This Friday, two of the very best featherweights on the planet will conflict in the primary occasion of the Skilled Fighter’s League 2024 Championship. Rounding out an evening full of 5 different title bouts, Brendan Loughnane and Timur Khizriev will sq. off for the possibility at attaining not solely life-changing cash within the type of a large $1 million prize, but additionally a highly-coveted PFL championship belt. Each males have remained good over the course of their common season and playoff runs, with Loughnane buying two stoppage wins and Khizriev smothering the competitors with three choice wins in a row.
After successful the PFL 2022 145-lb. event in 2022, Loughnane (30-5 MMA, 12-2 PFL) a heavy favourite to take residence the million-dollar verify as soon as once more in 2023. That was till a primary spherical knockout loss to Jesus Pinedo within the common season noticed him be eradicated from the competitors. This brought on him to sadly wait on the sidelines for almost a whole 12 months whereas Pinedo went on to win the season. Oddly sufficient, the KO end marked the primary time the 34-year-old had ever misplaced an outing to the cage by strikes in his greater than 30 battle profession up till that time.
That 12 months ready within the wings didn’t appear to uninteresting his preventing spirit, nonetheless, because the Englishman wasted no time in impressing in his 2024 debut by ending Pedro Carvalho with strikes in lower than a spherical. He then adopted this up by recording his second stoppage victory in a row over Justin Gonzales after slicing open the American’s brow with a devastating knee, in the end forcing the cageside physician to wave off the competition. This two battle win streak propelled Loughnane right into a aggressive title eliminator matchup with Kai Kamaka III two months later, which Loughnane barely prevailed in with a aggressive cut up choice win over the Hawaiian.
WASHINGTON, DC – AUGUST 23: Kai Kamaka III throws a kick in opposition to Brendan Loughnane throughout the PFL 2024 Playoffs at The Anthem on August 23, 2024 in Washington, DC. (Photograph by Cooper Neill/Getty Pictures)
Going an ideal 3-0 in Bellator earlier than the corporate was finally molded into the PFL, Khizriev (17-0 MMA, 3-0 PFL) dominantly stormed his approach via his first few matches within the featherweight event. On his strategy to scoring his spot within the event finals, the Makhachkala native breezed previous veteran fighters in Brett Johns and Enrique Barzola. He additionally (identical to Loughnane) claimed a back-and-forth cut up choice to punch his ticket to the bracket’s championship bout, defeating the hard-hitting Gabriel Braga by the pores and skin of his enamel.
WASHINGTON, DC – AUGUST 23: Timur Khizriev throws a punch in opposition to Gabriel Braga throughout the PFL 2024 Playoffs at The Anthem on August 23, 2024 in Washington, DC. (Photograph by Cooper Neill/Getty Pictures)
For Loughnane, getting his hand raised this Friday afternoon could be the proper strategy to cap off a spectacular comeback after being so roughly dispatched final 12 months. He’d additionally cement his place in firm historical past as solely the second man to win the PFL Featherweight Championship twice after Lance Palmer, who earned the strap in each 2018 and 2019.
Amongst a rising surge of elite-level fighters from Dagestan, Khizriev seems to be the following in line for MMA greatness ought to he handle to eliminate his English adversary. The victory would make him one of many few people from his nation to ever earn a championship title in a significant group, becoming a member of the likes of Movlid Khaybulaev, Ali Isaev, and Magomed Magomedkerimov who all had PFL gold wrapped round their waist at one level.
