17 hours ago
There's a new king of PFL, at least that's what he self-procclaims.
Regardless of whether you're the biggest supporter or biggest skeptic, there's no denying Moustapha Diakhate made an impact Friday at PFL New York.
From the opening entrance to the post-fight interview, Diakhate (6-0-1) turned some heads at UBS Arena in Elmont, N.Y. Diakhate entered with drummers, decked out in traditional Senegalese garb. With a jingasa hat, chains, and blond hair, the visuals Diakhate created were not run-of-the-mill.
"The clothes I wore, they were original from the King of Senegal," Diakhate told reporters after the fight (h/t Home of Fight). "Putting the clothes on me, I represented more my people and the kings of Senegal. ... Everybody says to me, 'Moustapha, why don't you go and do a movie?' I say, 'Maybe, one day.' I'm Moustapha Diakhate. I don't have an inspiration. I'm my inspiration. I try representing my people of Senegal, Africa. You know, 'Wakanda forever'? Let's go."
When it came time to fight, Diakhate delivered. He finished short-notice replacement Darryl Walker with ground-and-pound punches at 2:35 of Round 1. It was quite the exclamation point on a week full of uncertainty after multiple opponent withdrawals.
#diakhate #clothes
Regardless of whether you're the biggest supporter or biggest skeptic, there's no denying Moustapha Diakhate made an impact Friday at PFL New York.
From the opening entrance to the post-fight interview, Diakhate (6-0-1) turned some heads at UBS Arena in Elmont, N.Y. Diakhate entered with drummers, decked out in traditional Senegalese garb. With a jingasa hat, chains, and blond hair, the visuals Diakhate created were not run-of-the-mill.
"The clothes I wore, they were original from the King of Senegal," Diakhate told reporters after the fight (h/t Home of Fight). "Putting the clothes on me, I represented more my people and the kings of Senegal. ... Everybody says to me, 'Moustapha, why don't you go and do a movie?' I say, 'Maybe, one day.' I'm Moustapha Diakhate. I don't have an inspiration. I'm my inspiration. I try representing my people of Senegal, Africa. You know, 'Wakanda forever'? Let's go."
When it came time to fight, Diakhate delivered. He finished short-notice replacement Darryl Walker with ground-and-pound punches at 2:35 of Round 1. It was quite the exclamation point on a week full of uncertainty after multiple opponent withdrawals.
#diakhate #clothes
4 days ago
Professional Fighters League's return to UBS Arena in LongIsland, New York, was punctuated by a majestic performance in themain event.
The PFL New York headliner saw current 155-pound ***** leholderUsmanNurmagomedov (22-0, 1 NC; 4-0 PFL) defend his championshipagainst ArchieColgan (13-1, 2-1 PFL). After a feeling-out couple of minutesin the center of the cage, Nurmagomedov connected with a head kickon his opponent's temple before following up with a big left handthat dropped Colgan. Shortly after the American managed torecompose himself and get back to his feet, Nurmagomedov followedup with more uppercuts that sent "King" to his knees. Smellingblood, the Dagestani landed more punches before referee KeithPeterson waved it off at the 3:42 mark of Round 1. In hispost-fight interview, Nurmagomedov was noncommittal about hisfuture in the promotion, since Friday's fight was the last on hiscurrent contract.
In the co-main event, DakotaDitcheva (16-0, 11-0 PFL) made a successful return from ayear-long injury hiatus, taking on former BellatorMMA ***** le challenger DeniseKielholtz (9-6, 1-1 PFL). "Dangerous" showed no cage rust,combining clean, sharp striking with effective takedowns, puttingany concerns about the injured hand to rest. Ditcheva made the mostof her reach, attacking from range with front kicks to the head andmidsection, while Kielholtz answered with a few spinning attacksbut overall posed little threat. The pace slowed in the thirdframe, drawing scattered boos as Ditcheva went the distance for thethird time in her otherwise finish-heavy career. When the dustsettled, all three judges scored it 30-27 for Ditcheva.
