Brendan Loughnane is as soon as once more on the doorstep of $1 million.
The 2022 PFL champion superior to 2024’s featherweight finals with a grueling three-round win over Kai Kamaka III on Friday in the primary occasion of PFL 9, which happened at The Anthem in Washington, D.C.
Loughnane (30-5), the No. 1 featherweight seed after this yr’s common season, had No. 4 seed Kamaka (14-6-1) on the ropes within the opening spherical, hurting the UFC veteran with a spinning again kick to the physique then dropping him with a livid salvo of punches and clinch knees. Whereas Kamaka survived to be saved by the bell, then rebounded to mount a aggressive ultimate 10 minutes — repeatedly countering Loughnane’s offense and creating automobile crashes of their exchanges — Loughnane nonetheless discovered sufficient success together with his lengthy jabs and spinning assaults to take a well-earned cut up resolution by way of 29-28, 28-29, and 30-27 scores.
Standing throughout Loughnane within the $1 million featherweight finals is No. 3 seed Timur Khizriev (17-0), a Bellator import who continued his dominance over PFL with a cut up resolution win over 2023 finalist and No. 2 seed Gabriel Braga (14-2).
In a aggressive however in the end clear bout, Khizriev constantly beat Braga to the punch and outstruck the Brazilian over quarter-hour to earn a pair of 30-27 scores from judges Bryan Miner and Rick Winter, whereas controversial choose David Tirelli turned in a puzzling 29-28 Braga scorecard. Notably, Tirelli was additionally the dissenting choose in Loughnane vs. Kamaka.
Within the evening’s co-main occasion, No. 2 welterweight seed Magomed Umalatov (17-0) fended off a flurry of late submission makes an attempt to outpoint alternative opponent Neiman Gracie (13-6) and advance to the PFL finals. Umalatov bloodied Gracie and repeatedly peppered the one-time Bellator title challenger with proper arms, arduous left hooks, and piston-fast one-twos to achieve an early lead, earlier than Gracie rallied within the third spherical with a swarm of submission makes an attempt off his again, together with not often seen gogoplatas and calf slicers.
The judges in the end scored the bout 30-27, 29-28, and 29-28 in Umalatov’s favor, extending the Russian’s PFL scorching streak to eight straight wins in eight appearances.
Assembly Umalatov within the $1 million welterweight finals is his countryman, No. 1 seed Shamil Musaev (19-0-1), after the undefeated Russian dominated No. 4 seed Murad Ramazanov (12-2) for a second time this season to punch his ticket by way of the bracket.
Lower than two months after knocking out Ramazanov in an everyday season bout, Musaev as soon as once more outclassed his foe, utilizing a mixture of suffocating tempo and relentless strain in each the standup and grappling realms to earn a one-sided unanimous resolution with 29-28, 30-27, and 30-27 scores.
The primary card bouts capped off a nine-fight occasion that ended with seven straight selections.
