The opening round in PFL’s 2025 “World Tournament” continued on Friday night, with the long-standing lightweight class starting their year alongside the returning middleweight division at Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida.
At lightweight, 2024 champ Gadzhi Rabadanov advanced in the bracket alongside Jay Jay Wilson, Alfie Davis, and last year’s runner-up, Brent Primus.
The middleweight tournament saw Fabian Edwards, Dalton Rosta, Josh Silveira, and Aaron Jeffery walk away with wins.
Here’s a rundown of everything that happened:
Defending Lightweight Champ Rabadanov Scores Statement Win In First Fight of 2025
Gadzhi Rabadanov’s quest toward becoming a back-to-back PFL champion started dominantly on Friday night.
The 2024 middleweight champ needed a little over 30 seconds to dispose of former UFC fighter Marc Diakiese, putting together a gnarly ground and pound finish in the co-main event of this weekend’s show. The Russian vet caught a kick from Diakiese in the opening moments of the round, allowing him to trip him and take top control. From a top position, Rabadanov unloaded with ground and pound punches which knocked out Diakiese only moments later.
Rabadanov has put together 10 wins since taking his career to the U.S. in 2021. Last year his PFL run saw him piece together four wins, including a grand final finish win over Brent Primus.
Diakiese was making his second appearance since making the surprising jump from the UFC to the PFL. The 15-fight UFC vet was coming off a win over Tim Wilde from a 2024 Bellator card.
Rabadanov will be a tough next assignment for Jay Jay Wilson, who previously had his undefeated record broken by him in 2022. Wilson is riding the momentum of a big win from Friday’s card as well, passing his returning test with flying colors.
Long-time Bellator prospect Wilson had an impressive showing in his first appearance in over two years, closing out a three-round showcase against Mads Burnell with a late stoppage. After three rounds where he mainly used superior ground skills to control Denmark’s Burnell, a long flurry of ground and pound shots allowed the New Zealander to secure a finish.
Friday was Wilson’s first appearance since Bellator transitioned over to ownership under the PFL. While he was scheduled to appear as part of last year’s lightweight season, he was pulled from the schedule due to a U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) violation — he ended up serving a three-month suspension.
It was mentioned earlier in the broadcast that Wilson is dedicating his tournament run to a brother and sister of his who had passed away in recent years.
Alfie Davis picked up a highlight reel win in his first appearance of the year, catching PFL vet Clay Collard in the first round with a spinning elbow to the head.
Davis scored with the perfectly-timed shot as Collard shot in for a takedown, causing the blow to land clean on the head. Davis needed just a few moments of ground and pound to force the referee to step in and end the fight afterward. Collard protested the stoppage—doing a cartwheel to prove his remaining physical and mental capabilities—but he might have been the only one who thought the finish came too early.
The loss ends Collard’s PFL season earlier than ever before. He has reached the playoffs in three of his past four seasons, including a 2023 campaign which saw him go all the way to the finals. Davis was returning after suffering a submission loss last year against French contender Mansour Barnaoui.
His semi-final fight will come against Brent Primus, who is looking to provide even bigger results after a successful past season.
2024 lightweight finalist Primus started off his year with a solid win, submitting Brazilian prospect Vinicius Cenci late with a rear naked choke. After a competitive bout which mostly took place on the ground, Primus was able to take the back of Cenci late and slip in the choke for a tap with just 8 seconds to go in the fight.
Ex-Bellator champ Primus had one of the best years of his career in 2024, picking up a trio of wins before falling to Gadzhi Rabadanov in the lightweight grand finals. If he advances to the finals, Primus could line up a rematch against Rabadanov in this year’s final round.
Edwards Takes Down Kasanganay In Middleweight Main Event
Bellator veteran Fabian Edwards has yet to earn a major title in MMA, but after Friday, he’s just two wins away from finally securing such a feat.
A flurry of shots from Edwards put away 2023 PFL Light Heavyweight Champion Impa Kasanganay in the main event of the night, advancing him past the middleweight tournament’s quarter-finals.
Edwards tagged Kasanganay in the second round with a flying knee, then put the former champ to the mat with a left hand. By that point, Edwards needed to land just a few more ground and pound shots before it all came to an end.
