Usman Nurmagomedov and Alfie Davis will star in the beginning of the 2026 PFL season
The 2026 PFL season will kick off with a lightweight title fight between Usman Nurmagomedov and Alfie Davis, executives announced on Thursday.
Nurmagomedov (20-0) will seek to defend his PFL title for the first time 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 with the PFL. He became the promotion’s official lightweight champion in October, winning the vacant title in a fight against Paul Hughes.
PFL is renewing its identity in 2026, abandoning the previous season formats and single-elimination tournaments in favor of a more traditional MMA matchmaking system. Nurmagomedov is one of the faces of the company and is considered one of the best fighters in the world competing outside of the UFC. He is ranked fifth in the lightweight rankings across all MMA promotions.
Davis, from England, won the PFL lightweight tournament this year, with victories over Clay Collard, Brent Primus, and Gadzhi Rabadanov. Rabadanov, whom Davis defeated in the 2025 lightweight final by unanimous decision, is actually a close friend and teammate from Nurmagomedov’s team from Dagestan.
