Gadzhi Rabadanov Steals Show at PFL 8 With Vicious Knockout to Earn Spot in Lightweight Season Final

Gadzhi Rabadanov isn’t a fighter known for laying waste to his opponents with devastating punches. But fighting in Hollywood, Florida, seemed to have energized the Russian lightweight. Rabadanov left the largest impression of the four playoff fights Friday night at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood.

In the second round, Rabadanov landed a devastating left hook that landed Michael Dufort on the canvas along the cage. When Rabadanov rushed to follow up with strikes on the ground, MMAfighting’s latest news shows the referee had to step in to save Dufort from absorbing more punishment.

Rabadanov’s victory propelled him into a championship fight with Brent Primus. He has won nine consecutive fights. But this was Rabadanov’s first knockout victory since he scored a first-round knockout of Daniel Carry at Bellator 263 in July 2021. 

Rabadanov has enjoyed his time in the PFL since coming over when the company acquired Bellator last year. He is now 3-0 in the promotion and will have a chance to fight for $1 million later this year.

Primus Follows Plan to Sink Collard

Brent Primus apologized to the audience following his semifinal win over Clay Collard. The former Bellator lightweight champion stuck to a grappling-heavy style to avoid being dragged into a brawl with the unorthodox Collard. Collard likes to come forward with forward pressure and overwhelm his opponents.

But the best MMA news sites show that Primus is an ace grappler. When Primus deployed his wrestling against Collard, the boxer didn’t have a chance to compete. Primus controlled large portions of the fight on the ground.

Primus will need to mix all of his skills to claim the prize by winning the tournament final. Rabadanov showed that anyone who wants to beat him will have to do a good job of halting his wrestling.

Wilkinson Was Way Too Passive

Rob Wilkinson raised his arms following his fight with Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov as he had won by decision. But it was a strange reaction to a surprisingly poor performance from the PFL’s 2022 light heavyweight champion. Wilkinson seemed afraid to trade punches with Yagshimuradov.

What that opened up for Yagshimuradov, according to MMA latest updates, was the ability to set the pace of the fight. Yagshimuradov was able to manage the distance between the two men well. He didn’t throw a lot of volume either, but was the most effective striker.

Wilkinson was suspended for performance-enhancing drug use last season. He will need to have a strong season next year if he wants to show the world that he can win clean.

Impa Could Go Back-to-Back

Impa Kasanganay didn’t have as easy a time fighting Josh Silveira as he did during their light heavyweight title fight last year. Silveira changed his tactics and was a much more aggressive fighter. It made for a more entertaining contest than their meeting last year.

But despite the change in tactics, Silveira wasn’t quite ready to challenge the defending champion. Silveira continued to wade forward and attempt to land strikes, but Kasanganay was able to keep the forward pressure.

Kasanganay picked up a unanimous decision win and will have to face off against the dangerous Yagishuramadov in the final.

Ali Walsh Continues to Build Profile

Biaggaio Ali Walsh is a rarity among major American MMA promotions. Ali Walsh, the grandson of world-renowned boxer Muhammad Ali, has been fighting in PFL events for the past few years. But unlike many amateur fights, who toil in obscurity while they approve, Ali Walsh is someone PFL is marketing as a potential star.

If Ali Walsh is to deliver on his promise at lightweight, he will need more performances like his fight Friday. Ali Walsh, who is now 2-0 as a professional, flattened a fighter making his pro debut. Brian Stapleton had a hard time keeping up and would ultimately be knocked out in less than a minute.

The PFL will need to nurture Ali Walsh’s development. He is still inexperienced in the sport, and the promotion won’t want to waste the time and effort they’ve put into promoting him.

Sabatello Avoids Embarrassing Loss

Danny Sabatello entered this PFL event as one of the biggest favorites on the card. But Sabatello’s night nearly ended in disaster during the first round. He got caught clean by Lazaro Dayron.

Dayron’s stiff punches sent Sabatello sprawling to the canvas in embarrassing fashion. However, one of Dayron’s follow-up shots on the ground may have woken Sabatello up enough to intelligently defend himself. Over the next two rounds, Sabatello wanted to use his wrestling to control the fight.

But the biggest momentum of the fight came in the third round. Dayron was deducted a point for grabbing the fence. Since two of the judges believed Dayron won the third round, taking a point changed the result of the fight.

It was scored a majority draw, with Sabatello somehow winning 29-27 on one judge’s scorecard.

Burnell Wins Wild Fight

Mads Burnell’s style is wild to watch. He likes to stay in the pocket and force his opponent to get into wild exchanges with him. While Burnell being willing to do so kept him out of the playoffs when he was knocked out by Dufort, he is never involved in a boring contest. Burnell had to worry about handling the powerful punches of Elvin Espinoza.

Espinoza did land some power shots in the first round of the fight. However, Espinoza would eventually be slowly worn down throughout the fight by Burnell’s continuing to come forward. Ultimately, Burnell’s pressure and volume would allow him to earn his second win in the PFL.

Here’s a look at the rest of the fights not mentioned above:

• Welterweight, Thad Jeann win by decision over Chris Brown, 30-27, 29-28 (x2)
• Featherweight, Jordan Oliver win by decision over Braydon Akeo, 30-27, 29-28 (x2)
• Women’s featherweight, Michelle Montague win by submission (rear-naked choke) over Marilia Morais, Round 1 1:44

Find all the latest boxing news and MMA breaking updates on boxingnews.com.

By Dean McHugh.