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Brendan Loughnane is now just one fight away from securing another $1 million payday, advancing to the PFL featherweight finals for the second time after a hard-fought victory over Kai Kamaka III at PFL 9. The event occurred at The Anthem in Washington, D.C., where Loughnane (30-5) displayed his skills and resilience in a three-round battle against Kamaka (14-6-1), a former UFC competitor.
As the No. 1 seed in this year's featherweight division, Loughnane started strong, nearly finishing Kamaka in the opening round with a spinning back kick to the body followed by a barrage of punches and knees in the clinch. Kamaka, however, showed incredible toughness, surviving the onslaught and bouncing back in the final two rounds. The fight turned into a fierce exchange of strikes, with Kamaka countering Loughnane’s attacks and making the contest highly competitive.
Despite Kamaka's late resurgence, Loughnane maintained his edge, landing effective jabs and spinning attacks that ultimately secured him a split-decision victory. The judges scored the fight 29-28, 28-29, and 30-27 in favor of Loughnane, solidifying his place in the featherweight finals.
Loughnane's final hurdle in his quest for the PFL championship and the $1 million prize will be Timur Khizriev (17-0), a former Bellator standout who continued his unbeaten streak with a split decision win over Gabriel Braga. Khizriev, the No. 3 seed, outstruck Braga throughout their match, earning the decision with scores of 30-27 from two judges, despite a controversial 29-28 scorecard favoring Braga from the third judge.
The night’s co-main event saw Magomed Umalatov (17-0) advance to the welterweight finals after outpointing Neiman Gracie. Umalatov dominated the early rounds with powerful strikes, while Gracie made a valiant comeback in the third round with multiple submission attempts. Umalatov’s consistent performance earned him a unanimous decision victory, setting up an all-Russian final against Shamil Musaev (19-0-1), who defeated Murad Ramazanov for the second time this season.
The action-packed night concluded with seven consecutive decisions, capping off a thrilling nine-fight card.
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