2024 PFL Championship battle night time at King Saud College in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Friday, Nov. 29, 2024. (Jose Peñuela / PFL)
Gentle heavyweight champ Impa Kasanganay was seeking to repeat on the PFL Championship 2024, the place he was paired up with Bellator MMA vet Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov.
Kasanganay was seeking to be part of the likes of Ray Cooper III and Kayla Harrison as a two-time PFL champ.
There was no return to glory for Impa Kasanganay on Friday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, nonetheless. As a substitute, a fired up Yagshimuradov put an finish to these desires early. Kasanganay, who had been booed by the pro-Yagshimuradov crowd on his stroll out, engaged in a firefight, and it value him. Yagshimuradov landed lefts, rights, and uppercuts, backing Kasanganay as much as the fence earlier than what felt just like the fourth or fifth uppercut lastly dropped him.
The win for Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov was each a significant accomplishment for himself, and a little bit of revenge for his group. Yagshimuradov represents American Prime Crew, whereas Impa Kasanganay trains with rival Kill Cliff, and had twice defeated Josh Silveira, an ATT member and son of one of many group’s prime coaches.
Yagshimuradov additionally earns slightly redemption for himself, after being bounced from Bellator’s gentle heavyweight grand prix early again in 2021. The Turkmenistani fighter mentioned in his post-fight interview that the assist of the followers “motivates me a lot,” including that “Impa is a very good fighter, but today I was better than him.”
Official Outcome: Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov def. Impa Kasanganay by TKO, Spherical 1, 0:58