In a 157-pound catchweight tilt, AmruMagomedov (10-0, 2-0 PFL) kept his record unblemished byovercoming AngelAlvarez (11-3, 1-1 PFL). Magomedov attacked with a variety ofstrikes out of the gate, but his kicks proved to be his most lethalweapon. After "Salsa King," who failed to make the contracted155-pound weight limit the day before, crumpled from the damage,Magomedov poured it on until referee Dan Miragliotta stepped in at 4:28 ofRound 2.
An elitemiddleweight clash headlines PFL Charlotte: Tune on Friday, Aug. 7at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN.
The main card opener saw former Ares Fighting Championship205-pound kingpin MoustaphaDiakhate (6-0-1, 1-0 PFL) make a statement in his promotionaldebut, crushing last-minute replacement DarrylKing Walker (2-1, 0-1 PFL). "Black Black" hunted his opponentdown with strikes from the opening bell before taking the fight to the canvas and finishing "The Sacred Beast"from mount at 2:35 into the opening stanza.
In the featured fight on the preliminary card, LazaroDayron (11-0-1, 3-0-1 PFL) relied on his crisp striking andwell-timed takedowns to outpoint former interim Bellator MMA135-pound ***** leholder RaufeonStots (21-5, 1-3 PFL) at the end of a close contest, with twojudges scoring 29-28 in favor of "El Cazador" and one 29-28 for"Supa"; earlier, Sean Gauci(12-1, 2-0 PFL) dominated AllanB
The PFL New York headliner saw current 155-pound ***** leholderUsmanNurmagomedov (22-0, 1 NC; 4-0 PFL) defend his championshipagainst ArchieColgan (13-1, 2-1 PFL). After a feeling-out couple of minutesin the center of the cage, Nurmagomedov connected with a head kickon his opponent's temple before following up with a big left handthat dropped Colgan. Shortly after the American managed torecompose himself and get back to his feet, Nurmagomedov followedup with more uppercuts that sent "King" to his knees. Smellingblood, the Dagestani landed more punches before referee KeithPeterson waved it off at the 3:42 mark of Round 1. In hispost-fight interview, Nurmagomedov was noncommittal about hisfuture in the promotion, since Friday's fight was the last on hiscurrent contract.
In the co-main event, DakotaDitcheva (16-0, 11-0 PFL) made a successful return from ayear-long injury hiatus, taking on former BellatorMMA ***** le challenger DeniseKielholtz (9-6, 1-1 PFL). "Dangerous" showed no cage rust,combining clean, sharp striking with effective takedowns, puttingany concerns about the injured hand to rest. Ditcheva made the mostof her reach, attacking from range with front kicks to the head andmidsection, while Kielholtz answered with a few spinning attacksbut overall posed little threat. The pace slowed in the thirdframe, drawing scattered boos as Ditcheva went the distance for thethird time in her otherwise finish-heavy career. When the dustsettled, all three judges scored it 30-27 for Ditcheva.
In a 157-pound catchweight tilt, AmruMagomedov (10-0, 2-0 PFL) kept his record unblemished byovercoming AngelAlvarez (11-3, 1-1 PFL). Magomedov attacked with a variety ofstrikes out of the gate, but his kicks proved to be his most lethalweapon. After "Salsa King," who failed to make the contracted155-pound weight limit the day before, crumpled from the damage,Magomedov poured it on until referee Dan Miragliotta stepped in at 4:28 ofRound 2.
An elitemiddleweight clash headlines PFL Charlotte: Tune on Friday, Aug. 7at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN.
The main card opener saw former Ares Fighting Championship205-pound kingpin MoustaphaDiakhate (6-0-1, 1-0 PFL) make a statement in his promotionaldebut, crushing last-minute replacement DarrylKing Walker (2-1, 0-1 PFL). "Black Black" hunted his opponentdown with strikes from the opening bell before taking the fight to the canvas and finishing "The Sacred Beast"from mount at 2:35 into the opening stanza.
In the featured fight on the preliminary card, LazaroDayron (11-0-1, 3-0-1 PFL) relied on his crisp striking andwell-timed takedowns to outpoint former interim Bellator MMA135-pound ***** leholder RaufeonStots (21-5, 1-3 PFL) at the end of a close contest, with twojudges scoring 29-28 in favor of "El Cazador" and one 29-28 for"Supa"; earlier, Sean Gauci(12-1, 2-0 PFL) dominated AllanB
4 days ago
Professional Fighters League (PFL) continues its Summer Series later TONIGHT (Fri., July 31, 2026) as PFL New York goes down from inside UBS Arena in Elmont, New York. Headlining the event will be a Lightweight ***** le fight as division kingpin, Usman Nurmagomedov, defends the strap against Archie Colgan.
