The first Professional Fighters League show of the new
year will make use of its merged roster well.
The promotion announced via press release the top two bouts for
PFL’s Road to Dubai, also known as
Champions Series Dubai. This event, the rebranding of the
Bellator MMA Champions Series from 2024, will
be held on Jan. 25 at the Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai, United Arab
Emirates. The main attraction will be a lightweight championship
attraction as Usman
Nurmagomedov (18-0, 1 NC) puts his Bellator belt on the line
against Paul Hughes
(13-1). Additionally, the co-headliner comes at heavyweight as
ex-Bellator kingpin Vadim
Nemkov (17-2, 1 NC) battles PFL veteran Ante Delija
(24-6).
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Nurmagomedov returned following a failed post-fight drug test for
an undisclosed substance that resulted in his lightweight title
defense against Brent
Primus turning to a no contest. The promotion allowed him to
keep his belt and continue defending it, as he staved off Alexandr
Shabliy in September to remain undefeated. Nurmagomedov claimed
the throne against Patricky
Freire in 2022 and kept an iron grip on it the following year
by tapping Benson
Henderson.
Ireland’s Hughes earned a crack at 155-pound gold by beating
A.J.
McKee on the scorecards in a close contest. The former Cage Warriors Fighting Championship
featherweight champ introduced himself to the major leagues by
pounding out Bobby King in
June to set himself up for the matchup with McKee. The lone loss
for “Big News” came against Jordan
Vucenic, and he avenged it three fights later.
Former light heavyweight champion Nemkov moved back to heavyweight
in February, where he put Bruno
Cappelozza to sleep with an arm-triangle choke to push his
unbeaten streak to 13 straight. Nemkov broke the Bellator record
for the most title defenses at 205 pounds before his move, vacating
his belt willingly. According to Nemkov, this is the final fight on
his Bellator/PFL contract, and he has his sights set on greener
pastures after this bout.
Looking to spoil the party will be 2022 PFL heavyweight tourney
winner Delija. In April, the Croatian fighter had his five-fight
win streak come to a crashing halt when Valentin
Moldavsky ran through him in less than half a round. Before the
knockout loss, Delija had racked up three knockouts in five
victories, including stoppages of Renan
Ferreira and Matheus
Scheffel to claim the PFL throne that year. For the time being,
the co-main event is official per the promotion, although a source
close to the situation informed Sherdog that Delija may be
undergoing surgery soon and that the booking is not finalized.