Umalatov stays unbeaten in PFL with decision win

CHICAGO — Magomed Umalatov has yet to compete in the PFL playoffs, but he has also yet to lose in the PFL SmartCage.

Umalatov (15-0) dominated former Bellator MMA welterweight champion Andrey Koreshkov (27-4) in the main event of PFL 3 on Friday in Wintrust Arena. All three judges scored the welterweight headliner for Umalatov 29-28.

Umalatov is now 6-0 under the PFL banner with three finishes. He has missed the playoffs in recent years due to visa issues, not due to performance. This win over Koreshkov is the most significant of his career. Koreshkov had won five in a row.

The unanimous decision win earned Umalatov three points in the PFL 2024 welterweight standings. South Africa’s Don Madge (11-4-1) seized first place in the welterweight standings with a six-point first-round finish of Brennan Ward. Murad Ramazanov (12-0) also earned six points with a first-round submission.

In the featherweight division, 2022 PFL champion Brendan Loughnane (28-5) got off to a fast start with a first-round TKO of Pedro Carvalho. Gabriel Braga (13-1) tied Loughnane with a six-point finish, when he knocked out Justin Gonzalez in the final second of the opening round with a left hook.

The second round of the 2024 regular season for PFL’s welterweight and featherweight divisions will continue on June 28 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.