Gadzhi Rabadanov is set to face Alex Chizov in the co-main event of PFL Sioux Falls on May 2nd. Ahead of the fight, the PFL’s second-ranked lightweight contender described his opponent as a “very tough guy” and expressed excitement for the matchup, stating, “I have a very good opponent, PFL Europe champion. Very tough, tough guy, and I’m very excited. I’m ready. It will be a very good match for us.”
Rabadanov recently suffered a setback against Alfie Davis, a fight that ultimately led to Davis earning a PFL title shot against Rabadanov’s teammate. Reflecting on that August bout, Rabadanov candidly called it a “bullshit fight” and acknowledged his own mistakes, saying, “Fight with Alfie. I know it was a little bit bulls**t fight, you know. A little bit mistake and no excuse. Alfie’s win, but if I beat Alex Chizov, I want to ask PFL about a rematch. I want to get a rematch with this guy, and we will see first of Alex Chizov.”
He further elaborated on his feelings about the Davis fight, explaining, “A lot of things are going to happen, but I don’t want to talk about this because this is like an excuse, you know. I don’t like excuses. This not about me, and we have what we have, you know. We will see, but if they’re going to give me a rematch, I’ll show people, and I’ll break this guy. I believe if I help it, if I’m ready, I’ll break this guy. Finish this guy. We will see.”
Gadzhi Rabadanov Praises Legendary Team Khabib, Explains PFL Champion Conflict
Training with Team Khabib, Rabadanov highlighted the caliber of his teammates and the benefits of such an elite environment. “I train with the best fighters in the world. We have a lot of champions. We have a lot of titles from a lot of promotions. Bellator before, UFC, PFL champion, UAE Warriors, Russian promotion. We have a lot of champions in the gym, and of course, I’m so happy to be there. Represent this team, represent the legacy, our coach. Legendary coach, you know, and I show, I prove people, we are the best team in the world.”
The former PFL tournament champion finds himself in a unique position with the promotion’s shift away from tournaments and the fact that the current PFL champion in his division, Usman Nurmagomedov, is a close teammate. Rabadanov stated, “Now we don’t have a tournament right. We don’t have a tournament, we have rankings, we have one champion. One champion, Usman Nurmagomedov, and right now, I can’t talk about. I can’t talk about a title fight because this guy is my teammate, my brother. We will see what’s going to happen in the future. Right now, I have an opponent, we will see. But for me right now, title fight, we can’t talk about this.”
Regarding PFL’s recent changes, Rabadanov expressed a positive outlook, believing the current system is an improvement. “I think this is better than the tournament because when we fought in the tournament, we didn’t have time. Every year changes, fighters change, champions. Now I think it is much better for fans, for fighters, for everybody. Now people understand how this system works.”
