Brendan Loughnane is as soon as once more on the doorstep of $1 million.
The 2022 PFL champion superior to 2024’s featherweight finals with a grueling three-round win over Kai Kamaka III on Friday in the primary occasion of PFL 9, which happened at The Anthem in Washington, D.C.
Loughnane (30-5), the No. 1 featherweight seed after this yr’s common season, had No. 4 seed Kamaka (14-6-1) on the ropes within the opening spherical, hurting the UFC veteran with a spinning again kick to the physique then dropping him with a livid salvo of punches and clinch knees. Whereas Kamaka survived to be saved by the bell, then rebounded to mount a aggressive remaining 10 minutes — repeatedly countering Loughnane’s offense and creating automobile crashes of their exchanges — Loughnane nonetheless discovered sufficient success together with his lengthy jabs and spinning assaults to take a well-earned break up resolution through 29-28, 28-29, and 30-27 scores.
Standing throughout Loughnane within the $1 million featherweight finals is No. 3 seed Timur Khizriev (17-0), a Bellator import who continued his dominance over PFL with a break up resolution win over 2023 finalist and No. 2 seed Gabriel Braga (14-2).
In a aggressive however finally clear bout, Khizriev constantly beat Braga to the punch and outstruck the Brazilian over quarter-hour to earn a pair of 30-27 scores from judges Bryan Miner and Rick Winter, whereas controversial choose David Tirelli turned in a puzzling 29-28 Braga scorecard. Notably, Tirelli was additionally the dissenting choose in Loughnane vs. Kamaka.
Within the night time’s co-main occasion, No. 2 welterweight seed Magomed Umalatov (17-0) fended off a flurry of late submission makes an attempt to outpoint alternative opponent Neiman Gracie (13-6) and advance to the PFL finals. Umalatov bloodied Gracie and repeatedly peppered the one-time Bellator title challenger with proper palms, exhausting left hooks, and piston-fast one-twos to achieve an early lead, earlier than Gracie rallied within the third spherical with a swarm of submission makes an attempt off his again, together with not often seen gogoplatas and calf slicers.
Ultimately, the judges scored the bout 30-27, 29-28, and 29-28 in Umalatov’s favor, extending the Russian’s PFL sizzling streak to eight straight wins in eight appearances.
Assembly Umalatov within the $1 million welterweight finals is his countryman, No. 1 seed Shamil Musaev (19-0-1), after the undefeated Russian dominated No. 4 seed Murad Ramazanov (12-2) for a second time this season to punch his ticket by way of the bracket.
Lower than two months after knocking out Ramazanov in a daily season bout, Musaev as soon as once more outclassed his foe, utilizing a mixture of suffocating tempo and relentless strain in each the standup and grappling realms to earn a one-sided unanimous resolution with 29-28, 30-27, and 30-27 scores.
The principle card bouts capped off a nine-fight occasion that ended with seven straight choices.
Try full PFL 9 outcomes under.
