The PFL's 2026 calendar will kick off with a lightweight title fight between Usman Nurmagomedov and Alfie Davis, officials announced on Thursday.
Nurmagomedov (20-0) will seek the first defense of his PFL title against Davis (20-5-1) on Feb. 7 inside Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai.
Nurmagomedov, the younger cousin of retired legend Khabib Nurmagomedov, is a former Bellator MMA champion. This will be his third appearance under the PFL banner. He became the promotion's official lightweight champion in October, winning the vacant belt in a bout against Paul Hughes.
The PFL is revamping its identity in 2026, as it moves away from all previous season and single-elimination tournament formats in favor of more traditional MMA matchmaking. Nurmagomedov is one of the faces of the company and is considered one of the best fighters in the world competing outside of the UFC. He is the fifth-ranked lightweight in ESPN's divisional rankings across all MMA promotions.
Davis, of England, won the PFL's lightweight tournament this year, with wins over Clay Collard, Brent Primus and Gadzhi Rabadanov. Rabadanov, who Davis defeated in the 2025 lightweight finals via unanimous decision, is actually a close friend and teammate of the Nurmagomedov team from Dagestan.
