Last night the PFL took over Washington D.C. for the final playoff event before the world championships later this year. In the main event, featherweights Brendan Loughnane (30-5) and Kai Kamaka III (14-6-1) looked to take one step closer towards a world championship and a one million dollar check.
Loughnane is trying to win his second PFL championship and he shined in the first round nearly finishing Kamaka before the bell ended the first. Kamaka bounced back strong in the second, but the round was very close. In the third round, it was another close one, but I thought it was pretty clear that Loughnane won. In the end, two of the three judges agreed and Loughnane is off to the finals.
In the other semifinal matchup, last year’s runner-up Gabriel Braga (14-2) was trying to get back to the finals as he took on Timur Khizriev (17-0). Braga wanted to end Khizriev’s unbeaten streak but unfortunately he didn’t have any answers for the Russian who won unanimously after three rounds to book his PFL Championship bout against Brendan Loughnane.
PFL Playoffs
In the co-main event, the welterweights were on display as Magomed Umalatov (17-0) took on Neiman Gracie (13-6). Gracie got this spot in the semifinals after Don Madge suffered an injury. Unfortunately for Gracie, he just couldn’t get enough going against Umalatov who was able to remain unbeaten and punch his ticket to the PFL World Championships.
The star of the evening came out in the first playoff matchup of the night. In a rematch, Shamil Musaev (19-0-1) took on Murad Ramazanov (12-2). These two fought earlier this year and both Russians were undefeated at the time. Musaev knocked out Ramazanov in the first fight and was very dominant in this second fight as well.
The PFL has a star in Musaev who will now be tasked with taking on a fellow unbeaten Russian in the PFL World Championships in Magomed Umalatov.