Saudi Arabian sensation Hattan Alsaif scored her third-straight finish as part of the PFL World Championships on Friday in…
Saudi Arabian sensation Hattan Alsaif scored her third-straight finish as part of the PFL World Championships on Friday in Riyadh.
Osmani came out swinging from the get-go and immediately tried to take Alsaif down. Alsaif defended well and briefly took Osmani’s back during the scramble before eventually lifting her off the mat and slamming Osmani back down to the ground.
After starting the fight fast and furious, Osmani’s pace significantly slowed in the second as Alsaif got things started with a nice push kick. With her opponent backed up against the fence, Alsaif unleashed a perfectly timed knee that caught Osmani in the midsection and sent her crashing to the canvas. Alsaif caught her with another on the way down, prompting the referee to step in and call for the stoppage just past the 30-second mark of the second round.
Official Result: Hattan Alsaif def. Lilia Osmani via TKO (knees to the body) in Round 2.
With the win, Alsaif moved to 3-0 as an amateur with all three of her victories coming by way of knockout.
Check out highlights from Hattan Alsaif vs. Lilia Osmani at the PFL World Championship:
Two fun highlights from the first round of Hattan Alsaif's PFL Championships bout She's the first woman fighter from Saudi Arabia pic.twitter.com/U5Fk7f2c7x
HATTAN ALSAIF, beautiful striking for a 23-year-old women's atomweight, has power in her hands, natural feel for space/rhythm, and KNEES TO THE BODY for the finish, love it. The PFL Championships have had good fights in 5/6 of the bouts so far! https://t.co/gdp1B7NWYHpic.twitter.com/5Wvj6sOfxD
Heavyweights Vadim Nemkov vs. Ante Delija has just been announced as a PFL vs. Bellator showdown. The PFL is…
Heavyweights Vadim Nemkov vs. Ante Delija has just been announced as a PFL vs. Bellator showdown. The PFL is hosting a major MMA event, Champions Series Dubai, on Saturday, January 25, 2025, at the Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai. This event marks the start of a new partnership to establish Dubai as a key destination for MMA. The show will feature two marquee fights: a lightweight title bout and a heavyweight clash.
Vadim Nemkov vs. Ante Delija
In the main event, undefeated lightweight champion Usman Nurmagomedov (18-0) from Dagestan will defend his title against Ireland’s rising star Paul Hughes (13-1). Hughes is coming off the biggest win of his career after defeating AJ McKee at the PFL’s Battle of the Giants.
Meanwhile, the co-main event pits former Bellator champion Vadim Nemkov (18-2) from Russia against Ante Delija (24-6) from Croatia. Nemkov, riding a 13-fight unbeaten streak, is a dominant finisher with victories over Yoel Romero and Corey Anderson. He is a protege of all-time great Fedor Emelianenko. Delija, a former PFL champion, is known for his knockout power and submission skills, carrying on Croatia’s heavyweight MMA legacy alongside names like Mirko Cro Cop and Stipe Miocic.
This event is part of the “Road to Dubai” series, an initiative developed through a partnership between the PFL, Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism, and the Dubai Sports Council. The partnership between PFL and Dubai authorities also creates opportunities for local Emirati fighters to rise through the ranks. This event kicks off a multi-year push to make Dubai a global MMA hotspot while showcasing the sport’s top athletes and promoting new talent.
Manchester native Dakota Ditcheva is quickly becoming one of MMA’s biggest stars. After taking the world by storm under…
Manchester native Dakota Ditcheva is quickly becoming one of MMA’s biggest stars.
After taking the world by storm under the PFL Europe banner in 2023, ‘Dangerous’ has seen her star rise as part of the inaugural PFL flyweight women’s tournament, earning a trio of first-round knockouts against Lisa Mauldin, Chelsea Hackett, and Jena Bishop. Those wins have led her to the PFL Championships in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia where she’ll face Taila Santos in the $1 million final on November 29.
As is the case with any fighter on the fast track to fame and fortune, Ditcheva has seen her fair share of detractors come out of the woodwork — many of them accusing the PFL of feeding her favorable matchups to ensure her entry into the flyweight finale at The Mayadeen.
Dakota Ditcheva encourages fighters to stop making excuses and start getting noticed
Speaking with MMA Fighting ahead of her return to the Smart Cage, Ditcheva chalked up the negativity to a few jealous fighters who haven’t put in the same work she has to get noticed.
“There is definitely a little bit of jealousy I think and a bit of frustration from a few fighters,” Ditcheva said. “I get it…it’s a business. We have to be able to sell these fights in order to get paid. If you want to get paid, do something. Make your fights exciting or get on social media and make an effort. You have to.
