Usman Nurmagomedov wasn't having all of the ref's instructions and said, "I'm gonna finish him." The ref replied, "Yeah, good - make my job easy." 😂 (Via@akajav) pic.twitter.com/IyRauGPXz4 - Red Corner MMA (@RedCorner_MMA)
Usman Nurmagomedov, arguably the PFL's biggest star, looked to defend his lightweight title against World Tournament winner Alfie Davis on Saturday. The lightweight title fight headlined PFL: Road to Dubai at the Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai, UAE, the first card of 2026 for the promotion. An "Usman! Usman! Usman!" chant immediately broke out in the arena, while Davis flashed stance switches in response to Nurmagomedov's kicks.
He dipped into his deep bag of tricks-the Frenchman even connected with a jumping head kick in the first round-and toyed with Held on the feet and on the ground. Parnasse eventually pinned the Polish grappler to the fence and unleashed a volley of punishing hooks to the body from both hands in the second round. Held collapsed at his feet, where he absorbed a few more punches before referee Aleh Miliakou elected to intervene on his behalf.
If it's offered to me, of course, I'm gonna fight for the lightweight title. But as everyone knows, I'm pretty real with everything. Right now, it's like, do I deserve a shot at the lightweight title? I know I don't. I'm not planning to fight for another two to three years. For me to deserve another shot like that I'm gonna need another two to three wins.
