Undefeated welterweight Magomed Umalatov (13-0) is sitting in first place in the PFL’s welterweight standings, with three weeks or so to go until his second fight of the season.
It was an explosive start for the Russian standout, as he knocked out Dilano Taylor in little more than 90 seconds. Umalatov is predicting more of the same to come ahead of PFL 6, where he’ll face Nayib Lopez.
“I think in general, welterweight is one of those divisions where people have a lot of action, and try to finish up in the first round,” Umalatov told Cageside Press in a recent exclusive interview. “So that’s what you saw in the first round of fights, and I think you’re pretty much going to see the same in the second round — so expect to see more knockouts.”
When it comes to what he’s expecting from Lopez, who went the distance in his first fight of the season, Umalatov didn’t need his translator.
“I don’t know, maybe his plan is to take me down, take me down, but I think it’s impossible. I can give him my leg, because I’m very confident in my skills. Striking, wrestling, doesn’t matter. I’m going to knock him out in the first round.”
That confidence was on display throughout our conversation with Umalatov. Neck-and-neck with teammate Magomed Magomedkerimov, a former PFL champ, Umalatov believes he’ll fight his friend in the finale.
“I think the way we are, I consider us to be the two best welterweights in the division, and I think eventually we’re going to end up facing each other in the final,” predicted Umalatov. “So I think that would be a great match-up too.”
The arrival of GLORY kickboxing champion Cedric Doumbe to the PFL’s welterweight division has not gone unnoticed by Umalatov. The French standout joins the promotion mid-season, and Umalatov has already reached out to the newcomer, who is 4-0 in his career to date.
“I saw one video, he talked about all the guys, about me. I think for me, it’s an easy fight,” said Umalatov. “I sent him a message, like ‘I’m going to take you into deep waters.’ I don’t know, I think it’s an easy fight for me. He’s just a striker. This is a different game.”
As for Doumbe’s response, Umalatov told us that “he just replied with a smile, and then his fan base basically started coming after me.” As far as Doumbe’s chances of making the playoffs, to Umalatov, they’re rather slim.
“I think this is really difficult, because top [three] guys, we have six points, and Sadibou Sy has five points,” he noted. “Maybe I can beat him next year. We’ll see.”
One glaring oversight on the upcoming PFL 6 card is Umalatov’s placement on the prelims— given he’s in first place overall in the 170lb standings.
“I actually didn’t think about that,” admitted Umalatov. And while he’s not overly worried about it, he added with a laugh “It’s a big mistake. It’s a big mistake.”
Watch our full interview with PFL 6 welterweight Magomed Umalatov above.
