The PFL has announced its first main event of 2026, and it’s a promising one.
Lightweight champion Usman Nurmagomedov (20-0, 1NC) will once again be fighting in Dubai, when he takes on 2025 PFL World Tournament winner Alfie Davis (20-5-1). The title fight takes place at the Coca-Cola Arena on February 7, 2026.
News of the booking was announced on Thursday morning by PFL CEO John Martin.
Nurmagomedov won both of his fights in 2025, against the same individual: Paul “Big News” Hughes. After a close decision in the pair’s first encounter this past January, the pair threw down for a second time last month. In another close, but slightly less controversial decision, Nurmagomedov again saw his hand raised.
The former Bellator MMA lightweight champion is undefeated in his career, though a win over Brent Primus was overturned to a No Contest after the Dagestani failed a drug test in 2023. At the time, Bellator opted not to strip Nurmagomedov of his lightweight title as the incident was found to be the result of accidental contamination of a prescription drug.
Fellow Bellator alum Alfie Davis won all three of his fights in 2025 to win the PFL World Tournament at lightweight. That stretch saw Davis stop Clay Collard, before earning decisions over Brent Primus and Gadzhi Rabadanov. With Rabadanov a teammate of Nurmagomedov under his cousin Khabib (and previously under the late Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov), the stage has been set for a revenge fight of sorts.
