Usman Nurmagomedov and Alfie Davis will headline the lightweight title fight in 2026
The 2026 PFL season will kick off with an exciting lightweight title fight between Usman Nurmagomedov and Alfie Davis, as announced by the executives on Thursday.
Nurmagomedov, who holds an undefeated record of 20-0, will seek to defend his PFL title against Davis (20-5-1) on February 7 at the Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai.
Nurmagomedov, cousin of the legendary Khabib Nurmagomedov, is a former Bellator MMA champion. This will be his third appearance under the PFL banner, where he was crowned official lightweight champion in October, after winning the vacant belt in a fight against Paul Hughes.
PFL is renewing its identity for 2026, abandoning the season and tournament formats of direct elimination in favor of a more traditional matchmaking system in MMA. Nurmagomedov is one of the company’s leading figures and is considered one of the best fighters in the world outside of the UFC. Currently, he holds the fifth position in the lightweight ranking across all MMA promotions.
Davis, from England, won the PFL lightweight tournament this year, after defeating Clay Collard, Brent Primus, and Gadzhi Rabadanov. Rabadanov, whom Davis defeated in the 2025 lightweight final by unanimous decision, is a close friend and teammate of Nurmagomedov’s team from Dagestan.
