As it was put to lightweight PFL World Tournament finalist Alfie Davis during the PFL Charlotte media day on Wednesday, opponent Gadzhi Rabadanov is beyond confident.
Of course, England’s Davis (19-5-1) is confident as well, and he believes both fighters brimming with self-belief should help the PFL Charlotte main event deliver.
“It’s gonna lend to a good fight. We’re both confident, we both feel like we’ve got the skill set to beat each other,” stated Davis on Wednesday. “So I think that when we meet in the middle, that’s going to make a great fight.”
Davis is excited to show off his striking against an opponent he has called the “runt” of his team, though he walked that comment back somewhat.
“I’m excited to show all of my striking skills, because he’s got powerful hands, but he’s limited in everything else that he can do. I’m excited to show the whole array of striking – the knees, the elbows, the kicks, and just how the eight limbs are going to fare against just his hands.”
As noted, Davis has backed off the “runt” comment, though he still believes Rabadanov is not the best fighter on his team, one that includes coach Khabib Nurmagoemdov, former UFC lightweight champ Islam Makhachev, and PFL Champions Series lightweight champ Usman Nurmagomedov.
Still, Rabadanov is very, very good, Davis acknowledged.
“People rate him as one of the best in the world, so if I beat him, then I’m undoubtedly one of the best lightweights in the world. And that’s what I’ve believed for a while, it’s just about doing it under the lights, and I feel like this is an opportunity for me to do it under the lights and gain that respect that I deserve.”
Davis also spoke about what being part of the PFL has meant for him. He arrived, as many others did, through the promotion’s acquisition of rival Bellator MMA.
“The PFL has changed my life to be honest with you. Before even the tournament, I was with Bellator, and I had a decent career and some okay money, but being able to have three fights in a year, and just financially what that means to me, and just being able to be in the peak of my career. Because at the minute, I’m in the peak of my career and sometimes people get shelved at the peak of their career. But I’m having three fights by the end of August, and hopefully having one more by the end of the year.”
“I’m really living out the peak of my career. I hope to [continue to] do that in the next few years, and that will really set me sailing into having a really good MMA career,” Davis finished.
Watch Alfie Davis’ PFL Charlotte media day appearance above. The event takes place this Friday, August 15, 2025 at the Bojangles Coliseum in Charlotte, North Carolina.
