McKee (25-2), once a Bellator featherweight champ, faced off against the previously undefeated Salamat Isbulaev, and battled through three hard-fought rounds to come away with a unanimous decision victory.

It was far from easy. A competitive scrap saw the pair both have their moments on the feet, while McKee appeared to have the advantage in several thrilling grappling exchanges. The American was sporting a cut over one eyebrow in the end, though Isbulaev was cut as well. Luckily, neither wound had any direct impact on the action, with the bout going the full 15 minutes.

Triplicate 30-27 scores outlined just how successful AJ McKee was in the bout, though Isbulaev was never fully out of it. Afterwards, McKee admitted that he had “underestimated” his opponent, referring to him as a champion.

It’s reclaiming gold that is on McKee’s mind next however, and he called for just that following the win. The PFL’s 145lb title sits vacant, and only Timur Khizriev, #1 at featherweight, sits ahead of AJ McKee.

The 31-year old was joined in the winner’s circle on Saturday by a familiar face to fight fans. Liz Carmouche also made her case for a title shot undeniable at PFL San Diego, though that’s not what the #2-ranked women’s flyweight called for at the end of the night.

Carmouche (26-8), a former Bellator flyweight champ, as well as a title challenger in both Strikeforce and the UFC, won the 2025 PFL World Tournament, and found herself paired up with fellow UFC vet Viviane Araujo at the Pechanga Arena in San Diego, CA. The bout saw Araujo and Carmouche spend plenty of time clinched up along the fence, but in the second round, it was “Girl-Rilla” Carmouche hitting a guillotine choke and forcing the tap.

At age 42, Carmouche has looked as good as ever, with just PFL promotional darling Dakota Ditcheva perched ahead of her in the rankings. The British star skipped the World Tournament last year, and has been out with injury; she’s set to return against Denise Kielholtz later this summer.

Should she win, Ditcheva vs. Carmouche for the vacant women’s 125lb title seems like a no-brainer. Yet in the cage on Saturday, Carmouche called for something she’s desired for a long time: a shot at a second title, at bantamweight. Neither Bellator nor the PFL have featured a women’s bantamweight division, and Carmouche very much wants to lead one.

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The winner of the bout should be lined up for a championship engagement, given the league’s 145lb title sits vacant. The San Diego card, meanwhile, is the first of six big shows in eight weeks for the PFL, which will make stops in Austin, TX, Washington, DC, and New York coming up.

In the night’s co-headliner on Saturday, former UFC title challenger and Bellator MMA women’s flyweight champion Liz Carmouche was in action, taking on Viviane Araujo. Carmouche, who fought for a Strikeforce title early in her career, had won the PFL World Tournament in 2025; Araujo was looking to build off a win over Shanna Young in her promotional debut just a few months back.

Where to Watch PFL San Diego

PFL San Diego takes place on Saturday, June 27 at the Pechanga Arena San Diego in San Diego, CA. The card airs live on the ESPN App and ESPN2 (main card only) in the U.S. Full results can be found below. The action kicks off at 8PM ET, 5PM PT.

PFL San Diego: McKee vs. Isbulaev Results

Main Card

AJ McKee def. Salamat Isbulaev by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Liz Carmouche def. Viviane Araújo by submission (guillotine choke), Round 2, 2:07
Alexander Shabliy def. Alfie Davis by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Rob Wilkinson def. Abraham Bably by TKO, Round 2, 3:23

Preliminary Card

Khasan Magomedshairpov def. Josh Weems by submission (arm-triangle choke), Round 1, 2:10
Jena Bishop def. Ariane Lipski da Silva by submission (arm-bar), Round 1, 4:08
Sarvarjon Khamidov def. Justin Wetzell by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 2, 4:11
Shannon Clark def. Ilara Joanne by TKO, Round 3, 1:43
Cobey Fehr def. Daniel Bzdigian by submission (Anaconda choke), Round 1, 2:00

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The card’s lightweight main event found Fiziev looking to return to the win column following a loss to Mauricio Ruffy. Born in Kazakhstan and fighting out of Tiger Muay Thai, Fiziev had fought some of the best at 155lbs, including Justin Gaethje, King Green, Rafael dos Anjos, Mateusz Gamrot and others.

Torres was happy to get his hands going and trade with the always-dangerous Fiziev to start round one. Fiziev got a kick in, then changed levels and landed a takedown, mixing things up a bit. Torres was quickly back to his feet, but landed low with a knee, leading to a brief break. Back underway, Torres would catch Fiziev with a punch, leading to him retreating for a moment. He regrouped, and the pair got back to trading at center. Lots of back-and-forth in the back half of the round. Torres would go to the ground in the final minute, more of a slip, but wasn’t down long. He’d fire a knee trailed by a punch in the final minute, then land a crisp jab.

Rafael Fiziev shut things down early in round two. A spinning back kick caught Torres, and dropped him even partially blocked. Fiziev went in for the kill with uppercuts, lefts and rights. One sent him down, and some follow-up strikes sealed the deal. The crowd erupted, with Fiziev getting a huge win at home.

