pfl | UFC Betting Sites - The Best MMA Online Bookies

Former Ranked UFC Heavyweight Alexandr Romanov Reportedly Signs With PFL

Alexandr Romanov, a former UFC heavyweight contender inside the top 15, has seemingly put pen to paper on a deal with the Professional Fighters League (PFL). Romanov was not re-signed by the mixed martial arts leader after fighting out his contract at UFC Edmonton last November, where he outpointed Rodrigo Nascimento to bounce back from […]

Alexandr Romanov, a former UFC heavyweight contender inside the top 15, has seemingly put pen to paper on a deal with the Professional Fighters League (PFL).

Romanov was not re-signed by the mixed martial arts leader after fighting out his contract at UFC Edmonton last November, where he outpointed Rodrigo Nascimento to bounce back from a first-round submission loss to Jailton Almeida earlier in the year.

That result to “Malhadinho” marked the latest setback in the Moldovan’s plan to rise into title contention. He’d also previously fallen to both Marcin Tybura and Alexander Volkov.

Romanov will now look to pursue gold in different surroundings, and he appeared to reveal where by way of an Instagram bio change this week.

The @MMA_Matchmaker account on X first noted the addition of the PFL to the heavyweight’s bio, with Combat Sports Today later verifying the news with the Moldovan fighter himself.

Just confirmed with Alex that he has joined the PFL and will compete in April. https://t.co/45rbsIFCbp

— COMBAT SPORTS TODAY (@CSTodayNews) January 27, 2025

It remains to be seen what the future will hold in the PFL for Romanov, who went 6-4 in the UFC. With reports of a debut in April, it would seem he’s likely to enter this year’s heavyweight tournament.

Rather than the traditional season format, culminating in title glory and a $1 million prize check for the victors, the PFL will be staging Grand Prix-style brackets moving forward, with the winners taking home $500,000 each.

The organization will also be creating divisional titles separate from the tournament, which Romanov could also pursue.

Former Bellator Analyst Calls Out Usman Nurmagomedov’s ‘Weird’ Comment After Paul Hughes Win

While Usman Nurmagomedov and Paul Hughes showed nothing but respect for one another in the aftermath of their battle at Saturday’s PFL event, a former fighter wasn’t impressed with one aspect of the Bellator lightweight champion’s post-fight approach. The Professional Fighters League kicked off its schedule for 2025 with the Champions Series: Road to Dubai […]

The Professional Fighters League kicked off its schedule for 2025 with the Champions Series: Road to Dubai card inside Coca-Cola Arena, where Nurmagomedov and Hughes collided in a clash dubbed “Dagestan vs. Ireland 2.”

Like other results on the night, the win went to the former region, with the reigning Bellator titleholder emerging with the gold still in his possession by narrow margins.

Nurmagomedov had been largely dismissive of Hughes throughout the buildup, but he got a rude awakening when “Big News” gave him about all he could handle across five rounds in the Middle East.

The Dagestani acknowledged that he had underestimated his challenger, who echoed the sentiments of some in the community by suggesting he did enough to deserve the victory. With that in mind, he demanded an immediate rematch.

The champ, however, isn’t keen. And he went as far as to claim that the Irishman will need to beat three or four other opponents to earn a second opportunity.

During an episode of his Weighing In podcast alongside former referee John McCarthy, ex-UFC fighter Josh Thomson reacted to that suggestion.

“I didn’t like hearing Usman Nurmagomedov in the back saying, ‘No, he’s got to fight three or four more other fighters.’ That was weird,” Nurmagomedov said. “There’s not even three or four more other fighters in your guys’ weight class.”

Though Usman has made his stance clear, that hasn’t stopped Hughes from making his case. He recently responded to an invitation to visit Dagestan from Khabib Nurmagomedov by insisting a rematch with his cousin must come first.

The PFL, meanwhile, hasn’t divulged its plans for either man moving forward.

Karate Combat President Takes Aim At PFL Founder Donn Davis: ‘Can The Guy Throw Up A Triangle?’

Karate Combat president Asim Zaidi isn’t sure that Donn Davis is the right person to be a spokesperson for the PFL, specifically when it comes to talking about combat sports. Davis is the founder, chairman and co-owner of the promotion and that means that he tends to face criticism when complaints are raised regarding the […]

The entrepreneur tends to be at the center of this more than the PFL’s other leading men in Peter Murray and Ray Sefo because he’s the most vocal especially when it comes to their business decisions which has been a big talking point following the recent departures and issues regarding some of the Bellator fighters on the roster. Zaidi, who is also known as “President Awesome”, takes a very different approach when he’s talking about his promotion.