Nurmagomedov (21-0) is looking to lock down his second-ever ***** le defense, with his first coming against Alfie Davis earlier this year, submitting him via triangle choke at PFL Dubai (see it again here). As for Colgan, he is undefeated (13-0) and is 2-0 under PFL's banner. Prior to that, Colgan had racked up a record of 7-0 under Bellator MMA's banner.
Many readers check in before, during and after the fights to share their thoughts on all of the action, as the main card kicks off at 7 p.m. ET on the ESPN App and ESPN2. Feel free to leave a comment (or several) about the bouts and chat with all the other Maniacs during the show — it's always a lot of fun!
In the co-main event, striking superstar, Dakota Ditcheva, returns after a rare year-long layoff in an effort to improve on her mint record of (15-0, 10-0 PFL), taking on long-time combat veteran, Denise Kielholtz, in a women's Flyweight (cough, squash) match. The two were set to throw down at PFL Dubai earlier this year, but the bout had to be rescheduled after Ditcheva withdrew with an injury (more details here).
155 lbs.: Usman Nurmagomedov vs. Archie Colgan – Nurmagomedov wins via first-round knockout
125 lbs.: Dakota Ditcheva vs. Denise Kielholtz -Ditcheva wins via unanimous decision – HIGHLIGHTS!
155 lbs.: Amru Magomedov vs. Angel Alvarez – Magomedov wins via second round TKO
205 lbs.: Moustapha Diakhate vs. Zacharia Nishimwe – Diakhate via first-round TKO
135 lbs.: Raufeon Stots vs. Lazaro Dayron – Dayron wins via split-decision
135 lbs.: Sean Gauci vs. Alan Begosso – Gauci wins via unanimous decision
170 lbs.: Jonathan Piersma vs. Omar El Dafrawy – Dafrawy wins via unanimous decision
125 lbs.: Montana De La Rosa vs. Tatiana Postarnakova- Postarnakova wins via split-decision
155 lbs.: Chamy Delva vs. Levan Khabalaev – Khabalaev wins via first-round TKO
#decision
Nurmagomedov (21-0) is looking to lock down his second-ever ***** le defense, with his first coming against Alfie Davis earlier this year, submitting him via triangle choke at PFL Dubai (see it again here). As for Colgan, he is undefeated (13-0) and is 2-0 under PFL's banner. Prior to that, Colgan had racked up a record of 7-0 under Bellator MMA's banner.
Many readers check in before, during and after the fights to share their thoughts on all of the action, as the main card kicks off at 7 p.m. ET on the ESPN App and ESPN2. Feel free to leave a comment (or several) about the bouts and chat with all the other Maniacs during the show — it's always a lot of fun!
In the co-main event, striking superstar, Dakota Ditcheva, returns after a rare year-long layoff in an effort to improve on her mint record of (15-0, 10-0 PFL), taking on long-time combat veteran, Denise Kielholtz, in a women's Flyweight (cough, squash) match. The two were set to throw down at PFL Dubai earlier this year, but the bout had to be rescheduled after Ditcheva withdrew with an injury (more details here).
155 lbs.: Usman Nurmagomedov vs. Archie Colgan – Nurmagomedov wins via first-round knockout
125 lbs.: Dakota Ditcheva vs. Denise Kielholtz -Ditcheva wins via unanimous decision – HIGHLIGHTS!
155 lbs.: Amru Magomedov vs. Angel Alvarez – Magomedov wins via second round TKO
205 lbs.: Moustapha Diakhate vs. Zacharia Nishimwe – Diakhate via first-round TKO
135 lbs.: Raufeon Stots vs. Lazaro Dayron – Dayron wins via split-decision
135 lbs.: Sean Gauci vs. Alan Begosso – Gauci wins via unanimous decision
170 lbs.: Jonathan Piersma vs. Omar El Dafrawy – Dafrawy wins via unanimous decision
125 lbs.: Montana De La Rosa vs. Tatiana Postarnakova- Postarnakova wins via split-decision
155 lbs.: Chamy Delva vs. Levan Khabalaev – Khabalaev wins via first-round TKO
#decision
7 days ago
The Professional Fighters League has finalized the lineup for itsJuly 31 event at UBS Arena in Long Island, New York, featuring an11-bout card headlined by a lightweight **** le fight.