Torres was seen sporting a massive mouse under his eye following the stoppage. Fiziev, meanwhile, called for a shot at the “BMF” belt, currently held by Charles Oliveira. The pair were previously scheduled to fight, only for the bout to fall through last October.

Official Result: Rafael Fiziev def. Manuel Torres by TKO (spinning back kick and punches), Round 2, 0:15

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Shara “Bullet” was competing for the first time in a year, and had ruffled Pereira’s feathers by making comments about his charitable efforts at home in Brazil, claiming he was “chasing likes,” and over his support for Israel.

Pereira, meanwhile, had called Shara a “conventional” fighter ahead of the bout.

Shara opened the action with a kick, and another, catching the outside leg of Pereira. Pereira’s first real offense, a right hand, dropped Shara Bullet, however, and he piled on the offense, raining down punches. The ref allowed Magomedov to fight on, a stark contrast from a fight earlier when Nazim Sadykhov went down quick.

Pereira continued to drop punches but Magomedov recovered enough to fire a few upkicks before “Demolidor” got right on top. Shara was then warned for hair pulling, and the action was stopped a second time for a harsher warning by ref Herb Dean. They got back underway with Pereira still on top, now in Magomedov’s closed guard. Pereira looked to land elbows, ripping the body at times as well. The crowd chanted “Shara” but the action was all Pereira. Towards the end of the round Pereira would back off, evade a few upkicks, and nearly take the back, though it backfired, with Magomedov getting on top in the final minute. Not enough to win back the round, but perhaps enough to stave off a 10-8.

Before the second frame got underway, ref Dean gave Shara Bullet another warning about hair pulling, and all fouls, with his translator present. Magomedov came out kicking again; Pereira fired a Superman punch off the cage. Magomedov went high with a kick, which was blocked, but he did land a few to the thigh, with Pereira answering back with kicks of his own. Neither man was letting their hands go, until Pereira closed the distance just shy of two minutes in. Magomedov was still focusing on his kicks. Pereira fired a right, and Magomedov fanned on a spinning back fist. Bullet attacked with a spinning kick late in the round, with a second boasting far less action that the first and Pereira finishing with a rolling thunder kick.

Pereira’s corner told him it was 1-1 heading into the third.

Magomedov opened the third  round with more kicks, while Pereira circled outside, reset, and looked for a way in. Pereira would choose to shoot a takedown, nearly find himself reversed, and pull free, only to eat a blatant eye poke from Magomedov. Dean had previously told Shara Bullet not to commit any more fouls, hair pulling or otherwise. Yet he failed to take a point, and Pereira took just over a minute to recover from the poke.

With action back underway, Pereira fired a few outside leg kicks. He fired a right hand, and went to the body, briefly letting go as Shara covered up. Magomedov landed a solid kick to the body. He then tried the double-spinning back fist, and jumped into a knee, with Pereira trying to catch him and transition into a takedown. After a quick scramble, Pereira pinned Magomedov up against the fence. Magomedov landed a knee to the body off the break which forced Pereira to retreat, which would take them to the final horn.

Official Result: Shara Bullet def. Michel Pereira by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

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The lightweight fight found Azerbaijan’s own “Black Wolf” entering with a 4-1-1 record under the UFC banner.

Sadykhov had the crowd firmly behind him as the third-to-last fight in Baku, Azerbaijan got underway. He switched stances a few times, and looked to pick his spots with his attacks, mixing in kicks and shots to the body. Camilo was outside, barely showing any offense, but when he did get going, he silenced the crowd in Azerbaijan in a heartbeat.

With Sadykhov on the way in, Camilo tagged him with a right hand, dropping the Azerbaijani star. Sadykhov wasn’t out, but was shelling up while Camilo rained down several more punches. The ref dove in, waving off the fight and handing Camilo the TKO victory, with Nazim Sadykhov immediately protesting and telling the ref to let him fight on. Not that it mattered as the call was made, and Matheus Camilo had the upset victory. The crowd didn’t like it, and let their voices be heard in the aftermath of the finish, and again while the result was announced.

“I think it was a great stoppage. Thank you so much to Nazim, he’s a great warrior, much respect to him,” Camilo said in his post-fight interview. That’s back-to-back wins for the Brazilian.

Official Result: Matheus Camilo def. Nazim Sadykhov by TKO, Round 1, 1:31

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Johnson, who holds a win over current flyweight champion Josh Van in the UFC, had been trading wins and losses across his last four fights. Almabayev, from Kazakhstan, was 6-1 in the promotion and ranked #9 in the division to Johnson’s #14.

Johnson used his length early, looking to land kicks, but Almabayev was able to land a few inside leg kicks of his own, and threaten with a couple of overhand rights. Johnson flashed stance switches, but ate a hook for his troubles and had to get out of the way of an Almabayev uppercut. Moments later, Johnson found himself on his back with Almabayev getting on top, in half guard, though Johnson reclaimed full guard before getting a butterfly hook in place. Yet try as he might, Johnson could not lift Almabayev enough to scramble free. Instead, Asu settled back in on top and moved to a guillotine, though he didn’t have it, and Johnson was at least able to move to a three-point stance.