Edwards spent years in Bellator’s middleweight division, rising up to title challenger status by 2023. However, through his two past appearances against then-champ Johnny Eblen, he has come up short in pursuit of a world title.
Determined to make it right this time, Edwards is laser-focused on his next bouts: “I feel good, but the job’s not done,” he said afterward. “One down, two to go. Can’t get too happy.”
The result was a second rough result for Kasanganay as of late. He came up short in his pursuit of a second consecutive PFL title last year, getting stopped in 58 seconds by Dovlet Yagshimuradov in the promotion’s grand finals last November. Now, his 2025 run is over as early as April.
Edwards will next be tasked in facing Josh Silveira, who had a hard-fought win on Friday evening.
Looking to turn things around after an unsuccessful 2024, Silveira kicked off his year with a decision win against England’s Mike Shipman. Silveira started with a strong opening round, being effective with striking in the clinch before nearing a guillotine choke submission as the frame expired.
While a possibly tiring Silveira saw his output drop off during the second round, allowing Shipman to claw back into the fight with his striking, the former two-division LFA champ rebounded with a solid final round, earning a takedown halfway through the frame and advancing into full mount.
While Silveira went as far as the finals in PFL’s 2023 light heavyweight tournament, last year he was bounced out of the bracket after the semi-finals. Now with one of three wins needed this year, the son of American Top Team coach Conan Silveira is possibly on his way to his first major MMA title.
Dalton Rosta opened his first-ever PFL tournament campaign with a big win, taking down former champ Sadibou Sy in just two rounds.
Following up on a solid opening round, a mix of solid stand-up and grappling skills allowed Rosta to end the bout in the second. After clipping the Swedish fighter with an overhand right, Rosta got top control on the ground. While he tried for an Americana briefly, it was a D’Arce Choke which forced a tap from Sy and ended the bout just past the halfway mark.
Rosta is one of the many Bellator vets who have crossed over to the PFL in recent years. He was slowly built up by the brand since his 2019 pro debut, going undefeated with eight wins up until 2023.
Rosta’s semi-final fight is what he referred to as a “stars aligned” moment, getting the opportunity to avenge his sole pro loss when he faces Aaron Jeffery.
Former CFFC Middleweight Champion Jeffery opened the night with one of the closer bouts of the evening, sneaking by Murad Ramazanov in a split decision result. Jeffery had a bigger focus on damage during a clinch-heavy three-rounder, connecting with a high volume of shots throughout the fight. However, Ramazanov’s success in the clinch, matched with his ability to get control on the ground as well, made the fight quite close.
Friday was Jeffery’s first PFL appearance after a six-fight Bellator run. His previous assignment saw him overcome ex-champ Douglas Lima in a decision result.
Lightweight Semi-Finals
Brent Primus vs. Alfie Davis
Gadzhi Rabadanov vs. Jay Jay Wilson
Middleweight Semi-Finals
Fabian Edwards vs. Josh Silveira
Dalton Rosta vs. Aaron Jeffery
Main Card (7:00PM EDT) (ESPN / ESPN+)
Bout 8: Fabian Edwards def. Impa Kasanganay via TKO, Strikes (RD 2, 2:14) (Middleweight Quarter-Final)
Bout 7: Gadzhi Rabadanov def. Marc Diakiese via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 0:32) (Lightweight Quarter-Final)
Bout 6: Dalton Rosta def. Sadibou Sy via TKO, Strikes (RD 2, 3:29) (Middleweight Quarter-Final)
Bout 5: Jay Jay Wilson def. Mads Burnell via TKO, Strikes (RD 3, 4:42) (Lightweight Quarter-Final)
Bout 4: Alfie Davis def. Clay Collard via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 2:12) (Lightweight Quarter-Final)
Preliminary Card (5:00PM EDT) (ESPN+)
Bout 3: Josh Silveira def. Mike Shipman via Decision, Unanimous (Middleweight Quarter-Final)
Bout 2: Brent Primus def. Vinicius Cenci via Submission, Rear Naked Choke (RD 3, 4:52) (Lightweight Quarter-Final)
Bout 1: Aaron Jeffery def. Murad Ramazanov via Decision, Split (Middleweight Quarter-Final)
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