PFL Championship 2021: Movlid Khaybulaev Promises Spectacular Fight Against Wade

Fort Lauderdale, FL — One of Khabib Nurmagomedov’s teammates and now students, Movlid Khaybulaev is, like his mentor, an undefeated fighter.

Aside from a loss that was later overturned due to a drug test failure by Daniel Pineda, Khaybulaev (18-0-1, 1NC) has just a draw with Andre Harrison as the only blemish on his record.

Now, he has a chance to claim the PFL featherweight championship, opposite a teammate of Harrison, Chris Wade.

“For me, it’s a very important fight,” Khaybulaev admitted during this week’s PFL 2021 World Championship media day. “Abdulmanap [Nurmagomedov], he’s not my dad, but I’m carrying his legacy. All of us, for us it’s very important to be the best, to be the champion, and I’m very much looking forward to it.”

Father of Khabib and very much the patriarch of Dagestani fighters, Abdulmanap passed away in 2020 after contracting COVID-19.

While fighting to honor his legacy, Khaybulaev continues building his own, with the next step being Chris Wade. Wade has competed against some of Khaybulaev’s teammates, but he’s not sure that really gives him an edge.

“He already fought a couple of our guys, just like I can see his shortcomings, he also is aware of that, and he can fix them,” noted Khaybulaev. “So I am sure he was working on those things that he might be lacking. Also, I was fighting [Andre] Harrison from his camp, so I kind of saw what their school is.”

“Just like we’re learning from their mistakes, they learn from our mistakes, or they see our strengths, we see their strengths,” the featherweight continued. “I don’t know exactly what he’s working on, but I promise you, it’s going to be a spectacular fight. We’re going to make it happen, and you’re going to love it.”

Watch the full PFL 2021 World Championship media day appearance from Movlid Khaybulaev above. More coverage can be found below. The event takes place this Wednesday, October 27, 2021, in Hollywood, FL.