Johnson had to contend with more leg kicks and overhands in round two, and when he tried to clinch up and land a takedown, Almabayev was having none of it. 90 seconds in, and Johnson slipped off a kick, nearly giving away dominant position though he was able to scramble free. Moments latter, “Inner G” had to endure a low blow in the form of a spinning back kick, with his “little Gs” needing a moment to recover. After a brief halt to the action, Johnson was good to go, with Almabayev getting right in his face off the restart. A quick takedown/mat return followed, and once back up Johnson finally got some offense in, firing a combo with Almabayev covering up. Seconds later, another takedown for Almabayev, who secured Johnson’s back after transitioning from side control. Johnson finished the round trapped in Almabayev’s bodylock, but he did finish the round.

“This is now a race for five minutes to knock him out. You’re not in a marathon no more, you’re in a race and you’ve got to knock him out,” Johnson’s corner exclaimed as the third round got underway. Almabayev came out swinging, then caught a Johnson knee and took him down, only to get stuck in a triangle. It looked dicey for a bit, but Almabayev survived, took the back, and after a bit of work, locked in the rarely-seen Suloev stretch! Johnson couldn’t pull free, was clearly in pain and forced to tap in short order! A stunning finish to a fantastic performance by Asu Almabayev.

Official Result: Asu Almabayev def. Charles Johnson by submission (Suloev stretch), Round 3, 3:33

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While that bout didn’t go his way, Aliskerov was still 4-1 in the promotion and looking to improve on that against Brunno Ferreira at UFC Baku in Azerbaijan on Saturday. Ferreira is A DWCS alum who holds impressive finish wins over Phil Hawes, Gregory Rodrigues, and Jackson McVey.

The first round started with Aliskerov pressing forward looking to land a big right hand. After a brief stop in the action for an accidently low blow, Aliskerov landed a nice knee followed by a takedown. Now in control on the ground the combat sambo world champion was fully in control with over a minute thirty remaining in the round. After the opening five minutes Aliskerov was in the lead.

The second round saw Aliskerov again take the fight to the ground where he threatened many submissions. Ferreira couldn’t get Aliskerov off of him and momentarily got to his feet but was returned to the mat moments after. Another dominant round for Aliskerov had Ferreira needing a finish entering the final five minutes.

Needing a finish in the final round Ferreira came out with a sense of urgency, but ran into a few solid straight shots from Aliskerov. Midway through the round Aliskerov again landed a takedown, doing some solid work until the end of the round. Cruising his way to a 30-27 unanimous decision victory, Aliskerov will likely receive a top opponent next, exactly what he called for post-fight.

Official Result: Ikram Aliskerov def. Brunno Ferreira by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

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Oleksiejczuk had been working with The Fighting Nerds the past couple of years and had won three straight; Magomedov had seen his own three-fight win streak snapped by Joe Pyfer last time out.

To start the opening round Magomedov pressed forward while Oleksiejczuk looked to time a big left hand. Magomedov landed a glancing head kick followed by an uppercut moments later. Oleksiejczuk came crashing forward with a massive overhand left but Magomedov tied him up in the clinch forcing the fight to the cage. After seperating Oleksiejczuk again came in range recklessly to throw a left hand, but Magomedov timed a beautiful elbow that folded the polish contender. Magomedov pounced on a hurt Oleksiejczuk and secured his neck for a guillotine submission victory.

After hurting the very dangerous Oleksiejczuk on the feet, Magomedov showed how well-rounded his game is finishing the fight on the floor. Magomedov called out the former champion Israel Adesanya following the win wanting a matchup with the middlweight great. Adesanya is currently ranked #8 in the world at the weightclass.

Official Result: Abus Magomedov def. Michal Oleksiejczuk via R1 SUB (Guillotine), 3:25

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Azerbaijan’s own Hasanov was debuting at home, 5-0 to start his professional MMA career, with three of those wins coming under the LFA banner. A bit of an early arrival to the UFC perhaps, with the signing clearly due to the UFC’s return to Baku.

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The undefeated Russian barely gave Julius Walker a chance to settle into the fight, detonating a crushing right hand seconds after the opening bell that shut the lights out and delivered one of the fastest, most devastating knockouts of the night at UFC Baku on Saturday. If there were any questions about Yakhyaev’s place in the division before this fight, they disappeared the moment Walker hit the canvas.

Round 1 – Yakhyaev wasted absolutely no time.

As soon as the fight started, he uncorked a bomb of a right hand that landed clean and shut Walker’s lights off. Walker hit the canvas in a heap, and when he finally came to, he looked completely confused, like he was trying to figure out where he was and what just happened.

A couple of follow up shots landed before the referee stepped in, but they really weren’t needed. The fight was over the second that right hand connected.

It was a scary display of power from Yakhyaev, who needed just one punch to end the fight and put the rest of the division on notice.

The victory may be exactly what Yakhyaev needed to carve his way into the top 15 and into a big time matchup with contender implications sooner than later.

Official Result: Abdul Rakhman Yakhyaev def. Julius Walker via R1 KO, 0:08

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