Written by Gadzhi Rabadanov and Kevin Lee | @PFLMMA, Twitter
Gadzhi Rabadanov ran through Kevin Lee to book his ticket to the finals.
In Friday’s PFL 6 main event in Wichita, Kansas, the Dagestani star needed a little more than half a round to pummel Lee with punches and send him crashing face-first to the mat. Rabadanov seemingly landed every punch he threw from the opening bell until referee Jason Herzog mercifully stepped in to wave off the bout via knockout.
Check out video of the one-sided beatdown below.
Gadzhi Rabadanov stops Kevin Lee in Round 1! #PFLWorldTournament pic.twitter.com/YCoD4jzA43
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A first-round masterclass for Gadzhi Rabadanov.#PFLWorldTournament LIVE NOW
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The TKO stoppage officially came at the 2:37 mark of Round 1.
Things immediately went downhill for Lee when Rabadanov rocked him with a jab early, then wobbled him again with a right hand. A rattled Lee never seemed to recover as Rabadanov continued to put hands on him. It was after another hard right that Lee went for a desperation takedown, which resulted in him face-planting on the canvas and possibly injuring his shoulder.
With the win, Rabadanov advances to the PFL 2025 lightweight tournament final, where he meets Alfie Davis, who put on his own impressive performance Friday with a unanimous decision win over former Bellator champion Brent Primus.
In the co-main event, former Bellator flyweight champion Liz Carmouche booked her ticket to the 125-pound tournament final with a clear-cut decision win over the previously undefeated Elora Dana. Though Dana showed impressive toughness in the three-round fight, the more experienced Carmouche proved to be too much for her.
Carmouche faces Jena Bishop in the finals. Bishop impressed in her semifinal bout, submitting Ekaterina Shakalova in the second round.
JENA BISHOP TO THE CHAMPIONSHIP! She finishes Ekaterina Shakalova with a rear naked choke. #PFLWorldTournament LIVE NOW
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The bantamweight finals are also set with Marcirley Alves and Justin Wetzell earning one-sided decision wins over Jake Hadley and Mando Gutierrez, respectively, to advance in the 135-pound tournament.
PFL 6 got off to a fast start with three of the first four preliminary bouts ending via submission. Watch those finishes below.
VINICIUS CENCI WITH THE TRIANGLE! ROUND 1 FIREWORKS!#PFLWorldTournament LIVE NOW ON
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Darragh Kelly beats Mike Hamel by submission and remains undefeated!#PFLWorldTournament LIVE NOW ON
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NICK MECK MAKES QUICK WORK OF ALAN DOMINGUEZ!#PFLWorldTournament LIVE NOW ON
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Main Card
Gadzhi Rabadanov def. Kevin Lee via TKO (strikes) (R1, 2:37)
Liz Carmouche def. Elora Dana via unanimous decision (30-27 x3)
Archie Colgan def. Mansour Barnaoui via unanimous decision (30-27 x3)
Marcirley Alves def. Jake Hadley via unanimous decision (30-26 x3)
Alfie Davis def. Brent Primus via unanimous decision (29-28 x3)
Justin Wetzell def. Mando Gutierrez via unanimous decision (30-27 x3)
Preliminaries
Jena Bishop def. Ekaterina Shakalova via submission (rear-naked choke) (R2, 2:07)
Magomed Magomedov def. Sarvarjon Khamidov via unanimous decision (29-28 x3)
Vinicius Cenci def. Antonio Caruso via submission (triangle choke) (R1, 1:43)
Darragh Kelly def. Mike Hamel via submission (neck crank) (R3, 1:51)
Ilara Joanne def. Saray Orozco via unanimous decision (30-27 x2, 29-28)
Nick Meck def. Alan Dominguez via submission (rear-naked choke) (R1, 4:10)