Russian lightweight Gadzhi Rabadanov will seek his second PFL championship in two years after advancing to the finals with a first-round finish over Kevin Lee in the main event Friday night inside Intrust Bank Arena in Wichita, Kansas.
Rabadanov (26-4-2) finished Lee (20-9) with punches along the fence at 2:37 of the first round. It was a dominant win by Rabadanov, who extended his winning streak to 14 and earned his fourth consecutive knockout win.
Rabadanov, of St. Petersburg, Russia, moves on to the Aug. 15 finals against Alfie Davis (19-5-1), who advanced with a decision win over Brent Primus.
Rabadanov won the 2024 lightweight tournament with a third-round TKO over Primus in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Former Bellator MMA flyweight champion Liz Carmouche (24-8) advanced to the PFL finals with a decision win over Elora Dana (8-1). Carmouche will face Jena Bishop (9-2), a grappling specialist who picked up a second-round rear-naked choke finish over Ukraine’s Ekaterina Shakalova (9-3).
Carmouche advanced to the 2024 PFL semifinals before losing to Taila Santos. Bishop, who fights out of San Diego, also advanced to the semifinals in 2024 before losing to eventual champion Dakota Ditcheva.
The 2025 lightweight and women’s flyweight championships will take place at Bojangles Coliseum in Charlotte, North Carolina.
