A two-time winner of the PFL welterweight season, Magomed Magomedkerimov, is reportedly eyeing a move to the UFC.
Magomedkerimov (34-6) has spent nearly half his professional fighting career under the PFL banner. He’s found plenty of success by winning the PFL’s welterweight tournament in 2018 and 2023, but after last year, the Russian expressed his desire to move away from the season format.
His wish was granted, and a fight against former Bellator champion Jason Jackson was set for PFL vs. Bellator: Champions in February. However, Magomedkerimov withdrew due to an undisclosed injury, and has not competed in 2024. His last fight was a season-winning submission of Sadibou Sy at 2023 PFL Championship last November.
Now, Magomedkerimov, 34, would like to be released from the PFL so he can join the UFC.
“I’m waiting for PFL to let me go,” Magomedkerimov told Meta Ratings in Russian (translated by Google). “I want to test my strength in the UFC. If I can come to an agreement with the management to terminate the contract, I will talk about moving to the UFC. If not, I will have another fight.”
Magomedkerimov said he currently has a fight offer on the table to face Bellator middleweight champion Johnny Eblen, but would still like a change of scenery.
“At the moemnt, we are waiting for the situation with PFL to be resolved,” Magomedkerimov said. “After that, we will start communicating with UFC.”
As I told my brother years ago, never fight a man with more than one Magomed or Medov in his name.
There’s more PFL on the way.
According to company CEO Peter Murray, the promotion plans to increase the number of events from 2024 to 2025 and then again from 2025 to 2026.
“We have a regular cadence for every property,” Murray told talkSPORT on Friday during 2024 PFL Championship. “This year, we had 28 events. Next year, we’ll have 36 events. Come 2026, we’ll have 50 events. So we’re focused on our global franchise events and then regional league events.”
Murray referenced 28 PFL events in 2024. However, that number is actually 26. That means the number of events will increase more than 38 percent year-over-year.
There were also Bellator event cancellations in Chicago, Paris, and Saitama, Japan. Murray’s answer was in response to a question regarding the recent surge in unhappy Bellator fighters vocalizing their displeasure about inactivity.
But don’t expect the Champions Series events to go anywhere. Though the Bellator name has been removed from the branding, there’s one scheduled for Jan. 25 in Dubai. It seems like the four-tiered approach to PFL events will be maintained in the new year.
“It’s a great call,” Murray said. “I think with the acquisition of Bellator, some fighters and fans don’t understand where that fits in. But now that we’ve established the Champions Series, it’s the super fights on top, then the Champions Series, then the global season, and the international leagues. That’s the architecture and that’s the pathway for fighters.”