“The people that were mad at these fighters, certain fighters making money, but if you look at the ones making money, it’s the personalities in the sport. Or the fighters that are doing something different,” Ditcheva continued. “I don’t know why anybody is getting frustrated just with me. Because I’m just like, getting what I can out of my years in this sport and I feel like that would be the clever thing to do” (h/t MMA News).
Overall, Ditcheva is a perfect 13-0 with 11 of her wins coming by way of knockout and one submission.
Including her work in PFL Europe, ‘Dangerous’ has a 100% finish rate inside the Smart Cage — a stat she’ll look to keep intact against another well-known finisher in the world of women’s MMA.
MMA legend and multi-time UFC champion Randy Couture says that it’s time that Jon Jones stepped up to the…
MMA legend and multi-time UFC champion Randy Couture says that it’s time that Jon Jones stepped up to the real challenges of the heavyweight division. Francis Ngannou and Tom Aspinall were both ducked by the current heavyweight champion.
Randy Couture
The Natural’ Randy Couture is a five-time UFC champion having collected titles in the light heavyweight and heavyweight divisions. He is best known for his rivalries against fighters such as Chuck Liddell, Tito Ortiz, and Tim Sylvia.
Despite the Olympic wrestler being a trailblazer in the sport, he is on the UFC’s naughty list as he was constantly clashing with the brass on his rights and contractual disputes. In the 2000s, he walked away from the UFC to pursue a fight against the all-time great heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko as the UFC refused to co-promote with the organizations that had the contract of Fedor.
Jon Jones vs. Francis Ngannou or Tom Aspinall
‘Bones’ Jon Jones vacated his light heavyweight title after having an all-time great career running through the division. He then moved to heavyweight and captured the throne and later defended it against the aged Stipe Miocic while avoiding the interim champion Tom Aspinall. Additionally, while Francis Ngannou was the UFC heavyweight champion, Jon Jones refused to step up the heavyweight at that time instead he chose to wait until the Cameroonian fighter had left the organization.
Photo by Tim Wheaton
Enough is enough according to Randy Couture. According to him, Jon Jones must face Aspinall or Ngannou for the sake of his legacy even if it requires co-promotion. In a recent interview with talkSPORT, Couture said:
“That was certainly the fight I pursued for a long time—to fight Fedor. It never happened. I think that that conversation, obviously, we’re still having it right now. And Jon Jones—as much as he doesn’t wanna fight Francis—is gonna have trouble avoiding that. Now he says he didn’t wanna fight Tom. I mean, why? You’re supposedly the GOAT. Step up and fight whoever they want you to fight.
“I’m not in Jon’s head, so I couldn’t tell you. I think, you know, he needs to step up and fight the guys they want him to fight. You can’t shy away from guys, anybody, honestly. So, I mean, that’s a challenge. But certainly, Tom has earned—earned a crack and deserves that. Whether Francis—and they do a co-promotion or cross-promotion—that, you know, that’s something that… our sport is still very anti-competitive.
“There’s no transparency in the sport. There’s no way to do those types of cross-promotions.The restrictive nature of the contracts in the promotions themselves prevents that. That’s why the Fedor fight never happened. One wanted to do a co-promotion with the UFC, and the UFC wasn’t willing to do that. I don’t think their attitude on co-promotion has changed. So that will be a big challenge—to see Francis get in there with Jon or Tom, if Tom beats Jon.”
Francis Ngannou currently holds the lineal UFC titles as he left the organization without losing the crown. He then competed in blockbuster boxing matches and picked up the PFL heavyweight title.
Couture is currently in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia part of the broadcast team for PFL 10 2024 on November 29 which features the tournament final bouts.
PFL has a clear response to fans, “You asked for elbows, we are giving you elbows.” For all championship…
PFL has a clear response to fans, “You asked for elbows, we are giving you elbows.” For all championship matches elbow strikes have been legalized.
PFL and Elbow Rule Changes
During standard tournament matches, to help avoid cuts, the PFL does not allow elbows. Typically, for tournament finals elbow strikes stay outlawed. But for 2024, the PFL has heard the fans’ demands and given it to them. Elbows will be allowed at the PFL 10 2024 Championship finals going down on November 29.
Last year, CEO Donn Davis and I discussed elbows in the league and he said:
“MMA, fantastic elbows in the sports season. PFL League where you have to fight every 60 days. Not a good part of that format. So we carefully studied how do you put on the sports season format where you fight four times in nine months. And everybody said that’ll never work. And I said, there’s a way. And after studying the data of what are the injuries and what is the health of fighters?
