Opinion: Five PFL Fighters That Can Compete Against Ranked UFC Opposition RIGHT NOW | UFC Betting Sites

2024 PFL 7: Nashville Playoffs — Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images

Every knowledgeable mixed martial arts (MMA) fan knows there are talented fighters outside of Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), but most compete inside the biggest fight promotion on the planet … UFC.

It was proven when all of the Strikeforce fighters came into UFC and captured gold, including Daniel Cormier, Luke Rockhold, Tryon Woodley, Fabricio Werdum, and Ronda Rousey, among others.

However, it has been a minute since another major promotion has had elite fighters that could compete among the best inside the Octagon. Professional Fighters League (PFL), which now owns all the Bellator athletes, has five fighters that can compete with ranked UFC fighters RIGHT NOW.

Dakota Ditcheva – Women’s Flyweight

Let’s start with the most recent fighter who turned heads. Yesterday (Fri., Nov. 29, 2024), Dakota Ditcheva dismantled former UFC fighter Taila Santos to score $1 million and the 2024 PFL Flyweight title (watch highlights).

For a long time, people (myself included) thought Ditcheva was being protected by PFL and fed easy competition. Well, she went out and beat the hell out of Santos, who had a lot of success inside UFC. She gave Valentina Shevchenko everything she could handle and beat her in most fans’ eyes.

Not only did Ditcheva dominate Santos, but she also became the first person to finish the Brazilian, which proves that she can compete in the UFC and do well.

I’m not saying she will walk into the promotion and beat Manon Fiorot, but would you confidently pick Maycee Barber to defeat Ditcheva? I wouldn’t.

Shamil Musaev – Welterweight

Shamil Musaev was the other fighter who competed yesterday. He brutally handed Magomed Umalatov his first professional loss, knocking him out in the third round to claim the 2024 PFL Welterweight championship.

Musaev, 30, is undefeated and has looked sensational since signing with PFL. He also had a very good run in KSW, which is a legitimate promotion.

The Welterweight division in the UFC is getting a lot better than it was a few years ago. A ton of young up-and-comers are dispatching the old guard, and Musaev would fit in perfectly.

Not only is he a very skilled fighter, but he also finishes fights brutally. The Russian was the first fighter to knock out former interim Bellator Welterweight champion Logan Storley, who has a win over Michael Page. Yes, that’s MMA Math, but sometimes it’s good to use to compare and contrast.

I would pick Musaev to defeat Gilbert Burns, who is ranked No. 8 currently.

Patchy Mix – Bantamweight

I’ve written several stories about current Bellator Bantamweight champion Patchy Mix, claiming he is one of the best Bantamweights on the planet. Well, I still think he could easily be UFC champion.

I’m breaking the fourth wall a little, but I’ve seen Mix and Merab Dvalishvilli spar multiple times, and when I say spar, I really mean fight because that’s what they do every single time. I won’t say who wins most of the time, but if you watch any Dvalishvilli interview that mentions his sparring sessions with Mix, you’ll figure out the answer.

Okay, enough about sparring because that’s practice, right?

Mix is riding a seven-fight win streak, with five wins coming via finish. Those names include Kyoji Horiguchi, Magomed Magomedov, Albert Morales, Raufeon Stots, and Sergio Pettis – all fantastic fighters.

Yes, his last fight, which was a rematch against Magomedov, was very close, and he lost a bit of steam because of that, but he was severely compromised going into the fight.

His size at Bantamweight is ridiculous, his ground game is elite, and his striking gets better every time he fights.

I would pick Mix to defeat No. 6 ranked Marlon Vera every day of the week.

Johnny Eblen – Middleweight

Like Mix, Johnny Elben lost a little bit of steam when he went to a split decision against Impa Kasanganay earlier this year, but he rebounded last month with a dominant win over Fabian Edwards.

His dominant wins over Gegard Mousasi and Anatoly Tokov were very impressive and showed that he’s an elite Middleweight. Besides his split decision win against Kasanganay, Eblen has looked unstoppable. He has good cardio, great wrestling, a rock-solid chin, and improving boxing.

He might not be the biggest finisher on this list, but breaking his opponents like he does is just as impressive.

I would pick Eblen to defeat No. 7 ranked Marvin Vettori quite easily.

Usman Nurmagomedov

The last fighter is Usman Nurmagomedov, and to be honest, he’s last because I’m still iffy about him. His last win against Alexandr Shabliy was very impressive because Shabliy is an elite fighter in his own right.

However, other than Shabliy, his best wins are against 40-year-old Benson Henderson and Brent Primus, which got overturned to a no-contest.

Still, even with a questionable resume, his skills at just 26 years old are very good. Even UFC Lightweight champion Islam Makhachev says Nurmagomedov is better than he is. Now, that’s most likely because they are teammates and very close, but it definitely holds some weight.

I will have a better grasp on how good he is when he takes on surging contender Paul Hughes early next year, but for now, it would be silly to think he can’t beat No. 7 Michael Chandler right now or even No. 9 ranked Beneil Dariush.

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