Gadzhi Rabadanov is set to face Alex Chizov in the co-main event at PFL Sioux Falls on May 2nd. The number two-ranked lightweight contender expressed his excitement for the upcoming bout, acknowledging Chizov as a formidable opponent and the PFL Europe champion. Rabadanov stated, “I’m so happy to be here again after rest… 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.”
Reflecting on his previous fight against Alfie Davis, which resulted in a setback and paved the way for Davis to secure a title shot, Rabadanov described the fight as somewhat unsatisfactory. “Fight with Alfie. I know it was a little bit of a bulls**t fight, you know. A little bit of a 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 elaborated further, indicating that he doesn’t wish to dwell on excuses but is confident he can “break” Davis in a potential future encounter. “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… if they are going to give me a rematch, I’ll show people, and I broke this guy. I believe if I’m ready, I broke this guy. Finish this guy.”
Rabadanov also spoke about the benefits of training with the renowned Team Khabib, emphasizing the high level of talent and championship pedigree within the gym. “I train with the best fighters in the world. We have a lot of champions… 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 legacy, our coach. Legendary coach, you know, and I show, I prove to people, we are the best team in the world.”
Addressing the PFL’s current structure, which has moved away from tournaments to a ranking system, Rabadanov acknowledged the unique situation of having a teammate, Usman Nurmagomedov, as the divisional champion. “Now we don’t have the tournament right. We don’t have a tournament, we have ranking, we have one champion. One champion, Usman, and right now I can’t talk about a title fight because this guy is my teammate, my brother. We will see what is going to happen in the future.” Despite this, Rabadanov believes the current PFL format is an improvement. “I think this is better than a tournament because when we fought in a 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.”