On the main card of the PFL World Championships this Saturday from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the first world championship fight of the evening will feature the big boys. The heavyweight title is on the line as longtime PFL vet Denis Goltsov (35-8) will look to finally capture the heavyweight title as he takes on fellow Russian Oleg Popov (19-1).
Goltsov has been with the promotion since 2019. In his first season, he made it to the finals just to lose to Ali Isaev. The following season, he made it to the Playoffs but lost to eventual champion Ante Delija. In 2022, visa issues kept him from competing in the playoffs after a 2-0 starts. In 2023, he finally made it to the PFL World Championships against Renan Ferreira.
After a great start where he dominated the first round, Ferreira knocked out Goltsov early in the second round. He returned this year trying to finally get over the hump and he’s started strong. Goltsov has won all three fights this year by stoppage. He’s hoping that trend continues at the World Championships on Saturday.
Standing in his way is Oleg Popov. Popov was signed by Bellator last year and won a decision in his promotional debut. After the acquisition, he made his way over to the PFL and went 3-0 during the Regular Season which included a stoppage in his first fight.
PFL Championship Prediction
I’ve honestly gone back-and-forth with my prediction on this fight. Part of me would really like to see Denis Goltsov get the job done after falling short in two world championship fights and losing in the playoffs back in 2022. I also see a path to victory for him in this matchup, but there’s a lot of momentum behind Popov who has won 17 fights in a row.
Popov is the smaller man, but I do think he’ll have a speed advantage. Both men are good grapplers, but I think Popov is going to lean heavier on his offensive wrestling whereas Goltsov will look to strike and use defensive wrestling to keep it standing or reverse positions. One thing for sure is I don’t think this fight goes all five rounds.
I think third time is going to be the charm for Denis Goltsov. I think he finally wins his much-desired PFL World Championship on Saturday night. After a competitive back-and-forth in the first two rounds, I think Goltsov ends up on top from a scramble. From there, his top control and ground strikes will be too much and he’ll get the stoppage handing Popov his first loss since 2016.
Prediction: Denis Goltsov by TKO