As a jiu-jitsu and judo black belt, Zaidi is also the owner and one of the coaches at the Goat Shed gym in Miami, Florida. This gives him the viewpoint that a combat sports promotion should be headed up by someone who has first-hand experience of what it is like to be an active participant in the sport itself.

He spoke about this in a recent interview with MMA Junkie where he voiced his opinions without wanting to personally criticize Davis.

“Honestly, I hate saying this because he seems like a nice guy – I would love to sit with him and just understand,” Zaidi told MMA Junkie. “Maybe I’m misunderstanding him. I don’t think he understands anything about combat sports. And I don’t think that – if you’re not in this sh*t, if you can’t roll on the mats with me, I don’t think you should be part of it, you know what I mean?

“He’s never trained martial arts in his life. I’m saying this ignorantly, I don’t know if he has, but there’s no way, right? Can the guy throw up a triangle? How is he going to understand what it’s like for fighters to do certain things, or when Patricio ‘Pitbull’ hasn’t fought in so long and is begging for a fight in the prime years of his career? He doesn’t understand that.”

Zaidi continued, making the case that Davis may well be a valuable asset to the promotion but he believes that there are others who could be a more effective leading man.

“He comes from a finance background, which is wonderful, but stay in the background then and put Ray Sefo in front,” Zaidi said. “Imagine this for a moment: Imagine if Ray Sefo was president? It would be really respectable. It would be unbelievable. How can you say anything bad about Ray Sefo?

“Put Donn Davis in the background, he handles whatever back there. He’s a finance guy. Great. But hearing him talk about fighters and fighting, it doesn’t even sound like he watches fights. So, I’m not impressed by him. I’m not impressed by what he says. Dana White is an absolute G with everything he says, and I truly agree with him: I don’t think PFL has it.”

Karate Combat President Takes Aim At PFL Founder Donn Davis: ‘Can The Guy Throw Up A Triangle?’

He spoke about this in a recent interview with MMA Junkie where he voiced his opinions without wanting to personally criticize Davis.

“Honestly, I hate saying this because he seems like a nice guy – I would love to sit with him and just understand,” Zaidi told MMA Junkie. “Maybe I’m misunderstanding him. I don’t think he understands anything about combat sports. And I don’t think that – if you’re not in this sh*t, if you can’t roll on the mats with me, I don’t think you should be part of it, you know what I mean?

“He’s never trained martial arts in his life. I’m saying this ignorantly, I don’t know if he has, but there’s no way, right? Can the guy throw up a triangle? How is he going to understand what it’s like for fighters to do certain things, or when Patricio ‘Pitbull’ hasn’t fought in so long and is begging for a fight in the prime years of his career? He doesn’t understand that.”

Zaidi continued, making the case that Davis may well be a valuable asset to the promotion but he believes that there are others who could be a more effective leading man.

“He comes from a finance background, which is wonderful, but stay in the background then and put Ray Sefo in front,” Zaidi said. “Imagine this for a moment: Imagine if Ray Sefo was president? It would be really respectable. It would be unbelievable. How can you say anything bad about Ray Sefo?

“Put Donn Davis in the background, he handles whatever back there. He’s a finance guy. Great. But hearing him talk about fighters and fighting, it doesn’t even sound like he watches fights. So, I’m not impressed by him. I’m not impressed by what he says. Dana White is an absolute G with everything he says, and I truly agree with him: I don’t think PFL has it.”

PFL Founder Sheds Light On Plans For Dakota Ditcheva: ‘That’s What You’re Going To See…’

While she currently doesn’t have a fight in the calendar, there’s seemingly something major in store for 2024 PFL Women’s Flyweight Champion Dakota Ditcheva. Ditcheva has marked one of the breakout names across recent years. After announcing herself as a prospect under the PFL banner, the British standout has won gold in back-to-back campaigns. Following […]

While she currently doesn’t have a fight in the calendar, there’s seemingly something major in store for 2024 PFL Women’s Flyweight Champion Dakota Ditcheva.

Ditcheva has marked one of the breakout names across recent years. After announcing herself as a prospect under the PFL banner, the British standout has won gold in back-to-back campaigns.

