PFL Champions Series: Road to Dubai 2025
The Professional Fighters League held its Champions Series: Road to Dubai event at the Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai on January 25, 2025. The event, billed as Dagestan vs. Ireland 2, featured a Bellator title fight as the main event.
In the main event, Usman Nurmagomedov defended his Bellator lightweight title against Paul Hughes in a hard-fought five-round affair. Nurmagomedov emerged victorious via majority decision (47-47, 48-46, 48-46) after a closely contested battle.
The co-main event saw Vadim Nemkov make quick work of Timothy Johnson, submitting him via rear-naked choke at 3:08 of the first round. Akhmed Magomedov also impressed, submitting the highly touted Nathan Kelly via rear-naked choke at 4:22 of the second round.
Other notable results from the main card include Ibragim Ibragimov’s unanimous decision win over Kenny Mokhonoana, Renat Khavalov’s unanimous decision win over Cleiver Fernandes, and Haider Khan’s TKO win over Mostafa Nada.
The PFL Champions Series: Road to Dubai results, reactions, video highlights, winners and losers, and more are detailed below.
PFL Champions Series: Road to Dubai Main Card Results
Usman Nurmagomedov defeats Paul Hughes via majority decision (47-47, 48-46, 48-46)
Vadim Nemkov defeats Timothy Johnson via submission (rear-naked choke) at 3:08 of Round 1
Akhmed Magomedov defeats Nathan Kelly via submission (rear-naked choke) at 4:22 of Round 2
Ibragim Ibragimov defeats Kenny Mokhonoana via unanimous decision (30-27 x 3)
Renat Khavalov defeats Cleiver Fernandes via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
PFL Champions Series: Road to Dubai Preliminary Card Results
Ahmed Sami defeats Tarek Suleiman via TKO at 5:00 of Round 1 (punches to head on the ground)
Mirafzal Akhtamov defeats Mike Thompson via technical submission at 2:50 of Round 2 (head and arm choke)
Hadi Al Hussaini defeats Ruel Panales via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 30-27)
John Mitchell defeats Souhil Tairi via unanimous decision (30-27 x 3)
Haider Khan defeats Mostafa Nada via TKO at 3:18 of Round 1 (injury)
PFL Champions Series: Road to Dubai Winners
Usman Nurmagomedov
In a fight that will likely go down as one of the best in PFL/Bellator history, Usman Nurmagomedov and Paul Hughes put on a high-level performance in the main event of Saturday’s PFL Champions Series: Road to Dubai event. Nurmagomedov, the defending Bellator lightweight champion, ultimately got the nod over the rising Hughes in a closely contested fight.
Vadim Nemkov
Vadim Nemkov made easy work of Timothy Johnson on Saturday, scoring a first-round submission. Nemkov is now riding a 13-fight win streak and is widely regarded as one of the best light heavyweights in the world.
Akhmed Magomedov
Akhmed Magomedov, who had not fought since February 2023, looked sharp against the much-hyped Nathan Kelly. Magomedov controlled the fight on the ground, sapping the energy of his opponent, and secured a rear-naked choke submission.
Ibragim Ibragimov
Ibragim Ibragimov moved to 9-0 with a dominant performance against Kenny Mokhonoana. The 20-year-old showed off his wrestling skills and ground control, keeping Mokhonoana against the fence for much of the fight.
Renat Khavalov
Renat Khavalov faced a tough opponent in Cleiver Fernandes, but his ability to make small adjustments throughout the fight was enough to give him the win. Khavalov’s striking and timing were superior to those of Fernandes, and he moved to 9-0 with this victory.
PFL Champions Series: Road to Dubai Losers
Timothy Johnson
Timothy Johnson took a shot at upsetting Vadim Nemkov on short notice, but he was outmatched by the more experienced Nemkov.
Nathan Kelly
Nathan Kelly came into Saturday’s event with a lot of hype behind him, but he was unable to match the grappling skills of Akhmed Magomedov, submitting in the second round.
Kenny Mokhonoana
Kenny Mokhonoana was overmatched against Ibragim Ibragimov, who dominated him on the ground.
Cleiver Fernandes
Cleiver Fernandes was a game opponent for Renat Khavalov, but he lacked the depth and wrinkles of Khavalov’s game.
PFL Champions Series: Road to Dubai Video Highlights
Highlights from the PFL Champions Series: Road to Dubai event are available on YouTube and other online platforms.
The PFL Champions Series: Road to Dubai is the first event for the PFL in 2025. The promotion has released the dates for its 2025 World Tournament season, but has yet to announce the locations of those events.