PFL New York is headlined by UsmanNurmagomedov vs. ArchieColgan. The card also features several notable matchups acrossthe main and preliminary cards.
PFL New York will see undefeated champion Nurmagomedov (21-0)defend his lightweight crown against unbeaten contender Colgan(13-0) in the main event.
In the co-headliner, top-ranked women's flyweight DakotaDitcheva (15-0) returns after more than a year on the sidelinesagainst DeniseKielholtz (9-5) in a bout with significant **** le implicationsat 125 pounds.
The main card also includes a light heavyweight matchup betweenDovletdzhanYagshimuradov (26-8-1) and SimeonPowell (12-2), while unbeaten lightweight prospect AmruMagomedov (10-0) squares off against AngelAlvarez (11-2).
The preliminary card is topped by a bantamweight clash betweenRaufeonStots (21-4) and unbeaten LazaroDayron (10-0-1). Elsewhere, JonathanPiersma (12-3) faces Omar ElDafrawy (15-6) in a 175-pound catchweight contest, Sean Gauci(11-1) faces AllanBegosso (10-4-1) at bantamweight and unbeaten light heavyweightprospects MoustaphaDiakhate (5-0-1) and ZachariaNishimwe (4-0) are also set to collide.
A lightweighttitle fight headlines PFL NY: Tune on Friday, July 31 at 7 p.m. ETon ESPN.
Other scheduled matchups include a light heavyweight bout betweenundefeated KhabibNabiev (12-0) and JamelleJones (15-8), a women's flyweight contest featuring MontanaDe La Rosa (13-9-1) against unbeaten TatianaPostarnakova (7-0) and a lightweight matchup pitting Chamy Delva(7-1) against LevanKhabalaev (4-0).
The prelims begin at 4 p.m. ET/1 p.m. PT on ESPN App, with the maincard airing at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT on ESPN.
#unbeaten #main
PFL New York is headlined by UsmanNurmagomedov vs. ArchieColgan. The card also features several notable matchups acrossthe main and preliminary cards.
PFL New York will see undefeated champion Nurmagomedov (21-0)defend his lightweight crown against unbeaten contender Colgan(13-0) in the main event.
In the co-headliner, top-ranked women's flyweight DakotaDitcheva (15-0) returns after more than a year on the sidelinesagainst DeniseKielholtz (9-5) in a bout with significant **** le implicationsat 125 pounds.
The main card also includes a light heavyweight matchup betweenDovletdzhanYagshimuradov (26-8-1) and SimeonPowell (12-2), while unbeaten lightweight prospect AmruMagomedov (10-0) squares off against AngelAlvarez (11-2).
The preliminary card is topped by a bantamweight clash betweenRaufeonStots (21-4) and unbeaten LazaroDayron (10-0-1). Elsewhere, JonathanPiersma (12-3) faces Omar ElDafrawy (15-6) in a 175-pound catchweight contest, Sean Gauci(11-1) faces AllanBegosso (10-4-1) at bantamweight and unbeaten light heavyweightprospects MoustaphaDiakhate (5-0-1) and ZachariaNishimwe (4-0) are also set to collide.
A lightweighttitle fight headlines PFL NY: Tune on Friday, July 31 at 7 p.m. ETon ESPN.
Other scheduled matchups include a light heavyweight bout betweenundefeated KhabibNabiev (12-0) and JamelleJones (15-8), a women's flyweight contest featuring MontanaDe La Rosa (13-9-1) against unbeaten TatianaPostarnakova (7-0) and a lightweight matchup pitting Chamy Delva(7-1) against LevanKhabalaev (4-0).
The prelims begin at 4 p.m. ET/1 p.m. PT on ESPN App, with the maincard airing at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT on ESPN.
#unbeaten #main