Following title glory in the promotion’s first regional expansion, PFL Europe, Ditcheva backed up her confidence and promise to reach the top in MMA by winning the inaugural 125-pound season on the global stage in 2024.

“Dangerous” proved her doubters wrong in style last November, battering Taila Santos in the final en route to the championship and $1 million prize check.

Since then, there’s been some uncertainty over what’s to come for Ditcheva, with many in the fanbase wishing for her to compete on the sport’s biggest stage, the UFC.

Ditcheva herself was quick to downplay another season stint as a possibility prior to the announcement that the PFL would be dropping the long-debated format in 2025.

During an interview with talkSPORT MMA, PFL founder and chairman Donn Davis looked to shed some light on Ditcheva’s status.

Though he didn’t provide an exact assignment, he laid out what he told the rising star when they sat down while in Dubai for this past weekend’s Champions Series event.

“We had dinner with Dakota the other night. Dakota’s here tonight as our guest,” Davis said. “We simply said to Dakota, ‘Seven of 10 major MMA organizations named you Fighter of the Year. Not Rookie of the Year, not Rising Star of the Year, Fighter of the Year. We want you to be the number one female star on the planet. And we’re going to get behind you to do that. So together, let’s outline a plan, so that that’s achieved.’

“That takes personality, that takes drive, that takes being the best fighter and it takes the company behind you,” Davis continued. “Let’s put all four of those together and do it. That’s what you’re going to see from Dakota.”

Ditcheva earned MMA News’ award for Female Fighter of the Year, finishing top spot over the likes of Kayla Harrison, Valentina Shevchenko, and Cris Cyborg after her 4-0 run in 2024.

Paul Hughes Graciously Accepts Khabib Nurmagomedov’s Invitation to Dagestan – But on One Condition

Khabib Nurmagomedov might have a new student in his gym. Following a grueling five-round championship battle with Usman Nurmagomedov…

Khabib Nurmagomedov might have a new student in his gym. Following a grueling five-round championship battle with Usman Nurmagomedov in the PFL, Paul Hughes expressed gratitude for a gesture of respect from Khabib Nurmagomedov, who invited the Irish fighter to visit Dagestan.

Paul Hughes Responds to Khabib Nurmagomedov

The legendary former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, extended the invitation on social media, stating: “Thank you for the fight, @paulhughesmma, and for the experience. I invite you and your whole team and family to Dagestan, any time you want. Believe me, you will like it, and your arrival will serve as a good example for many young generations.”

Paul Hughes is known for his humility and respect for his opponents. He responded graciously, saying: “Thank you, @TeamKhabib. I have great respect for you, your team, and your nation. I would be honored to take you up on this offer someday and then return the favor in Ireland. But please, only after I get to rematch Usman.”

The exchange follows their highly anticipated championship clash on January 25, 2025, in Dubai, where Usman Nurmagomedov retained the Lightweight Title in the PFL with a majority decision victory. The fight marked the final defense of a Bellator title before the organization’s integration into the PFL.

Paul Hughes Usman Nurmagomedov — 2025 PFL Road to Dubai Champions Series: at Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai, UAE, Saturday, Saturday, January, 25, 2025. (Jose Peñuela / PFL)

The bout was a technical and intense contest, with Paul Hughes showcasing sharp striking and solid takedown defense against the undefeated Dagestani champion. Nurmagomedov’s superior grappling and composure under pressure ultimately secured his victory, extending his record to an impressive 19-0. Judges scored the fight 48-46, 48-46, and 47-47 in favor of Nurmagomedov.

The fight featured several dramatic moments, including point deductions for accidental groin strikes and a head clash that left Hughes bloodied. Despite falling short, Hughes earned widespread praise for his performance and immediately called for a rematch in his home of Northern Ireland.

Paul Hughes Khabib Nurmagomedov Usman Nurmagomedov 2 — 2025 PFL Road to Dubai Champions Series: at Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai, UAE, Saturday, Saturday, January, 25, 2025. (Jose Peñuela / PFL)

The mutual respect between the Nurmagomedov family and Hughes highlights the sportsmanship that remains at the heart of MMA. While Hughes’ primary focus remains on earning a rematch with Usman, the prospect of visiting Dagestan adds another layer of intrigue to this rivalry. This has been considered an extension of the Ireland vs. Dagestan epic clash that began with the unforgettable rivalry between Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov.