Usman Nurmagomedov and Alfie Davis will star in the start of the 2026 PFL season
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 (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 under the PFL banner. He became the promotion’s official lightweight champion in October, winning the vacant belt in a fight against Paul Hughes.
PFL is revamping its identity in 2026, abandoning the previous season formats and single-elimination tournaments in favor of more traditional MMA matchmaking. 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 currently 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 of Nurmagomedov’s team from Dagestan.
