Movlid Khaybulaev put on a dominant display of takedowns and grappling pressure, as he took a clear decision over Taekyun Kim at the PFL World Tournament semifinal event in Nashville to lock up a spot in the 145-pound final fight.
From the opening round, Khaybulaev repeatedly grounded Kim with takedowns, neutralizing his offense and constantly wearing him down with clinch control, top pressure, and knees to the legs. Kim showed heart in trying to escape Khaybulaev's relentless grappling offense, especially in the later moments of the fight, but it all was for naught.
Khaybulaev's takedowns, top control, and consistent damage proved to be too much over the course of 15 minutes, totaling nine takedowns in that timeframe. The last takedown came in the closing seconds to seal a dominant win, with Khaybulaev sweeping the scorecards.
Movlid Khaybulaev Clinches Finals Spot With Win Over Taekyun Kim In PFL World Tournament
Khaybulaev, the 2021 PFL featherweight champion, remains unbeaten and now advances to the finals, where he will meet the winner of the trilogy fight between Jesus Pinedo and Gabriel Braga.
Kim, a veteran of Brave CF and UAE Warriors, suffers just the second loss of his professional MMA career.