Usman Nurmagomedov retains, Dakota Ditcheva returns at PFL New York

The Professional Fighters League returned to UBS Arena in Long Island, New York, on August 1, 2026, headlined by a dominant performance in the main event that saw Usman Nurmagomedov retain his title with a first-round knockout.

In the co-main event, undefeated Dakota Ditcheva (16-0, 11-0 PFL) made a successful comeback from a year-long injury layoff against former Bellator title challenger Denise Kielholtz (9-6, 1-1 PFL). Ditcheva displayed no signs of cage rust, blending sharp striking with effective takedowns while leveraging her reach advantage with front kicks to the head and body. Though the pace diminished in the third round, drawing some boos, Ditcheva controlled all three frames. All three judges scored the bout 30-27 in her favor—only the third time the finish-heavy fighter has gone the distance.

Amru Magomedov (10-0, 2-0 PFL) remained undefeated in a 157-pound catchweight bout against Angel Alvarez (11-3, 1-1 PFL). Magomedov's striking variety proved effective early, but his kicks became the decisive weapon. After Alvarez, who had missed weight the previous day, crumpled under the damage, Magomedov capitalized with a ground assault until referee Dan Miragliotta halted the action at 4:28 of Round 2.

Moustapha Diakhate (6-0-1, 1-0 PFL), the former Ares Fighting Championship light heavyweight champion, made an emphatic promotional debut by defeating last-minute replacement Darryl King Walker (2-1, 0-1 PFL). Diakhate hunted Walker with strikes from the opening bell before transitioning to a dominant ground position, finishing from mount at 2:35 of Round 1.

On the preliminary card, Lazaro Dayron (11-0-1, 3-0-1 PFL) earned a narrow split decision over former interim Bellator 135-pound champion Raufeon Stots (21-5, 1-3 PFL), with two judges scoring 29-28 for "El Cazador" and one for "Supa." Sean Gauci (12-1, 2-0 PFL) dominated Allan Begosso (10-5-1, 0-2 PFL) in a bantamweight bout, earning a unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27). Omar El Dafrawy (16-6, 6-1 PFL) outstruck Jonathan Piersma (12-4, 1 NC; 0-1 PFL) at 175 pounds, securing a unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 30-27). Tatiana Postarnakova (6-0, 2-0 PFL) narrowly defeated UFC veteran Montana De La Rosa (13-10-1, 0-1 PFL) via split decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29) in a women's flyweight matchup. To open the preliminary card, Levan Khabalaev (6-0, 1-0 PFL) submitted Chamy Delva (7-2, 0-1 PFL) with body knees followed by punches at 1:44 of Round 1.

The PFL's next elite middleweight clash headlines PFL Charlotte on Friday, August 7, at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN.