On the main card of the PFL World Championships this Friday from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the light heavyweight championship is on the line. 2023 champion Impa Kasanganay (18-4) will look to repeat as he takes on dangerous challenger Dovlet Yagshimuradov (24-7-1).
Heading into this season, I thought the World Championships were going to be a collision course for 2022 champ Rob Wilkinson and 2023 champ Impa Kasanganay. That was playing out, but Yagshimuradov put a stop to it by defeating Wilkinson in the semifinals.
After losing his first two Bellator fights, Yagshimuradov won his final three ahead of entering the 2024 PFL Regular Season. He won all three fights including a first round finish to earn this fight against Kasanganay.
Impa Kasanganay came onto the national scene in the UFC where he tried to fight at welterweight. He was depleting himself and never gained traction in the promotion. He then moved to Bellator and after competing in the Challenger Series at light heavyweight, he earned a spot in the 2023 Regular Season.
He ran through the competition and defeated Josh Silveira to become the 2023 champion. He then fought Johnny Eblen in a champion versus champion special attraction in February and nearly defeated the unbeaten Bellator champion. In the 2024 Regular Season, he went 3-0 with two stoppages.
PFL Light Heavyweight Prediction
Yagshimuradov has really impressed me over his last few fights. He was an ACA world champion before moving over to Bellator for their Light Heavyweight Grand Prix. After losing his first two fights, I wasn’t that impressed. I kept picking against him and he’s just kept winning this year.
He’s done it with really strong wrestling and great control. That said, will he be able to do that against Kasanganay? He’s going to have the size advantage, but I think he’s going to be at a massive speed disadvantage. We saw Johnny Eblen struggle to get Kasanganay down and I think we might see that from Yagshimuradov as well.
On the feet, Kasanganay is going to carry more power and he’s way more dynamic. I also trust his cardio over five rounds. I think Yagshimuradov will definitely have moments, but I’m picking Kasanganay to be the lone repeat PFL World Champion this year and I think he gets it done with a late stoppage.
Prediction: Impa Kasanganay by TKO