UFC Lightweight Champion Islam Makhachev watched on as another teammate claimed 155-pound title glory in a major promotion.
Gadzi Rabadanov, a former Eagle FC competitor and Bellator contender, was among those competing with gold on the line at the 2024 PFL World Championship last Friday, where both PFL Global and inaugural PFL MENA belts were dished out.
The Dagestani figured on the main card opposite Brent Primus, whom he earned the right to face in the lightweight final by outpointing Solomon Renfro and Elvin Espinoza in the regular season before knocking out Michael Dufort in the semifinal.
And Rabadanov sent the former Bellator champion to the same fate as Dumont in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Nov. 29, dominating through two rounds before brutally face-planting the American to close the show in the third frame.
With the result, the Makhachkala native won gold in a major promotion, took home $1 million in prize money, and marked the latest from Khabib Nurmagomedov’s famed team to earn champion status.
That was no doubt unsurprising to those who’ve trained with him, one being Makhachev. The UFC’s lightweight kingpin has long touted Rabadanov for success, and he praised his teammate’s victory in a social media post this past weekend.
“Congratulations brother @gadzhi_rabadanov. I think in this Grand Prix you’re just beginning to reach your potential… And now a well-deserved rest.”
Rabadanov has joined UFC’s Makhachev and Bellator standout Usman Nurmagomedov as the three lightweight titleholders in the major US-based organizations.
In the past, Nurmagomedov has been tipped by his team to succeed Makhachev as the 155-pound king on MMA’s biggest stage. But with Rabadanov earning global praise for his 10th straight win, perhaps he, too, will pursue success in the Octagon down the line.
