the cage after being knocked out in last year’s campaign, but the Manchester-born thug turns violent on Friday I couldn’t wait any longer. At 1:26, Loughnane dropped Pedro Carvalho twice, forcing Kevin McDonald to call the fight (TKO) in the first round. Carvalho, who had suffered three consecutive losses, objected to the sudden stoppage of the match, but could not argue with Loughnane’s superiority.
Undefeated prospect Shamil Musayev (15-0-1) will start against former Bellator interim welterweight champion Logan Storey (15-3) in the second round (0:27). It may have been one of the most impressive wins of the PFL regular season. The story may have overlooked the unproven Musaev, but after this fight no one will make that mistake again. Musaev controlled the distance early on and hurt Story with a roundhouse kick to the solar plexus. Musaev tormented Story with every weapon at his disposal and nearly knocked him out in the first round. When Story staggered out in the second frame, Musaev sensed the cobwebs and crushed the former No. 1 contender with a short uppercut. The victory gave Musaev five points and crushed his opponent, who was seen as the favorite to win the entire tournament.
Gabriel Braga refused to refuse.
After losing the PFL Featherweight Championship last season, Bulaga made a strong return to the tournament with a first-round KO of Justin Gonzalez (4 minutes, 59 seconds). While Gonzalez seemed to pick up the pace and gain the upper hand in the clinch, Braga (13-1) took his time and settled into the fight. Once separated, Bulaga unleashed his power to end the fight, catching a backpedaling Gonzalez on the button with a short, sweet left hook. Gonzalez landed a punch with one second left in the first round, and Braga finished with a six-point lead, taking the top spot in the featherweight rankings. This victory was especially sweet for Braga. Braga was thrilled to have won his first match without his father Deigo, who was killed in Brazil three months ago.
Goity Yamauchi (29-6) returned to the cage a year after knee surgery to face a familiar foe, Neiman Gracie. Yamauchi may have KO’d Gracie in their first fight two years ago, but he couldn’t starch him this time.
However, Gracie was unable to take advantage of Yamauchi’s ring rust and lost in the middle, resulting in a decision loss (29-28, 29-28, 29-28).
Kai Kamaka III may have had a lackluster start to his career, but he’s starting to find some momentum. The “Fighting Hawaiian” picked up the biggest win of his career Friday, defeating PFL veteran Bubba Jenkins for the first time in a regular season match.
Kamaka (13-5-1) wasn’t slowed by Jenkins’ (21-8) early pace and traded blows with the former NCAA DI Wrestling National Champion. Jenkins didn’t use his wrestling until the second round and was frustrated by Kamaka’s well-timed sprawl. Heading into the final frame tied on the scorecards, Kamaka took the lead at a pace that took Jenkins’ breath away. The fight was close, but Kamaka’s consistency and strong finish were recognized by all three judges (29-28, 29-28, 29-28).
Adam Boricz and Enrique Barsola stole the show Friday night in one of the best battles of the PFL regular season. Borix fell short to Patocio Freire and almost sniffed out Bellator MMA featherweight gold. The Hungarian, returning after a year and a half layoff, tried to make a strong statement at the start, but got more than he expected from the punchy Peruvian.
Borix used his 4-inch height advantage to control the early action. He attacked Barzola with jabs and leg kicks, even staggering his opponent. Barzola ended the round on a strong note, attacking Boric with a bazooka right hand. Borix slumped against the fence again and took a seat with new respect. Borix upped the ante in the second round after landing Barzola on his back with a perfectly timed right hand pull counter. Barzola staggered around the cage and Borix threw everything at him in search of a finish that would never be found. Barzola cleared his head and took advantage of Borichs’ erratic striking to take him down and close out the round with ground and pound.
The third and final round defied expectations, with Barzola breaking. Borix seemed to have secured the first two rounds, getting off the back of the jab but getting in trouble and getting a few right hands. Barzola moved forward, picked up the pace, and looked for the finish, but the stout-jawed Borics remained unfazed. After 15 minutes of non-stop action, the match went to the scorecards, where Borics won a close unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28).
Undefeated Dagestani Ramazanov (12-0, 1 NC) punished Laureano Staropoli, who came in five pounds overweight in a welterweight bout, with an easy first-round submission (4 minutes, 06 seconds). . Staropoli (13-7) was on a hot streak with four straight wins and thought he could catch the former ONE Championship fighter with a flying knee. Unfortunately for Staropol, Ramazanov let his shot slip and locked up in the clinch. Ramazanov moved behind Staropoli and eventually passed his guard to secure full mount. Ramazanov attacked Staropol from above and ended the fight with a rear naked choke near the end of the first round.
Timur Khizriyev continued his undefeated streak against the featherweight division’s most seasoned fighter, Brett Johns. Johns has won championships in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Bellator and PFL, and presented Khizriyev with one of his toughest tests yet.
Despite the struggle, Khizryev maintained his perfect record (15-0), winning by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27). Khizryev continued to fight mainly on the ground, trying to contain John’s attacks. John (20-4) scrambled to turn the tables, but never threatened Khizryev with a submission. Khizriyev’s wrestling-based approach was not fan-friendly, but it was effective as Dagestan dominated control time in all three rounds. The win kept Khizryev in playoff contention, but he may need to show more of his game in his next fight.
Madge and Brennan Ward both have sleep-inducing powers in their fists, but Madge did not give Ward the chance to erase him. Ward started the fight with a deft inside leg, but due to force, he allowed Madge to get to his feet and they were able to trade punches in the middle. However, Madge flipped the script and got Ward’s back, finishing with a rear naked choke at 1:02. After the first round, Madge had a head start in the welterweight standings, and Ward (17-8) suffered his second straight loss.
After missing the playoffs for the second year in a row, Team Alpha Male fighter Tyler Diamond had a lot to prove heading into his featherweight replacement bout against Otto Rodriguez. Rodriguez had a 13-game winning streak in his PFL debut, but struggled to deal with the power on the diamond.
Diamond (13-3) put on one of the best performances of his career, dominating Rodriguez to a unanimous decision victory (30-26, 30-26, 30-27). Rodriguez tried to trade with Diamond early in the match, but was walked and dropped by Diamond’s rock-hard right hand. Diamond applied more pressure in the second round and was almost finished by Rodriguez, but the Brazilian clinched and survived into the next period. Rodriguez competed in the final round with an eye injury and was on the brink of a last-minute guillotine, but Diamond popped out and secured the victory.
Thad Jean claimed a spot in next year’s PFL welterweight tournament with a dominant first-round knockout victory over Romain Dubienne. The 6-foot-2 “Silverback” used his great reach to pummel Devienne near the center of the cage. After clipping Devienne with a left hook, Jean followed up with a slick uppercut that sent the Frenchman to the canvas. Jean finished off his opponent with consecutive hits at 2:07, improving his record to 7-0.