The PFL had its inaugural welterweight champion in its new era, and his name was Ramazan Kuramagomedov. But just like that, it appears to all be over already.
Kuramagomedov defeated Shamil Musaev in the co-main event of PFL Dubai to capture the gold -- only to announce retirement at just 29 years old and a 14-0 record.
A quiet first round saw Kuramagomedov present a strong advantage, utilizing the cage and grappling pressure to stifle and nullify the offense of Musaev. Kuramagomedov turned things up late in the second round, however, landing a knee that did damage before dropping Musaev with a kick, landing in some strong follow-up shots.
Musaev got back to his feet but was in Kuramagomedov's clinch and ate a couple of more shots before the end of round two.
Musaev tried to show off his own grappling with a throw attempt early in the third round, only for him to end up on the bottom of Kuramagomedov. After a couple of minutes of work on top, Kuramagomedov made his way to the back of Musaev, securing a body triangle and looking for a choke. Musaev escaped with 40 seconds left in the round but couldn't get much offense going from there.
Kuramagomedov continued to use his clinch work and grappling to shut down Musaev's offense. Musaev then landed a knee on a grounded Kuramagomedov before the end of the round, resulting in a point deduction. Musaev tried to get his offense efforts up in round five, but it was all for naught.
All three judges scored the fight for Kuramagomedov 48-46.
Kuramagomedov, who appears to have suffered a broken arm during the fight, then took everyone by surprise by saying he had competed in his last fight, something he says he had seriously contemplated for a while.
Ramazan Kuramagomedov Retires After Defeating Shamil Musaev For PFL Welterweight Title At PFL Dubai
Kuramagomedov's last fight prior to tonight came in June 2024, at Bellator Dublin, where he defeated Jason Jackson to become Bellator welterweight champion. Kuramagomedov did not defend the Bellator title before the promotion was dissolved by the PFL.
Musaev, a Wushu Sanda champion, earned tonight's title shot by going through Logan Storley, Murad Ramazanov, and Magomed Umalatov to win the 2024 PFL Welterweight Tournament.