Lightweights Gadzhi Rabadanov and Alfie Davis closed out Friday’s PFL Charlotte, with the PFL World Tournament lightweight championship (and $500,000 in prize money) on the line.
Davis, like Rabadanov, was a former Bellator MMA star, but it was Gadzhi who was looking to repeat as a PFL champ, having won the promotion’s 155lb title last year.
Rabadanov fired a heavy hook inside of a minute into the PFL Charlotte main event, though it wouldn’t connect. Moments later, a connection was made, unfortunately, it was an inside kick landing low on the 2024 PFL Global champ. He didn’t take much recovery time, and they went right back at it.
Holding center, Rabadanov forced Davis to work counters with his back to the cage; Davis was happy enough to oblige, firing an overhand left with about 90 seconds still on the clock. Big windup, but it hit air. Still, Davis did find the mark at times, and Rabadanov was soon showing a bit of damage.
In round two, it was Rabadanov landing an early takedown, on top with lots of time to work. Davis, away from the fence, seemed content to hold Rabadanov in place, trying to stall his progress. Rabadanov would back off, fire a punch, and re-engage, with Davis at least getting to the cage wall. Still, Rabadanov would spent the rest of the round on top.
Round three saw Davis break out some slick elbows, even firing a back elbow on the feet as the round progressed. Rabadanov was walking the Brit down, but for the first time in the fight, Alfie seemed to be feeling himself. He added a kick to the midsection, landing it more than once. Rabadanov stayed patient as Davis circled outside. A closer third round after a clear Rabadanov round in the second. Davis would punctuate the round with a spinning elbow attack.
Gadzhi Rabadanov went back to what had worked in round two in the fourth frame, getting the fight to the ground and trapping Davis there. Davis was stuck on his back for an extended period, and even with Rabadanov doing minimal damage from the top, Davis was doing even less off his back. He had a butterfly guard in place at times, but simply couldn’t create space or scramble out. You could practically hear the tick of the clock as precious seconds dripped away.
Round five opened with the fight either tied, or Rabadanov up 3-1, likely dependent on a very close first frame. The first couple of minutes into the fifth and final round were fairly close, though just past the midway mark, Davis nearly caught Rabadanov with a knee as he shot in for a takedown. Davis might have had a slight edge in striking to that point. Still, in a close round and close fight, Rabadanov was able to land a takedown with about a minute to go. He’d finish the fight on top, and they would head off to the judges.
After a very close fight, all three judges awarded the bout to Alfie Davis, who called for the winner of Usman Nurmagomedov vs. Paul Hughes 2. Davis then offered to put the belt in next year’s World Tournament if he were to win it.
Official Result: Alfie Davis def. Gadzhi Rabadanov by unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 48-47)