“It would work clearly based on the data with only one thing eliminated; elbows to the head. And it does work. Five years of it works great. And so for that product, which is a great product, you can’t have elbows to the head and fight four times in nine months and it wouldn’t, it wouldn’t be good for the health of fighters. So every other product, PPV Super Fight. Yes. Bellator Champion series. Yes. Champs vs. Champs. Yes.“
REMINDER: ELBOWS ARE ALLOWED FOR ALL CHAMPIONSHIP FIGHTS
This is an upcoming mixed martial arts event scheduled for November 29, 2024, at King Saud University Stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The event will feature the finals of the 2024 Tournament across six weight divisions. The winners of each division will receive a substantial $1 million cash prize.
Featherweight: Brendan Loughnane vs. Timur Khizriev Women’s Flyweight: Dakota Ditcheva vs. Taila Santos Light Heavyweight: Impa Kasanganay vs. Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov Welterweight: Shamil Musaev vs. Magomed Umalatov Lightweight: Brent Primus vs. Gadzhi Rabadanov Heavyweight: Denis Goltsov vs. Oleg Popov
In addition to the main card, the preliminary card will feature several matchups, including the finals of the 2024 MENA Tournament in four weight classes each winning $100,000.
The upcoming PFL MMA match between Brent Primus and Gadzhi Rabadanov is set to be an exciting lightweight bout…
The upcoming PFL MMA match between Brent Primus and Gadzhi Rabadanov is set to be an exciting lightweight bout for the finals of the 2024 PFL Lightweight Tournament Championship. The stakes are incredibly high, with the winner not only claiming the championship title but also taking home a substantial $1 million prize.
Brent Primus vs. Gadzhi Rabadanov
Gadzhi Rabadanov appears to be the clear favorite in his upcoming PFL MMA match against Brent Primus. The odds heavily favor Rabadanov, with one bookmaker listing him at -550, while Primus is considered the underdog at +400. This means that a $100 bet on Rabadanov would potentially yield a profit of about $18, while the same bet on Primus could result in a $400 profit if he wins. If you want to make a profit then check out the Razed crypto casino right here.
These odds suggest that bookmakers and bettors view Rabadanov as having a significantly higher chance of winning the fight.
Brent Primus is a former Bellator champion and has a black belt in jiu-jitsu. He is a veteran of the sport. Primus had a challenging upbringing, facing homelessness and legal troubles in his youth. He found his way into MMA through amateur fights and quickly rose through the ranks.
Primus is known for his exceptional grappling skills, particularly his Brazilian jiu-jitsu. He has a strong submission game, with 8 of his 15 wins coming by submission. His ability to control opponents on the ground and finish fights with various chokes and joint locks makes him a formidable opponent.
Gadzhi Rabadanov is a Russian mixed martial artist with a strong combat sports background. Rabadanov began his martial arts journey with combat sambo under the tutelage of Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, father of UFC champion Khabib Nurmagomedov. He earned the Eagle Fighting Championship lightweight title and International Master of Sports in mixed martial arts.
Rabadanov, coming from a combat sambo background, has a well-rounded skill set with a mix of knockouts, submissions, and decision victories. His experience in sambo may give him an edge in the clinch and with takedowns.
Both fighters have had impressive runs in the 2024 PFL Lightweight Tournament. Brent Primus secured his spot in the finals by defeating Clay Collard in the semifinals by unanimous decision. Rabadanov reached the finals after a knockout victory over Michael Dufort in the second round of their semifinal bout.
The winner of this match will not only be crowned the 2024 PFL Lightweight Champion but will also secure a life-changing $1 million prize. For Primus, a victory would mark a major comeback after losing his Bellator title and solidify his position as a top lightweight in the world. For Rabadanov, winning the tournament would be the biggest achievement of his career and potentially open doors to even bigger opportunities in the future.
This matchup promises to be an intriguing clash of styles, with Brent Primus’s grappling prowess going up against Rabadanov’s well-rounded skill set. Both fighters have shown the ability to finish fights and compete at a high level, setting the stage for what should be an exciting and closely contested championship bout.
Heavyweights Vadim Nemkov vs. Ante Delija has just been announced as a PFL vs. Bellator showdown. The PFL is…
Manchester native Dakota Ditcheva is quickly becoming one of MMA’s biggest stars. After taking the world by storm under…
MMA legend and multi-time UFC champion Randy Couture says that it’s time that Jon Jones stepped up to the…
PFL has a clear response to fans, “You asked for elbows, we are giving you elbows.” For all championship…
???????? ???? 
The upcoming PFL MMA match between Brent Primus and Gadzhi Rabadanov is set to be an exciting lightweight bout…