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Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff Writer
WASHINGTON — English featherweight Brendan Loughnane punched his ticket to the PFL finals for the third time in four years, outpointing Kai Kamaka III in a split decision on Saturday inside The Anthem.
Two of the three judges scored the three-round main event for Loughnane via scores of 30-27 and 29-28. A third had it 29-28 for Kamaka. Loughnane (30-5) will face Timur Khizriev (17-0) in the finals in November.
Loughnane, who won a PFL championship in 2022, surprised Kamaka with a spinning back kick in the opening round and nearly finished him with strikes on the ground. Kamaka (14-6-1) ultimately survived the onslaught and, at moments, found his groove with the jab and right hand in the second and third rounds. Loughnane, however, constantly stayed just one step ahead, stealing back momentum any time Kamaka started to find success.
Loughnane will face a tall task in Khizriev, a Russian standout who fought in Bellator MMA before joining the PFL season in 2024. Khizriev beat three veteran opponents en route to the finals, including Gabriel Braga, Enrique Barzola and Brett Johns.
In the welterweight division, Magomed Umalatov (17-0) finally advanced to a PFL finals matchup by defeating Neiman Gracie (13-6) in a back-and-forth co-main event. Umalatov has made the PFL playoffs three consecutive years but was forced to withdraw from the past two because of visa issues and injury.
He will face another undefeated Russian in Shamil Musaev (19-0-1), who also won by decision in the semifinals against Murad Ramazanov. Musaev’s win was not nearly as back-and-forth as Umalatov’s, as he thwarted Ramazanov’s takedown attempts and controlled the action on the feet. It was his second victory over Ramazanov this year.