Usman Nurmagomedov Defends PFL Lightweight Title in Dominant Night

The Professional Fighters League (PFL) staged a marquee card at UBS Arena in Elmont, New York, featuring two unbeaten stars. In the lightweight championship bout, Usman Nurmagomedov stopped fellow unbeaten contender Archie Colgan in the first round, while the women’s flyweight co-main saw Dakota Ditcheva defeat Denise Kielholtz by unanimous decision. The night followed the league’s announcement of a merger with Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions (MVP).

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A day after the PFL publicized its partnership with MVP, the organization highlighted the alliance by positioning Jake Paul in the arena’s cage. The merger signals an effort to broaden the league’s media reach and attract new audiences, with Paul’s presence underscoring the promotional shift.

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• Usman Nurmagomedov (28, Dagestan) entered the bout with a 22-0 record and one no-contest; he knocked out Archie Colgan (31, Denver) at 3:42 of round 1 after a head kick and follow-up uppercuts. Colgan’s record stood at 13-1.

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• Dakota Ditcheva (28, England) improved to 16-0, earning a unanimous 30-27 decision over Denise Kielholtz (37, Netherlands). Ditcheva has amassed 13 finishes—12 by knockout—across her PFL career. Kielholtz entered with a 9-6 record.

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Nurmagomedov credited “discipline” and “hard sparring” with his cousin Khabib Nurmagomedov’s gym and with double-UFC champion Islam Makhachev for his performance. He noted the bout was the final fight on his PFL contract and addressed MVP’s criticism of UFC CEO Dana White’s pay practices, suggesting the new partnership would test payment models. The fighter also hinted at future challenges, positioning himself for the next chapter under MVP.

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• “MVP, they always trash talk a little bit about [UFC CEO] Dana [White] -- he doesn't pay,” — Usman Nurmagomedov, former UFC champion (Nurmagomedov addressing MVP’s remarks about UFC compensation)

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