On the main card of the PFL World Championships this Saturday from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, there will be a battle of the unbeatens for the welterweight title. Shamil Musaev (19-0-1) will look to continue his dominant run and capture a world title as he takes on PFL vet and fellow unbeaten Russian Magomed Umalatov (17-0).
For Umalatov, this moment is a longtime coming. He first made his promotional debut back in 2021. While he went 2-0, he wasn’t able to advance. In 2022, he had to pull out of his first fight and then won his second fight by knockout. However, visa issues kept him from fighting again.
Last year, two wins punched his ticket to the PFL Playoffs, but he was forced to withdrawal again. This year, a perfect 3-0 sweep finally brings him to the opportunity he’s been trying to get to for more than three years. He’s fighting for the welterweight world championship.
Standing across from him is fellow Russian Shamil Musaev. Musaev made his PFL debut this season and he came out swinging. He stopped former interim Bellator champion in the second round. Then he viciously knocked out Murad Ramazanov who was unbeaten at the time. He immediately rematched Ramazanov in the semifinals with the way the season shook out and he won against by a decision. Now, he gets the chance to become a world champion.
PFL Championship Prediction
These two in many ways cancel each other out. Both Umalatov and Musaev have good wrestling, but we’ve seen Umalatov try to lean on it more recently. They both have good striking, but again, Musaev has been showing it more frequently as of late. This is a very competitive matchup.
That said, I like Shamil Musaev in this spot to hand Magomed Umalatov his first loss. Ultimately I think this matchup is going to come down to the power and fluidity on the feet which both favor Musaev. While Umalatov is a very capable striker, he tendency to lean heavily on the wrestling might bite him here. Give me Shamil Musaev within the distance to become the PFL Welterweight World Champion.
Prediction: Shamil Musaev by TKO