A.J. McKee, Liz Carmouche earn statement victories at PFL San Diego

A.J. McKee and Liz Carmouche posted dominant statement victories at PFL San Diego on Saturday night, both positioning themselves as title contenders in their respective divisions.

Competing in his native California, 31-year-old McKee thoroughly dismantled Kazakh prospect Salamat Isbulaev to earn a unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) in the main event. The former Bellator featherweight champion showcased elite grappling, controlling the fight through multiple takedowns per round and threatening submissions while landing disciplined ground-and-pound. McKee improved to 3-0 since returning to the featherweight division and now sits squarely in the title picture.

In the co-main event, 42-year-old Liz Carmouche submitted Viviane Araujo with a guillotine choke 2:07 into Round 2. Araujo shot for a takedown in the second stanza, and Carmouche capitalized by jumping guard with the submission already locked. After resisting briefly, Araujo verbally submitted—marking her first professional submission loss and Carmouche's first finish victory against her in recent years. The "Girl-Rilla" has now won four consecutive fights inside the PFL and holds the 2025 flyweight championship, building a strong case for a title opportunity.

Alexander Shabliy earned a clean unanimous decision (30-27 x3) over 2025 PFL tournament champion Alfie Davis in a lightweight bout. The Russian displayed technical precision with crisp counters and timely takedowns. His best moment came in Round 2 when he buckled Davis with a left hook, though the Brit survived to the bell.

Rob Wilkinson, bouncing back from a three-fight skid, defeated light heavyweight newcomer Abraham Bably via second-round TKO at the 3:23 mark. Though Bably came out swinging aggressively in Round 1, his cardio faded in the second stanza, allowing Wilkinson to control the clinch, secure a rear-body lock, and finish with unanswered punches and elbows.

Preliminary highlights included Khasan Magomedsharipov's first-round submission of Joshua Weems (head/arm choke, 2:10); Jena Bishop's submission of UFC veteran Ariane Lipski da Silva (armbar, 4:08); Sarvarjon Khamidov's second-round rear-naked choke of Justin Wetzell (4:11); Shannon Clark's third-round TKO of Ilara Joanne (1:43); and Cobey Fehr's submission of pro newcomer Daniel Bzdigian via Anaconda choke (2:00).