Gadzhi Rabadanov is set to face Alex Chizov in the co-main event of PFL Sioux Falls on May 2nd. Ahead of the fight, Rabadanov, the second-ranked lightweight contender in the PFL, expressed his thoughts on the matchup.
“Yes. I’m so happy to be here again after resting from my last fight,” Rabadanov stated. “I have a very good opponent, the PFL Europe champion. He’s a very tough guy, and I’m very excited. I’m ready. It will be a very good match for us.”
Rabadanov’s previous fight was a setback against Alfie Davis. Davis went on to secure a PFL title shot against Rabadanov’s teammate, Usman Nurmagomedov, following his victory. Reflecting on that August fight, Rabadanov commented:
“The fight with Alfie. I know it was a bit of a bulls**t fight, you know. A small mistake and no excuses. Alfie won, but if I beat Alex Chizov, I want to ask the PFL for a rematch. I want to get a rematch with that guy, and we’ll see after Alex Chizov first.”
When asked to elaborate on why he considered the fight with Davis a “bulls**t” fight, Rabadanov explained:
“A lot of things were going on, but I don’t want to talk about it because it sounds like an excuse, you know. I don’t like excuses. This isn’t about me, and we have what we have, you know. We’ll see, but if they give me a rematch, I’ll show people, and I’ll break this guy. I believe if I’m prepared, if I’m ready, I’ll break this guy. Finish this guy. We’ll see.”
Rabadanov Praises Team Khabib, Discusses Teammate Usman Nurmagomedov
Training with Team Khabib embodies the principle of ‘iron sharpens iron.’ Discussing the advantages of being part of such an elite group, Gadzhi Rabadanov said:
“I train with the best fighters in the world. We have many champions. We have many titles from many promotions – Bellator before, UFC, PFL champion, UAE Warriors, Russian promotions. We have many champions in the gym, and of course, I’m so happy to be there. To represent this team, represent the legacy, our coach. A legendary coach, you know, and I will show, I will prove to people, we are the best team in the world.”
The former PFL tournament champion finds himself in a unique situation where the promotion has moved away from tournament structures, and the reigning champion in his weight class is a close teammate. Addressing this dynamic, Rabadanov stated:
“Now we don’t have a tournament structure. 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 it. I can’t talk about a title fight because that guy is my teammate, my brother. We will see what happens in the future. Right now, I have an opponent, we will see. But for me right now, a title fight, we can’t talk about this.”
Regarding the recent changes in the PFL’s format, Rabadanov shared his perspective:
“I think this is better than the tournament because when we fought in a tournament, we didn’t have time. Every year changes, fighters change, champions. Now I think it’s much better for fans, for fighters, for everyone. Now people understand how this system works.”
